ROUNDING THROUGH THE ARTS: ROUNDING RHYMES–EXPLORING NUMBERS THROUGH MUSIC 3

ROUNDING RHYMES–EXPLORING NUMBERS THROUGH MUSIC

ROUNDING THROUGH THE ARTS: ROUNDING RHYMES–EXPLORING NUMBERS THROUGH MUSIC

Learning Description

In this music-integrated lesson, students will review their understanding of place value and apply it to the concept of rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100 using musical concepts. Students will create a rap, cheer, or song that expresses their specific number’s journey as it rounds to the nearest ten or hundred using body percussion, tempo, dynamics, and pitch.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3
CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & MATH
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can apply my understanding of place value to the concept of rounding whole numbers.
  • I can determine when a multi-digit whole number should be rounded up and when it should be rounded down.
  • I can create a rap, cheer or song that expresses my overall understanding of the concept of rounding.
  • I can use musical concepts like body percussion, tempo, pitch, and dynamics to express rounding.

Essential Questions

  • How does place value relate to rounding multi-digit whole numbers?
  • How can musical terms like body percussion, tempo, pitch, and dynamics help to express rounding?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

3.NR.1.3 Use place value understanding to round whole numbers up to 1000 to the nearest 10 or 100.

Arts Standards

ESGM3.CR.2 Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

ESGM3.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

3.NSBT.1 Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can arrange and compose music.

Anchor Standard 4: I can play instruments alone and with others.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

    • Ones place - The last or right digit. Ex: In 784, 4 is in the ones place
    • Whole number - A number without fractions or decimal parts
    • Greater than - A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the greater number given first. Ex: 5 > 3 shows that 5 is greater than 3
    • Place value - the numerical value that a digit has by virtue of its position in a number.
    • Thousands place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 1 is in the "thousands" position, so it shows a value of 1,000
    • Hundreds place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 3 is in the "hundreds" position, so it shows a value of 300
    • Tens place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 5 is in the "tens" position, so it shows a value of 50
    • Rounding - Making a number simpler but keeping its value close to what it was. The result is less accurate, but easier to use. Example: 73 rounded to the nearest ten is 70, because 73 is closer to 70 than to 80
    • Less than - A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the lesser number given first. For example: 5 < 9 means 5 is less than 9
    • Number line - A line with numbers placed in their correct position. Useful for addition and subtraction and showing relations between numbers

Arts Vocabulary

  • Lyrics - The words of a song
  • Tempo - The speed of the beat
  • Body percussion - Percussive sounds you can make with your body, such as clapping, stopping, tapping, snapping, etc.
  • Dynamics - Loud and soft sounds; volume
  • Pitch - The highness or lowness of sound

 

Materials

  • Rubber ball (light weight, size of basketball)
  • Paper
  • Pencils

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Play Zip-Zap-Zop:
    • Place students in a circle.
    • One student passes the word “Zip” to another student by making eye contact and throwing the ball.
    • The student that catches the ball passes the word “Zap” to another student in the circle by making eye contact and throwing the ball.
    • The third student catches the ball and does the same thing with the word “Zop”.
    • It repeats again with three new players saying the phrase again.
  • Apply this game to rounding to the nearest ten:
    • The game works exactly the same except this time the first person throwing the ball will call out a two digit number.
    • The student catching the ball must determine if the number should be rounded up or rounded down to the nearest ten by stating “round up!” or “round down!”.
    • The third student catching the ball will do the actual rounding and then throw the ball to a new person giving the new person a new two digit number.

*This game could also be used to round to the nearest hundred if time permits.

Work Session

  • Explain that students will create their own rap, song, or cheer using musical elements to demonstrate how a number rounds to the nearest ten or hundred.
  • Introduce students to various forms of body percussion, such as stomping, tapping, clapping, snapping, etc. Ask students to make observations about what parts of their bodies they are using to make sound–hands, feet, arms, etc.
  • Play a simple beat in the background and have students follow the teacher in practicing various body percussion techniques to the beat.
  • Speed the tempo up and then slow it down. Ask students what happened with the tempo.
  • Add a simple chant to the beat–this could be a familiar nursery rhyme or the lyrics of “Happy Birthday”. Change the pitch of your voice (high, low) and ask students to observe what changes you made. Next, make changes in dynamics (soft to loud); ask students to make observations about the changes in sound.

