K-12 Lesson Plans
- Parent Category: Lesson Plans
- In: 2nd to 3rd Grade Lesson Plans
Title: Peter "Pietra" and the Wolf (2-3 Version)
Submitted By: James Berry, North Conway, NH
Objective: Students will learn the story of Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev and be able to identify the main characters in the story along with the instruments they represent.
National Standards Covered: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music (6), Understanding music in relation to history and culture (9)
Materials:
Optional Book of Peter
and
the Wolf
Peter
and the Wolf CD
Selected clips from Peter and the Wolf (zip file - click here to download)
Original script of "Pietra and the Wolf" by J. Berry adapted from the original Peter and the Wolf
Music Stands, Aluminum Foil - anything that could be used as a prop
Procedure:
1. This is a lesson that may take several class periods, so be aware of that in planning this lesson. There is some preparation work you will need to do. First of all, make sure you have all of the materials listed above.
2. Play the full recording for the children, while
optionally showing students the book of Peter and the Wolf. Explain how
each character is related
to a particular instrument and explain what each instrument sounds
like. Following the story, test students knowledge of which characters
matched which instruments. You may want to use the printable
flash cards provided in this partner lesson.
3. Those edited
clips that you acquired from the
materials above (in a zip file) should be setup on your ipod or
CD. Unzip the file that you downloaded and drag it into iTunes.
Create a playlist in itunes with those selected clips and then add it
to a recordable CD or ipod. Get your students to help you with
this process if you are not very technologly saavy. Note: Due to copyright restrictions,
it is important you also own the original CD listed above before using
the clips. You may only use one copy of the clips for educational use ONLY.
4. Now, here is where the fun begins, typically on
the second class with the students. Tell
students you are going to act out the story of Peter and the Wolf. In
the script, I developed, our lead character was a girl so it became
Pietra and the Wolf. Decide which you prefer. The
grandfather/grandmother are also interchangable. Assign parts to each
of the students. There should be only one Peter/Pietra, but there can
be 2 grandparents, several birds, ducks, cats, and hunters and even
several wolves. You can make it even more fun, but having students make
popsicle puppets of their characters before you begin the story.
It would be a good idea as the instructor to review the script and
think about props and placement before throwing the students into the
dramatic.
5. Use the script provided in the Materials
section to guide the students through the story. There are cues for
playing the appropriate clips in the story. Perhaps have a few
students who are less dramatic run the sound as the 'tech crew'.
Run this through at home
first, to get used to the story and its timing. Have you and the
students set up props around the room to represent the different areas
in the story - Peter's house, the bird's trees, the open part of the
forest, the pond, and the part of the forest where the wolf will lurk.
This can be a lot of fun for you and your classes!
Extension / Assessment: Make sure the students understand the relationship between the instruments and the characters in the story. Be sure that the can identify the characters and instruments by name. To extend further, give students a bit more history about Russian culture. Also, this lesson can be a great classroom concert idea or performance for a small assembly. Interactive lessons such as this reinforce the ideas upon the children more than a video!
Note: This lesson took an especially long time to prepare - please donate in the right column if you feel so led. Much appreciated!
