Each week, this lesson will share some classroom activity ideas that
use the newspaper or other NIE resources. You are encouraged to
modify this lesson to fit the needs of your students. For example,
some classrooms may be able to use this as a worksheet and others
might need to ask and answer the questions in a class discussion.
Please be sure to preview all NIE content before using it in your
classroom to ensure it is appropriate for all of your students.
Materials you will need for this lesson:
The Seattle Times e-Edition
Pens or pencils
Article:
Classical Music and You
Page: Business D6
Date: Sunday, May 12, 2013
Pre- Reading Discussion Questions:
Look at the title and images on page D6. What do you like about
classical music? What do you not like or have questions about? What
do you hope to learn about classical music from this article?
Vocabulary:
Read the following quotes and determine the meaning of the word
based on how it’s used in the sentence:
“Bert
and Ernie taught us how dynamics — loudness
or softness — change the meaning of music.”
(Changes
in how loudly a piece of music is played or sung)
“The sound stops abruptly when the sorcerer bursts in to the
room, sees Mickey’s
mess, and uses his magic power to undo the chaos.”
(Suddenly or unexpectedly)
“The segment is designed
to introduce all ages, including children, to the often fascinating
and unusual stories behind classical music.”
(One
of the parts into which something can be divided)
Journal Writing Prompts:
“If you’ve ever seen Disney’s classic
movie ‘Fantasia,’ you probably remember the famous scene in which
Mickey Mouse tries to duplicate some of his master’s magic tricks,
but he loses control of the magic power. You might not have known
that the music you heard in the background was ‘The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice,’ a piece written by French composer Paul Dukas.”
Watch
this video clip with the accompanying music. Now that you know what
happens in the scene, write a detailed description of Mickey Mouse’s
experience. Use descriptive language which evokes as many of the
five senses as possible. After the description, reflect in your
journal on how the music impacts the scene. Would this scene be as
powerful without accompanying classical music? Why or why not?
Discussion Questions:
Read the following excerpt and answer the questions with a partner
or group:
“The music begins playfully, getting
louder and faster to depict the growing power of the magic tricks
the apprentice performs. But then, as things take a bad turn and the
apprentice loses control of all his enchanted water buckets, the
music grows louder
and more threatening.”
What other movies or television shows have you seen in which
classical music tells a story or makes an impact on the scene?
Compare your experiences with the group. What recommendations of
movies do you have for experiencing classical music in a fun way?
Small group discussion and activity:
“Tune in to Classical KING FM 98.1 for
‘Exploring Music,’ where you can learn quirky musical facts such as
this. ‘Exploring Music’ is a two-minute adventure in music airing
every night at 6 p.m.”
Listen to KING FM’s Exploring Music program and write a summary
report of what you learned. Present your knowledge to the class in a
short report and suggestions of classical music pieces to listen to
based on the Exploring Music program you heard.
Teaching News is Elementary is posted to the Web on Fridays. Please share the NIE program with other teachers. To sign-up for the electronic edition of
the newspaper please call 206/652-6290 or toll-free 1-888/775-2655.