Create a Rounding Rap/Song/Cheer:

  • Divide students into small groups of three to four and assign (or allow the group to pick) a number.
  • Provide the following guidelines to students:
    • Students’ task is to write a short rap, song, or cheer about their number’s rounding journey.
    • Students’ compositions must include lyrics with key rounding terms like "round up", "round down", "nearest ten", and "nearest hundred".
    • Students must choose to use two out of the following three musical concepts to help explain rounding:
      • Body percussion: Consider what part of the body they use to make sound–high, middle or low to express what is happening with the number when it rounds up or down
      • Tempo: Consider how speeding up or slowing down the tempo could connect to rounding up or down
      • Dynamics: Consider how getting louder or softer could connect to rounding up or down
      • Pitch: Consider how making higher pitched sounds or lower pitched sounds could connect to rounding up or down
    • Allow groups time to practice their creations, focusing on integrating their chosen musical elements.
    • Each group will perform their rap, song, or cheer for the class. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.

Closing Reflection

  • Ask students to reflect on what they learned about rounding through creating their music.
    • How did using musical terms like body percussion, tempo, pitch, and dynamics help them express rounding?
    • Recap the rounding rules and how the musical elements helped communicate the journey.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • The teacher will monitor the group’s discussions and participation.
  • The teacher will observe students’ ability to use body percussion and change tempo, dynamics, and pitch.

Summative

  • Evaluate the content of each rap/song/cheer for understanding of rounding concepts.
  • Evaluate whether students used body percussion, tempo, dynamics, and/or pitch to communicate the concept of rounding.
  • Assess students’ ability to articulate what they learned during the wrap-up discussion.

 

Differentiation 

Accelerated: 

  • Include more complex numbers and/or rounding to the nearest thousand.
  • Have students record their performances to share on a digital platform like Flipgrid.
  • Have students create a visual storyboard of their number's rounding journey.
  • Listen to a popular song and identify its beat, tempo, dynamics, etc. to reinforce the musical terms learned.

Remedial:

  • Use simpler numbers and focus on rounding to the nearest ten.

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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ROUNDING THROUGH THE ARTS: THE ROUND-UP HOEDOWN 3

THE ROUND-UP HOEDOWN

ROUNDING THROUGH THE ARTS: THE ROUND-UP HOEDOWN

Learning Description

Students will participate in a Readers Theatre script to tell an engaging metaphorical story about rounding numbers up and down, using the setting of a cattle roundup and the metaphor of cows as differently-valued numbers.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3
CONTENT FOCUS: THEATRE & MATH
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can determine whether a number should be rounded up or down.
  • I can work collaboratively to participate in a Readers Theatre activity.

Essential Questions

  • How do we round numbers up and down?
  • How do we tell a story together through Readers Theatre?
  • How does place value relate to rounding multi-digit whole numbers?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

3.NR.1.3  Use place value understanding to round whole numbers up to 1000 to the nearest 10 or 100.

Arts Standards

TA3.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

3.NSBT.1 Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 3: I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

    • Ones place - The last or right digit. Ex: In 784, 4 is in the ones place
    • Whole number - A number without fractions or decimal parts
    • Greater than - A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the greater number given first. Ex: 5 > 3 shows that 5 is greater than 3
    • Place value - the numerical value that a digit has by virtue of its position in a number.
    • Thousands place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 1 is in the "thousands" position, so it shows a value of 1,000
    • Hundreds place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 3 is in the "hundreds" position, so it shows a value of 300
    • Tens place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 5 is in the "tens" position, so it shows a value of 50
    • Rounding - Making a number simpler but keeping its value close to what it was. The result is less accurate, but easier to use. Example: 73 rounded to the nearest ten is 70, because 73 is closer to 70 than to 80
    • Less than - A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the lesser number given first. For example: 5 < 9 means 5 is less than 9
    • Number line - A line with numbers placed in their correct position. Useful for addition and subtraction and showing relations between numbers

