SCIENCE UNIT CONNECTION

• To launch the unit in an engaging way, students will explore six organisms—the banded snail, Australian parrot, pink salmon, tawny owl, and marine iguana—by turning them into larger-than-life characters. This introduction sets the stage for the final engineering design challenge, which students will work on throughout the unit.

NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS

• DA:Cr1.1.3 – Explore movement inspired by a variety of stimuli (music, images, ideas) and select movements to express ideas.

SABES LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Students will explore five organisms by examining where they live, what they look like, and how they behave. They will use movement and music inspired by each organism’s habitat to deepen understanding of traits and begin forming research groups for the unit’s engineering design challenge.

WHEN TO USE

• Introduce students to the unit characters at the start of the unit through images, music, & movement!

OVERVIEW

SETTING UP

ARTS INTEGRATED LEARNING DESIGN

MUSIC MAKING

START OF CLASS SONG

• Watch the following videos to incorporate an arts integrated daily routine for this unit into your classroom:

STEP ONE

Meet the unit characters:

BANDED SNAIL

• Banded Snail Slides
• Banded Snail Character Music

AUSTRALIAN PARROT

• Australian Parrot Slides
• Australian Parrot Character Music

PINK SALMON

• Pink Salmon Slides
• Pink Salmon Character Music

TAWNY OWL

• Tawny Owl Slides
• Tawny Owl Character Music

MARINE IGUANA

• Marine Iguana Slides
• Marine Iguana Character Music

BRAIN TARGETED TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM

Learn more about Brain Targeted Teaching via Dr. Mariale Hardiman’s site and explore the arts integrated overlay below:

ROOT BRANCH MEDIA GROUP – BRING ROOT BRANCH TO YOUR SCHOOL!

All video content made in partnership with Baltimore’s Root Branch Media Group.

DAN + CLAUDIA ZANES – BRING THE ZANES TO YOUR SCHOOL!

Haitian-American jazz vocalist and music therapist Claudia Zanes and Grammy Award winning all-ages entertainer Dan Zanes have been making music together since the day they met in 2016. During their time together the two have toured extensively; written and performed Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera for the Kennedy Center; created House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury songbook for Quarto Publishing Group; and released their first record as a duo, Let Love Be Your Guide, for Smithsonian Folkways. Their follow-up Folkways album, Pieces of Home, was released in August, 2024. Vocals! Guitar! Flute! Percussion! Trombone! Harmonica! Jaw Harp! Dan and Claudia bring their social electric folk music with them wherever they go. People attend the highly interactive concerts knowing they’ll be singing along and dancing to a sound that lies at the center of Haitian folk, early rock and roll, sea shanties, Black gospel and blues. Learn more at https://danandclaudia.com/.

TESSA BERENS

SCIENCE CONNECTION

• This activity helps students connect observable traits in animals (how they look and behave) with “traits” in music (how a song sounds and feels). By exploring musical elements that match an organism’s environment or behaviors, students deepen their understanding of how traits help an organism survive, and begin thinking about adaptations through a creative, arts-integrated lens.

NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS

• MU:Cr1.1.3a: Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms and melodies) within simple musical forms.

SABES LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Students will be able to identify and describe the beat, melody, mood, lyrics, and hook of a song, and explain how these musical traits can help them understand and represent the physical and behavioral traits of the organism they are studying.

WHEN TO USE

• This activity can be used as a 15–20 minute mini-lesson at your discretion during any class period when you see students need movement, novelty, or energy.

OVERVIEW

SETTING UP

ARTS INTEGRATED LEARNING DESIGN

MUSIC MAKING

START OF CLASS SONG

• Watch the following videos to incorporate an arts integrated daily routine for this unit into your classroom:

THE BEAT

Beat Demonstration: We Will Rock You

THE HOOK

Hook Demonstration: Slim Gaillard, “Potato Chips”

THE MELODY

Melody Demonstration: Lift Every Voice and Sing

THE LYRICS

Lyrics Demonstration: You Are My Sunshine

THE MOOD

Mood Demonstration: All Along the Watchtower 1

Mood Demonstration: All Along the Watchtower 2

SONG TRAITS ASSIGNMENT

Return to Topic

BRAIN TARGETED TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM

Learn more about Brain Targeted Teaching via Dr. Mariale Hardiman’s site and explore the arts integrated overlay below:

ROOT BRANCH MEDIA GROUP – BRING ROOT BRANCH TO YOUR SCHOOL!

All video content made in partnership with Baltimore’s Root Branch Media Group.

DAN + CLAUDIA ZANES – BRING THE ZANES TO YOUR SCHOOL!

