Coding Express Set

Music - Animal Concert

With this lesson students will be able to recognize different animal sounds and be able to compose a simple melody using digital tools.

30-45 min.
Intermed.
PreK-K
Animal-concert-1

Prepare

  • Review this lesson plan and choose what you need from the Teacher Support box.

  • If necessary, pre-teach these related vocabulary words: animal sounds, compose, concert, melody, safari.

  • Consider the abilities and backgrounds of all your students and decide when and how to introduce and differentiate lesson content, activities, or concepts.

  • This lesson is designed to be used with the Coding Express app. Download the app for student devices at legoeducation.com/downloads.

  • To use this lesson without the Coding Express app, see the unplugged version.

Engage

  • Ask the students if they know what sounds different animals make.

  • Have them try to imitate some of these sounds.

  • Pick a song about animals that is well-known to your class and sing and/or dance to it.

  • Tell the students that the safari bus is full of kindergartners today.

  • They’re going to a concert performed by forest animals!

  • Would you like to join them and meet all of the animal singers?

Animal-concert-1

Explore

  • Build the safari bus and a train track (an O-shaped track is recommended).

  • Now experiment with the app.

  • Put the safari bus on the track and allow the students to explore the different functions of each button.

  • Place one action brick of each color on the track.

  • Have the students take turns using the app to “drive” the bus.

  • What happens after the bus passes each action brick?

Explain

  • Talk to the students about the sounds they’ve just heard.

  • Ask questions like:

    • What did you hear when the bus went over the action bricks?
    • Did you know those animal sounds?
    • What animals did you hear? (Ask the students to build the animals they’ve named.)
  • Ask the students to place each animal next to its action brick.

  • Use the app to see if the sound matches the animals they have built.

Elaborate

  • Now you’re going to make your own animal concert!

  • Have the students place the action bricks in any order on the track to compose their own music!

  • Talk to the students about their composition.

  • Ask them what they’d like to express with their music (e.g., happiness, excitement, nice weather).

  • Encourage the students to sing and dance to their music.

  • Stuffed animals or similar toys can be used as props for their performance.

Evaluate

  • Ask guiding questions to elicit students’ thinking and their decisions while ideating, building, and programming.

Observation Checklist

  • Review the learning objectives and educational standards addressed in this lesson (Teacher Support box).

  • Share specific student responses and behaviors at different levels of mastery.

  • Use the following checklist to observe students’ progress:

    • Students can describe the repeating pattern of the sounds on the track as a loop.
    • Students can design simple sequences to compose a simple melody.
    • Students can express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

More Ideas

  • Use this lesson’s format to create lessons for the Music Band in the app. Involve different instruments in the Engage phase discussion and explore more interesting sounds with your kindergartners.

  • For a more challenging music lesson, try Are you sleeping Brother John?

    1. Investigate the melody of each action brick.
    2. Sequence the action bricks to match the song.
    3. Compose a new song by remixing the action bricks.
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Animal-concert-3

Teacher Support

Students will:

  • Understand that the action bricks’ behavior can be changed using the app
  • Be able to recognize different animal sounds
  • Be able to compose a simple melody using digital tools

For up to four students

  • Coding Express (45025)

  • Coding Express App

  • 1A-AP-10 Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.

Extension:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.