Arts Vocabulary

  • Readers Theatre – A theatrical style in which actors read a script aloud with vocal expression but without the use of props, costumes, or scenery
  • Script - The written version of a play, movie, or other acted performance
  • Voice – Actors use their voice to be heard by the audience clearly. Actors must also apply vocal choices such as pitch, tempo, and volume to the character they are dramatizing.
  • Pitch - The highness or lowness of sound
  • Tempo - The speed of the beat
  • Poise – Posture, position: a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing.
  • Character – An actor or actress in a specified role

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Have students stand straight, with feet flat on the ground, and arms by their sides.
  • Lead students in repetitions of a series of syllables, such as “La-la-la-la-la” and “Bo-bo-bo-bo-bo”.
  • Practice a familiar phrase, such as “Twinkle twinkle little star” or “Mary had a little lamb” varying the pitch, volume, and tempo: High and low, loud and soft, fast and slow.
  • Lead students in several tongue twisters, such as:
    “She sells seashells by the seashore”
    “Unique New York, Unique New York”
    “If a woodchuck could chuck wood, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck?”
    Others by teacher choice or student suggestion.
  • Discuss which aspects of voice (pitch, volume, and tempo) help with clear communication.

Work Session

  • Introduce Readers Theatre to students.
    • Explain that the class will be reading a script aloud; all students will participate; and they will have a chance to practice their parts individually and together.
    • Explain that it will be like a performance, except there won’t be any audience (unless the teacher chooses to prepare it for performance).
  • Explain that the Readers Theatre script is about place value and rounding numbers up and down. Discuss what it means to round up or round down. Give examples of situations where people might round up or down (e.g., someone might owe someone else $19, so they round it up to $20 for simplicity; someone asks what the temperature is, and instead of saying 72 degrees, the other person answers that it is about 70; etc.).
  • Explain that the script is about numbers although it is set in a cowboy town where the ranchers are sorting their livestock.
    • As appropriate, discuss that the script uses a metaphor in which the cows are like numbers (or discuss after reading the script).
  • After distributing the script, do an initial read-through.
    • Read through the script with students in sequence reading the next speech when their turn comes; i.e., establish an order (Jesse, then Ariel, then Kayden, then Valerie, etc.), and have each student read a single speech before moving on to the next reader. Assist students with reading as needed.
  • Discuss the script and how place value, rounding up, and rounding down are conveyed.
  • Assign roles. Depending on class size, assign multiple students to a role, have a single student play multiple roles, and/or combine roles, as needed.
  • Using lines from the script, model standing tall, holding the script out in front of the chest (not in front of the face, and not down at the waist), and reading aloud with expression. Ask students how your voice helps to convey the meaning of the lines.
  • Give students a chance to practice their lines out loud, all simultaneously. Assist individual students as needed.  Encourage students to find the meaning of their lines, and to have fun with how they say them.
  • Line the students up in a sensible sequence according to the script. Read through the script at performance level, with strong poise, and loud, clear expressive voices.

Closing Reflection

  • Reflect on how classmates helped make the meaning come through clearly; and on how the script presents the concepts of rounding up and rounding down.
  • Ask students how the script communicated the concept of rounding.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • The teacher will observe how:
    • Students practice and deliver their lines in the Readers Theatre piece.
    • Students demonstrate understanding of the mathematical concepts in the lesson.

Summative

  • Students stand with poise and speak with expression.
  • Students can articulate the meaning of place value, rounding up, and rounding down.

 

Differentiation 

Accelerated: 

  • Give advanced students more difficult roles in the script.
  • Have students add gestures and movement to the reading.
  • Have students write a sequel addressing rounding up to hundreds and thousands.

Remedial:

  • Give less advanced students simpler roles in the script.
  • Assign multiple students to each role.
  • Edit script as needed to simplify.

