Sarah+Germain+Rationale

Sarah Germain Literacy 307 Lesson Plan Rationale

 My lesson is based on a brief introduction to the Fibonacci sequence and how it is used in ways other than mathematics: throughout nature, art, architecture and music. Using texts of every reading level from children’s books to textbooks, I will take the students on a journey through the history of the sequence and show them how it can be found in almost every aspect of their life. Since the goal of this lesson is ultimately to connect music and literacy, students will make connections between what they are reading in their texts and the music we are studying. In fact, the scores we will be studying throughout this lesson, such as Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, will also have examples of the Fibonacci sequence. Also, students will create examples of the Fibonacci sequence in their own original compositions.  Throughout this lesson, placed strategically (and ideally) while high school students are learning about the Fibonacci sequence in their math class, students will study the sequence and its occurrence in art, nature and music. Students will be introduced to numerous examples of the sequence found in each category. They will construct their own equiangular spirals and compare it to the examples they were provided with as well as those they find on their own. Also, they will become aware of the many instances in which Fibonacci is ever-present in their everyday lives. Students will identify the occasions where they use a tool that was created through Fibonacci’s “Liber Abbaci.” In addition, students will point out examples of Fibonacci in the music provided to them. They will study and explore all the different ways in which Fibonacci can be translated through music. The focal point of this lesson is to have students compose their own pieces based on the sequence. Thus, my lesson will incorporate standards 4-9 of the National Standards for Music Education. (4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. 5. Reading and notating music. 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 7. Evaluating music and music performances. 8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.)  This lesson focuses on not only literacy in language, but also through music. This lesson teaches students music just as a word search can teach students vocabulary. Both guide them and teach them to be observant and to look for things that they may have never seen before in this context. As stated in Duckworth’s “Tell Me More,” teachers need to give students a foundation of what they already know to build upon. This lesson will enable students to analyze pieces in a new and different way. They will be provided with the tools not only to identify patterns in music, but also to create their own.