Haitian-American jazz vocalist and music therapist Claudia Zanes and Grammy Award winning all-ages entertainer Dan Zanes have been making music together since the day they met in 2016. During their time together the two have toured extensively; written and performed Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera for the Kennedy Center; created House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury songbook for Quarto Publishing Group; and released their first record as a duo, Let Love Be Your Guide, for Smithsonian Folkways. Their follow-up Folkways album, Pieces of Home, was released in August, 2024. Vocals! Guitar! Flute! Percussion! Trombone! Harmonica! Jaw Harp! Dan and Claudia bring their social electric folk music with them wherever they go. People attend the highly interactive concerts knowing they’ll be singing along and dancing to a sound that lies at the center of Haitian folk, early rock and roll, sea shanties, Black gospel and blues. Learn more at https://danandclaudia.com/.

TESSA BERENS

SCIENCE CONNECTION

• This activity reinforces the concept of variation by helping students recognize that, just like organisms can have different physical and behavioral traits, songs can also have different “traits” depending on how they are performed. Comparing musical versions helps students deepen their understanding that variation is natural, purposeful, and can change how something functions or is experienced—a core idea in genetics, traits, and adaptations.

NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS

• Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.: MU:Re7.2.3 — Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by the structure, the use of the elements of music, and context.

SABES LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Students will compare and contrast different versions of the same song to identify variations in musical traits (beat, melody, lyrics, hook/chorus, and mood) and explain how these changes affect the overall meaning or feeling of the song.

WHEN TO USE

• At the conclusion of SABES Chapter 2 on “Variations”

OVERVIEW

SETTING UP

ARTS INTEGRATED LEARNING DESIGN

MUSIC MAKING

START OF CLASS SONG

• Watch the following videos to incorporate an arts integrated daily routine for this unit into your classroom:

STEP ONE

Watch the video below to facilitate song variations:

BRAIN TARGETED TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM

Learn more about Brain Targeted Teaching via Dr. Mariale Hardiman’s site and explore the arts integrated overlay below:

ROOT BRANCH MEDIA GROUP – BRING ROOT BRANCH TO YOUR SCHOOL!

All video content made in partnership with Baltimore’s Root Branch Media Group.

DAN + CLAUDIA ZANES – BRING THE ZANES TO YOUR SCHOOL!

Haitian-American jazz vocalist and music therapist Claudia Zanes and Grammy Award winning all-ages entertainer Dan Zanes have been making music together since the day they met in 2016. During their time together the two have toured extensively; written and performed Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera for the Kennedy Center; created House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury songbook for Quarto Publishing Group; and released their first record as a duo, Let Love Be Your Guide, for Smithsonian Folkways. Their follow-up Folkways album, Pieces of Home, was released in August, 2024. Vocals! Guitar! Flute! Percussion! Trombone! Harmonica! Jaw Harp! Dan and Claudia bring their social electric folk music with them wherever they go. People attend the highly interactive concerts knowing they’ll be singing along and dancing to a sound that lies at the center of Haitian folk, early rock and roll, sea shanties, Black gospel and blues. Learn more at https://danandclaudia.com/.

TESSA BERENS

SCIENCE CONNECTION

• This activity models how dominant and recessive inherited traits work in living organisms. Just like the louder, more frequent rhythm “covers” the quieter one, dominant traits mask recessive traits in heterozygous offspring. Students physically experience this concept through sound, helping them understand how traits are expressed.

NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS

• MU:Re7.2.3: Demonstrate and explain how the structure and characteristics of music relate to its purpose and meaning.

SABES LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Students will be able to demonstrate the difference between dominant and recessive traits by performing and identifying layered rhythmic patterns, explaining why one pattern (trait) is more easily heard or “expressed” than the other.

WHEN TO USE

• At the conclusion of SABES Chapter 3 on “Inherited Traits”

OVERVIEW

SETTING UP

ARTS INTEGRATED LEARNING DESIGN

MUSIC MAKING

START OF CLASS SONG

• Watch the following videos to incorporate an arts integrated daily routine for this unit into your classroom:

STEP ONE

Watch the video below to facilitate inherited traits:

BRAIN TARGETED TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM

Learn more about Brain Targeted Teaching via Dr. Mariale Hardiman’s site and explore the arts integrated overlay below:

ROOT BRANCH MEDIA GROUP – BRING ROOT BRANCH TO YOUR SCHOOL!

All video content made in partnership with Baltimore’s Root Branch Media Group.

DAN + CLAUDIA ZANES – BRING THE ZANES TO YOUR SCHOOL!

Haitian-American jazz vocalist and music therapist Claudia Zanes and Grammy Award winning all-ages entertainer Dan Zanes have been making music together since the day they met in 2016. During their time together the two have toured extensively; written and performed Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera for the Kennedy Center; created House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury songbook for Quarto Publishing Group; and released their first record as a duo, Let Love Be Your Guide, for Smithsonian Folkways. Their follow-up Folkways album, Pieces of Home, was released in August, 2024. Vocals! Guitar! Flute! Percussion! Trombone! Harmonica! Jaw Harp! Dan and Claudia bring their social electric folk music with them wherever they go. People attend the highly interactive concerts knowing they’ll be singing along and dancing to a sound that lies at the center of Haitian folk, early rock and roll, sea shanties, Black gospel and blues. Learn more at https://danandclaudia.com/.