 

Additional Resources

Instructional video on Readers Theatre (for teachers)

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning
Ideas contributed by: Barry Stewart Mann, MFA

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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ROUNDING THROUGH THE ARTS: ROUNDING ROLLER COASTERS–EXPLORING ROUNDING THROUGH ROLLER COASTER DESIGN 3

ROUNDING ROLLER COASTERS–EXPLORING ROUNDING THROUGH ROLLER COASTER DESIGN

ROUNDING THROUGH THE ARTS: ROUNDING ROLLER COASTERS–EXPLORING ROUNDING THROUGH ROLLER COASTER DESIGN

Learning Description

This project-based, arts-integrated lesson will explore the mechanics of roller coasters. Students will review their understanding of place value and apply it to the concept of rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100 using the engineering design process. Students will design and build a roller coaster to model the concept of rounding. Students will label the roller coaster like a number line and demonstrate what happens when a marble is placed on various points. Designing the slope of the roller coaster will reinforce when the marble rolls forward “rounded up” or rolls backwards “rounded down” based on its pathway of movement.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & MATH
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can apply my understanding of place value to the concept of rounding whole numbers.
  • I can determine when a multi-digit whole number should be rounded up and when it should be rounded down.
  • I can use materials to design and engineer a roller coaster that models the concept of rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

Essential Questions

  • How can I design a roller coaster that models the concept of rounding multi-digit whole numbers to the nearest 10 and 100?
  • How does place value relate to rounding multi-digit whole numbers?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

3.NR.1.3:  Use place value understanding to round whole numbers up to 1000 to the nearest 10 or 100.

Arts Standards

VA3.CR.4 Understand and apply media, techniques, processes, and concepts of three-dimensional art.

VA3.CN.3 Develop life skills through the study and production of art (e.g. collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication).

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

3.NSBT.1 Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques,  and processes to make art.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Rounding - Making a number simpler but keeping its value close to what it was. The result is less accurate, but easier to use. Example: 73 rounded to the nearest ten is 70, because 73 is closer to 70 than to 80
  • Place value - the numerical value that a digit has by virtue of its position in a number
  • Thousands place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 1 is in the "thousands" position, so it shows a value of 1,000
  • Hundreds place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 3 is in the "hundreds" position, so it shows a value of 300
  • Tens place - The value of where the digit is in the number. Example: In 1,352, the 5 is in the "tens" position, so it shows a value of 50
  • Ones place - The last or right digit. Ex: In 784, 4 is in the ones place
  • Whole number - A number without fractions or decimal parts
  • Greater than - A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the greater number given first. Ex: 5 > 3 shows that 5 is greater than 3
  • Less than - A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the lesser number given first. For example: 5 < 9 means 5 is less than 9
  • Number line - A line with numbers placed in their correct position. Useful for addition and subtraction and showing relations between numbers

Arts Vocabulary

  • Form - An object that is three-dimensional and encloses volume (cubes, spheres, and cylinders are examples of various forms)
  • Engineering design process - A process that designers and engineers use to arrive at a solution: Ask, imagine/brainstorm, plan/design, create/build, test, evaluate, and improve

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Announce to the class that today they will be taking their understanding of rounding whole numbers to the nearest ten and hundred and applying it to designing roller coasters.
  • Review prior knowledge of rounding and the rules of rounding whole numbers.
  • Watch the video of the roller coaster simulation. Encourage students to count when on the slope so they begin to understand how the concept of rounding connects to the slope of a roller coaster.
  • Introduce students to the history of roller coasters, how roller coasters work, and the engineering and problem solving that is present in the design.
  • Introduce The Engineering Design Process to students.

A circular diagram titled

Explain that the coaster design should express form and function (aesthetically pleasing and functional).

