Listen to examples of music that tell stories and discuss how the melody achieved the desired effects. Use melodic direction and contour as well as elements of expression to demonstrate moods or changes of scene. Students write and perform examples of scales. Discuss the strategies used to alter the melody. As a class, students discuss and justify their melodic choices.
Students examine a piece of written or recorded music to identify scale fragments and patterns.
Ask students to reflect on their composing in their journals. Review their work and look for evidence of their understanding of composing melodic lines. Have students perform their original melodic compositions for the class. Ask questions to see if they are making connections between various scales learned in class and melodic lines used in compositions. Look for evidence of innovative attempts to create melody.