TESSA BERENS

SCIENCE CONNECTION

• These videos help students understand that structures change over time in response to needs, environments, and new technologies. Just as organisms evolve to survive, the guitar, songs, and genres evolved as musical needs, environments, and technology changed—providing a clear, kid-friendly analogy for how and why traits adapt over generations.

NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS

• MU:Re7.2.3a — Demonstrate and describe how musical works are influenced by personal and expressive preferences, culture, and context.

WHEN TO USE

• At the conclusion of SABES Chapter 4 on “Adaptations” or throughout the Adaptations topic as desired. This video series could be used at the start or end of a class period, for example.

OVERVIEW

SETTING UP

ARTS INTEGRATED LEARNING DESIGN

MUSIC MAKING

START OF CLASS SONG

• Watch the following videos to incorporate an arts integrated daily routine for this unit into your classroom:

ACTIVITY INTRODUCTION

Evolution of the Guitar

STEP ONE

Evolution of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

• Mozart’s Variations
• German Christmas Carol version
• Spanish Christmas Carol version
• Contemporary Dance Party version

STEP TWO

The Evolution of The Gospel Plow

• Early 20th Century version

STEP THREE

Early 20th Century Discussion

• Mahalia Jackson version

STEP FOUR

Keeps Your Eyes on the Prize Discussion

• Keep Your Eyes On the Prize: Example 1
• Keep Your Eyes On the Prize: Example 2

CLOSING

Musical Evolutions

Return to Topic

BRAIN TARGETED TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM

Learn more about Brain Targeted Teaching via Dr. Mariale Hardiman’s site and explore the arts integrated overlay below:

ROOT BRANCH MEDIA GROUP – BRING ROOT BRANCH TO YOUR SCHOOL!

All video content made in partnership with Baltimore’s Root Branch Media Group.

DAN + CLAUDIA ZANES – BRING THE ZANES TO YOUR SCHOOL!

Haitian-American jazz vocalist and music therapist Claudia Zanes and Grammy Award winning all-ages entertainer Dan Zanes have been making music together since the day they met in 2016. During their time together the two have toured extensively; written and performed Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera for the Kennedy Center; created House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury songbook for Quarto Publishing Group; and released their first record as a duo, Let Love Be Your Guide, for Smithsonian Folkways. Their follow-up Folkways album, Pieces of Home, was released in August, 2024. Vocals! Guitar! Flute! Percussion! Trombone! Harmonica! Jaw Harp! Dan and Claudia bring their social electric folk music with them wherever they go. People attend the highly interactive concerts knowing they’ll be singing along and dancing to a sound that lies at the center of Haitian folk, early rock and roll, sea shanties, Black gospel and blues. Learn more at https://danandclaudia.com/.

TESSA BERENS

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

• 3-LS3-2: Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment and that organisms inherit certain traits from their parents that help them survive.

NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS

• MU:Cr1.1.3a – Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work: Collaboratively and individually, imagine and plan music that communicates ideas, stories, or experiences.

SABES LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Students will create and perform an original song that demonstrates their understanding of how an organism’s inherited traits help it survive in a changing environment, incorporating musical elements (beat, melody, lyrics, hook/chorus) and visual/illustrative components to communicate their ideas.

WHEN TO USE

• At the conclusion of the unit as part of the Engineering Design Challenge.  

OVERVIEW

SETTING UP

ARTS INTEGRATED LEARNING DESIGN

MUSIC MAKING

START OF CLASS SONG

• Watch the following videos to incorporate an arts integrated daily routine for this unit into your classroom:

STEP ONE

Watch the video below to facilitate the songwriting challenge along with the activity rubric:

STEP TWO

Take a listen to a demonstration of a created song, “Peppered Moth”:

BRAIN TARGETED TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM

Learn more about Brain Targeted Teaching via Dr. Mariale Hardiman’s site and explore the arts integrated overlay below:

ROOT BRANCH MEDIA GROUP – BRING ROOT BRANCH TO YOUR SCHOOL!

All video content made in partnership with Baltimore’s Root Branch Media Group.

DAN + CLAUDIA ZANES – BRING THE ZANES TO YOUR SCHOOL!

Haitian-American jazz vocalist and music therapist Claudia Zanes and Grammy Award winning all-ages entertainer Dan Zanes have been making music together since the day they met in 2016. During their time together the two have toured extensively; written and performed Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera for the Kennedy Center; created House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury songbook for Quarto Publishing Group; and released their first record as a duo, Let Love Be Your Guide, for Smithsonian Folkways. Their follow-up Folkways album, Pieces of Home, was released in August, 2024. Vocals! Guitar! Flute! Percussion! Trombone! Harmonica! Jaw Harp! Dan and Claudia bring their social electric folk music with them wherever they go. People attend the highly interactive concerts knowing they’ll be singing along and dancing to a sound that lies at the center of Haitian folk, early rock and roll, sea shanties, Black gospel and blues. Learn more at https://danandclaudia.com/.

TESSA BERENS