Work Session

  • Give directions on how students will work in small groups to design their own innovative roller coaster that models the concept of rounding.
  • Students will work together to engineer their roller coaster.
  • Give each group a different multi-digit number (differentiate these numbers based on leveled groups).
  • Students will use index cards, tape and black markers to label the coaster with a multi-digit starting and ending number determined after considering the number they are rounding up or down.
  • Model this for the whole group by drawing the roller coaster and labeling it.
    • Example: If you model the number 18 and you are rounding to the nearest ten, then the range of numbers labeled on the roller coaster track would be numbers 10-20. If your example is 127 and you are rounding to the nearest hundred, then the range of numbers would be 100-200 (labeling by tens: 110, 120, 130, etc.)
  • Students will work in their small groups to design and engineer their roller coasters. Students should create a sketch of their design plan, labeling the parts and expressing the
    concept of rounding specific to their number.
  • Students will use foam pipe insulation, tape, cardboard and plastic cups to build an innovative coaster.
  • Students will label their coaster demonstrating the concept of rounding.
  • Students will test out the mechanics of their roller coaster by using a marble.
  • Encourage students to make revisions to their designs as needed.

Closing Reflection

  • Have students reflect on the following questions:
    • How did the roller coaster help you understand the concept of rounding?
    • How could you have used this same roller coaster to round to the nearest thousand or ten thousand?
    • What are you most proud of after completing this lesson?
    • If you could do this project again, what would you do differently?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Teacher anecdotal notes during small group collaboration when designing, engineering, and labeling the roller coaster
  • Student’s experimentation with the marble and the roller coaster

Summative

  • Roller coaster design and creation (Design Process Rubric for Rounding Roller Coasters)
  • Correct labeling of roller coaster to demonstrate how a number will round depending on its value

 

Differentiation 

Accelerated: 

  • Ask students to name their roller coaster and create a brand based on characteristics.
  • Ask students to write a story about the process of designing and creating as part of a team.
  • Ask students to describe the type of energy used in their coaster. Potential energy as energy at rest and kinetic energy as energy in motion.

Remedial:

  • Use smaller multi digit numbers for students who need additional support.

 

Additional Resources

Rounding Rescue, a Rounding Numbers Story by Eric Lostorto

Numbers Elementary: Rounding by Mike Shuck

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

Back to Modules

POLLUTION MATTERS: EXPLORING POLLUTION THROUGH DANCE 3-5

EXPLORING POLLUTION THROUGH DANCE

POLLUTION MATTERS: EXPLORING POLLUTION THROUGH DANCE

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will learn about air, water and land pollution around the world by responding to images and conducting research. Students will then express their understanding of pollution through movement using locomotor and non-locomotor movements and levels.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3,5
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS/DANCE & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can identify types of pollution around the world.
  • I can analyze the effects that pollution has on human life.
  • I can express my feelings about pollution using movement.

Essential Questions

  • How does pollution affect people from different cultures in different ways?
  • What are the effects of pollution on people and the environment?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

S3L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.

a. Ask questions to collect information and create records of sources and effects of pollution on the plants and animals.

b. Explore, research, and communicate solutions, such as conservation of resources and recycling of materials, to protect plants and animals.

Arts Standards

Grade 3:

ESD3.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

ESD3.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 5:

5-ESS3-1. Evaluate potential solutions to problems that individual communities face in protecting the Earth’s resources and environment.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use movement exploration to discover and create artistic ideas and works.

Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Pollution - The introduction of harmful or toxic substances, known as pollutants, into the environment
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle - A sustainability concept aimed at minimizing waste and conserving resources
  • Garbage - Waste materials that are no longer useful or wanted and are typically discarded
  • Litter - Waste, trash, or discarded material that is improperly disposed of in public spaces instead of in designated trash or recycling bins
  • Smog - A type of air pollution that results from the interaction of sunlight with pollutants like ground-level ozone and particulate matter
  • Smoke - A collection of gasses, particles, and other chemicals released when a substance undergoes combustion (burning)
  • Water vapor - The gaseous form of water
  • Acid rain - Precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, or fog) that has a lower pH than normal due to the presence of harmful chemicals, primarily sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) in the atmosphere
  • Oil spills - The release of liquid petroleum (crude oil or refined oil) into the environment, typically into bodies of water like oceans, rivers, or lakes
  • Runoff - The flow of water, usually from rainfall or melting snow, that travels over the ground and eventually enters rivers, lakes, streams, or oceans
  • Pesticides - Chemicals or substances used to prevent, control, or eliminate pests, such as insects, weeds, fungi, rodents, and other organisms that can harm crops, livestock, or human health
  • Fertilizers - Substances or materials added to soil or plants to provide essential nutrients that promote healthy plant growth
  • Emissions (ex: car, airplane) - The release of substances (often gasses, liquids, or particles) into the environment

