For the Teacher

Teacher Overview

This unit integrates the percussive samba of Brazil with a social studies unit on basic Brazilian geography, culture, and history. During each section of this unit, students are introduced to four different Brazilian percussion instruments. After an introduction to Brazilian samba, rhythm, and samba instruments, students dive into information about Brazil. Each lesson concludes with students learning the phonetic rhythm that corresponds with a samba instrument. Once students have learned the information about Brazil and each instrument/rhythm, the unit culminates with small ensemble samba performances. Student groups will perform a few bars of samba music, explain similarities and difference between Brazil and their own country, and then play a few more bars of samba music. They will create a video of this performance and share it with the class.

Don’t let lack of access to these instruments or lack of experience with music deter you. Substitutions are listed as well as directions for how to make each instrument. (Time for creating these instruments is not included in the estimated time it would take to complete this unit.) At the minimum, you could have one of each instrument for the students to share, or one set of four instruments. Multiple sets of those instruments are ideal, but not so easy to come by. If you lack experience with music, you can use the samba video clips as instruction for the class and learn as they learn.

Printable Teacher Outline

To help in your planning, this printable outlines the order and teacher notes that are included throughout the unit, all in one document.

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CORE Standards Addressed

National Core Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.

b. Rehearse, identify and apply strategies to address interpretive, performance, and technical challenges of music.

Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding

Ten Themes of the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies:

1. Culture: Include experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity

2. Time, Continuity, and Change: Include experiences that provide for the study of the past and its legacy

3. People, Places, and Environments: Include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments

Common Core English Language Arts: Speaking and Listening

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.5: Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

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Additional Standards Addressed

These are the standards which are also addressed in the unit, but which are not the focus for assessment of skills and process.

Common Core English Language Arts: Speaking and Listening

CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.3.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Printables

You can download this PDF packet of all the printable documents in this unit. This may save you time when looking for handouts. Simply download the packet, select the printable handout you want students to use and make as many copies as necessary for your class.