Arts Vocabulary

  • Mood - Emotion or feeling
  • Locomotor movement - A movement that travels through space
  • Non-locomotor movement - A movement that does not travel through space
  • Levels - One of the aspects of movement (there are three basic levels in dance: high, middle, and low)

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Lead students in a mirroring movement warm-up to introduce the following vocabulary:
    • Locomotor
    • Non-locomotor
    • Levels (high, middle, low)
    • Pathways
  • Begin by telling students that they will mirror your movements so they must be watching closely. Have students establish a space where they can move without interfering with other students.
    • Start by doing simple non-locomotor movements (i.e., bending, twisting, shaking, etc.)
    • Now incorporate high, middle, and low levels by making non-locomotor movements at different levels.
    • Begin to incorporate locomotor movements, such as stepping together from side to side, gliding as if skating, walking, etc.
    • Incorporate levels high, middle, and low by making locomotor movements at different levels.
  • Debrief with students explaining the dance vocabulary.
  • Now, tell students that you will call out vocabulary and they will make a movement that expresses the vocabulary.
    • Example: Create a locomotor movement at a low level.
  • After practicing using the vocabulary, have students return to their seats.
  • Show students images of pollution around the world and discuss the images as a class.
    • Engage students in the Step Inside Artful Thinking Routine.
      • Choose a person, object or element in an image or work of art, and step inside that point of view. Consider:
        • What can the person/thing perceive and feel? What might the person/thing know about or believe?
        • What might the person/thing care about?
        • How would you feel if you were in the same situation or you were in that environment?
      • Take on the character of the thing you’ve chosen and improvise a monologue. Speaking in the first person, talk about who/what you are and what you are experiencing.
      • What do you think caused the pollution in the environment?
    • After several of the images, discuss the feelings that students have. Ask students to show that feeling using a movement.
    • Then ask students to explain their rationale for choosing each movement.

Work Session

Part 1

  • Introduce to students the concept of “Ego vs. Eco” (human advancement at the expense of nature versus caring for the ecosystem). Use this website resource to explore/research this concept: https://recyclingsutainabiliy4a.weebly.com/ego-vs-eco.html.
  • Students will create journal entries on Padlet/sticky notes (teacher's choice) to explain possible causes of and solutions for pollution viewed in the images from the slideshow.

Part 2

Part 3:

  • Place students in small groups of three or four students.
  • Students will review the research and make a list of six adjectives used to describe pollution.
  • Direct students to work together to choreograph a movement for each adjective.
  • Students should then connect them together to form a dance.
  • Students’ dances must:
    • Have at least six movements
    • Use both locomotor and non-locomotor movements
    • Use all three levels–high, middle, and low
  • If time permits, direct students to select music that they connect to. Otherwise, provide students with two options of music to use for their dance (instrumental recommended).
  • Students should rehearse their dances.

Closing Reflection

  • Have students name the different types of pollution they saw and describe the effects it has on our world.
    • Have students discuss where they saw locomotor/non-locomotor movements and levels.
  • Ask students:
    • How does it make you feel seeing pollution around the world?
    • Where have you seen pollution in your own environment?
    • What could you do to help the environment?
    • How can we further reduce the amount of waste that we have?
    • What is something new you learned about pollution while participating in this project?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Teachers will observe students’:
    • Responses during the activating strategy: Step Inside
    • Journal entries
    • Research and identification of relevant vocabulary terms from research
    • Students’ collaboration on choreography

Summative

  • Students’ choreography:
    • Has at least six movements
    • Uses both locomotor and non-locomotor movements
    • Uses all three levels–high, middle, and low
    • Includes a movement for six different relevant adjectives to describe pollution
    • Students can name the different types of pollution they saw and describe the effects it has on our world.

 

Differentiation 

Accelerated: 

Remedial:

  • Provide sentence starters for students’ journal entry writing.
  • Allow for peer tutor and pairings.
  • Include visuals to support the content vocabulary.
  • Allow students to copy their articles into Microsoft Word Online and use the “Immersive Reader” feature to hear their articles read aloud. (Office365 Student Account>Word Document Online>View>Immersive Reader)

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: Jill McNally, Alisa Moore, Julie Palmieri, Edited by Dr. Carla Cohen, Edited by Jessica Espinoza and Katy Betts

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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POLLUTION MATTERS: GOOD GARBAGE 3-5

GOOD GARBAGE

POLLUTION MATTERS: GOOD GARBAGE

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will examine the effects of pollution on the ecosystem through music! This project includes students creating new lyrics to a song about pollution. Students will step into the role of lyricists and use music to help others understand the causes and effects of pollution around them.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3,5
CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can write song lyrics that explain the various types of pollution.
  • I can create an adaptation for a song that relates to pollution and its effects on the environment.
  • I can rehearse and perform a song for an audience.
  • I can explain the effects of pollution on people and the environment.

Essential Questions

  • How can I use music to evaluate and communicate information about the effects of pollution on people and the environment?
  • What are the effects of pollution on people and the environment?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 3:

S3L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.

a. Ask questions to collect information and create records of sources and effects of pollution on the plants and animals.

b. Explore, research, and communicate solutions, such as conservation of resources and recycling of materials, to protect plants and animals.

Arts Standards

Grade 3:

VA3PR.1 Creates artworks based on personal experience and selected themes.

VA3PR.2 Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes of two-dimensional art processes (drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed-media) using tools and materials in a safe and appropriate manner to develop skills.

VA3AR.1 Discusses his or her artwork and the artwork of others.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 5:

5-ESS3-1. Evaluate potential solutions to problems that individual communities face in protecting the Earth’s resources and environment.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

Anchor Standard 4: I can organize work for presentation and documentation to reflect specific content, ideas, skills, and or media.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Compare/contrast - To find similarities and differences between two things
  • Cause and effect - A relationship between two events or situations where one event (the cause) directly results in the other event (the effect)
  • Pollution - The introduction of harmful or toxic substances, known as pollutants, into the environment
  • Conservation - The careful management, protection, and preservation of natural resources, the environment, and wildlife to prevent depletion, degradation, or extinction
  • Environment - The conditions and factors surrounding an organism or group of organisms, influencing their development, behavior, and survival. It includes both biotic factors (living elements like plants, animals, bacteria) and abiotic factors (non-living elements like sunlight, temperature, water, soil, and air)
  • Air pollution - Harmful gases and particles are released into the atmosphere, often from vehicle exhaust, factories, and power plants. Common pollutants include carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter
  • Land pollution - Chemicals, pesticides, and waste materials contaminate the soil, often due to improper waste disposal, use of pesticides, or industrial spills. This affects soil quality, plant life, and can contaminate crops.
  • Water pollution - contaminants enter water bodies like rivers, lakes, and oceans, often from agricultural runoff, industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills. This pollution harms aquatic life and can make water unsafe for human consumption.

Arts Vocabulary

  • Color - An element of art with three properties: 1) Hue: the name of the color, e.g. red, yellow, etc., 2) Intensity: the purity and strength of the color (brightness or dullness), 3) Value: the lightness or darkness of the color (shades and tints)
  • Warm colors - Yellow, orange, red (and shades of each)
  • Cool colors - Purple/violet, blue, green (and shades of each)
  • Shape - A flat, enclosed line that is always two-dimensional and can be either geometric or organic
  • Texture - The surface quality, or "feel" of an object, such as roughness, smoothness, or softness. Actual texture can be felt while simulated textures are implied by the way the artist renders areas of the picture.
  • Contrast - The arrangement of opposite elements in a composition (light vs. dark, rough vs. smooth, etc.) Similar to variety, which refers to the differences in a work, achieved by using different shapes, textures, colors and values.
  • Landscape - A type of art that shows a wide expanse of land and shows depth through a background, middle ground, and foreground
  • Background - The area of the artwork that appears furthest away and is smallest
  • Middle ground - The area of the artwork that appears in the middle of the picture plane between the background and middle ground
  • Foreground - The area of the artwork that appears closest and is largest

 

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Teacher pre-work: Review the list Suggested Collected Items with students, and ask students to find five or six items to bring into the classroom.

  • Review the items that students brought in. With the class, use Padlet (padlet.com) to generate ideas on how the items can be reused.
  • As a whole class, use the Carbon Footprint Calculator or http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ to determine students’ carbon footprint. Discuss students’ reactions and how their footprint can be improved.

Work Session

Part 1

  • Listen to the song “Good Garbage” by Tom Chapin.
  • Discuss in whole group vocabulary such as compost, biodegradable/non-biodegradable, recycle, reuse and reduce.
  • As a whole group, discuss the author’s purpose of writing the song. Why is it catchy? Discuss the melody, rhythm, tempo, lyrics, chorus, verse, rhyme, etc.
  • Tell students that they will write a verse about pollution to the tune of another song.
  • As a whole group, discuss well-known songs that students may like to use to create/write a class pollution song.
    • Discuss the form of the song (rondo form would be chorus-verse 1-chorus-verse 2-chorus-verse 3-chorus-verse 4-chorus, etc.), rhythm, and tempo of the various songs to ensure that it matches the topic: Pollution and conservation.

Part 2

  • After the song has been selected, write a chorus collaboratively as a class. The chorus should be generic.
  • Divide the class into four groups. Have students create verses for the four categories: Air, land, water, and conservation. Facilitate the writing process.
    • Remind students to communicate their main idea (air, water, or land pollution or conservation) and use supporting details in their lyrics.
    • Students must use at least four relevant facts about their topic in their verse.
    • Students must define their topic (i.e. air pollution) in their verse.
    • Students’ lyrics must fit the form of the song the class selected (tempo, rhyme scheme, melody, rhythm, etc.).

Part 3

  • Review “Good Garbage” song as a whole group.
  • Have the students revise or edit their verses for their song.

Optional: Come up with music for the class song using Quaver or GarageBand.  

Closing Reflection

  • Have students perform the class song. Review audience etiquette and expectations prior to performances.
    • The song will be performed in rondo form: Whole class will sing the chorus, group one will sing their verse, whole class will sing the chorus, group two will sing their verse, whole class will sing the chorus, groups three will sing their verse, whole class will sing the chorus, group four will sing their verse, whole class will sing the chorus.
    • Audience members should discuss the main idea and supporting details of the lyrics of each verse after the performance.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Teacher will check for appropriate usage of unit vocabulary during lyric writing.
  • Teacher will observe students’ ability to identify the melody, rhythm, tempo, lyrics, chorus, verse, and rhyme in “Good Garbage”.

Summative

  • Students’ verses meet the following criteria:
    • Use at least four relevant facts about their topic in their verse.
    • Define the topic (i.e. air pollution) in their verse.
    • Fit the form of the song the class selected (tempo, rhyme scheme, melody, rhythm, etc.)

 

Differentiation 

Accelerated: 

  • Students can also create their own instruments to create their music for their group’s songs or use body percussion (stomping, snapping, clapping, etc.)
  • Have students come up with music for their verse using Quaver or GarageBand.

Remedial:

  • Provide students with the lyrics from the “Good Garbage” song to use as a model for writing their verses including sentence frames and a word bank.
  • Have students choose three to five key vocabulary words from the vocabulary list generated in project one to include in their verse.

 

Additional Resources

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: Jill McNally, Alisa Moore, Julie Palmieri, Edited by Dr. Carla Cohen, Edited by Jessica Espinoza and Katy Betts

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  June 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

Back to Modules