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Unit Plan
BBC

The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

For Teachers K - 5th
Over the course of six lessons, scholars try their hand at composing and dancing after a thorough examination of the famous ballet, The Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. Participants watch and discuss the performance of two dances, create and...
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Activity
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

The Nutcracker Teacher Resource Guide

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Clara becomes Marie, The Mouse King becomes a rat, and the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh becomes the setting for a modern interpretation of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet. Intended as a resource guide for a 2012 performance, the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students study Peter Tchaikovsky, the author of the Nutcracker Suite. They listen to the associated music and view images of the author. They write a journal entry about their favorite part of the Nutcracker Suite.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Nutcracker

For Teachers 1st
First graders define a ballet as a story told through dance. They listen to melodies and demonstrate beat and accent through body movement. They watch the ballet.
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Activity
San Francisco Symphony

Lesson Ideas for Any Music

For Teachers K - 12th
Music is a wonderful tool you can add to enhance the learning process for every subject. Here is a list of music selections that are categorized by subject, along with some neat teaching suggestions. You'll find songs suited to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symphonic Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars interpret the themes in Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, create a 6-line poem based on the themes in the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, and define musical terms related to the study of programmatic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Nutcracker"

For Teachers 5th
Students recognize the timbre of a celesta by listening to music that contains the celesta. They listen to music from Tchaikovsky's "Danse de la Fee-Dragee" (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairies), track #14 and describe how the music...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Two Dances and Making a Dance Map: The Nutcracker

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discuss dance elements and create a dance map. They choose a dance theme and incorporate movement into their dance maps and choreography. They also experiment with different types of music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sharp and Smooth Movements: The Nutcracker

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore sharp and smooth movements. In two groups, students perform dances using sharp and smooth movements. They are asked to discuss the differences between the movements and how they felt when you watched or performed.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sounds of the Season

For Teachers 7th - 8th
During Christmas time, use common carols and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker music as the basis for writing advertisements. Learners can work in teams or individually as they listen to songs via the links provided. A "Christmas Music Comparison...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symphonic Poetry (SMART Board Lesson)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Let music and poetry collide in this well-orchestrated language arts lesson plan. After studying program music and C. Debussy's Prelude to an Afternoon Faun, view the attached SMART board lesson plan to read through "Fog" by Carl...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marching to the Music

For Teachers K - 2nd
This lesson reinforces that physical movement/fitness can be directly related to dance and music. Tell the students that you are going to read a fun Christmas story. In the story there will be toys that magically come alive. Read the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hot, Hot, Hot, Cold

For Teachers 2nd
Learners dance the image of falling snow. They move, swing, fall, and rise to music working to depict snow falling, the sun, and high/low movements. This is a well-thought out lesson that aids them in seeing movement as a form of...
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Lesson Plan
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Color Moods

For Teachers 2nd
Can art be a mode of communication? You bet it can! Learners explore how colors are used to convey mood in art. First, the class listens to three very unique musical selections that convey three different moods. Then, they compare and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dancing Flute

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young scholars use a cardboard tubes as props as they create their own dance steps to express the emotions invoked in a portion of The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Our Story: Duke Ellington and Jazz

For Students K - 4th
Get parents or guardians into the swing of things with a jazzy homework assignment. A detailed six-page guide provides before, during, and after reading suggestions for Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, Andrea Davis...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Dance of the Floreadores, Waltz of the Flowers in the Meter of Duke

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students contrast the meter and style of two different versions of the musical piece, "Waltz of the Flowers." Duke Ellington's meter in the "Dance of the Floreadores" is compared to Tchaikovsky's version in the "Nutcracker."
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers identify what Tchaikovsky's personality was like and what kind of school he attended first. Then they identify and research what was happening in Russian politics during his lifetime. Students also identify who the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Ballet and Dance Quiz

For Students 7th - 12th
Ballet is the main focus of this short answer quiz, but a few questions cover dance in cinema and Scottish folk dance names. Trivia for dancers!
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Emotions in Motion

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars use dance as a form of communication. In this meanings of dance lesson, students create dances to communicate a variety of emotions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peter and the Wolf - Sequencing

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Learners listen to the story of Peter and the Wolf and answer comprehension questions. They then will name the beginning, middle, and end of the story using a graphic organizer. Students then individually illustrate each part of the...
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Website
Other

The Nutcracker

For Students 9th - 10th
Notes on the story, characters, music, and choreography of "The Nutcracker" ballet.
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Handout
PBS

Classics for Kids: Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

For Students 3rd - 8th
A short biography of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893 CE). Click to the past radio shows to hear his music and more about this famous composer.
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Interactive
Starfall

Starfall: Peter Tchaikovsky

For Students Pre-K - 1st
An online story for beginning readers about Peter Tchaikovsky, and two ballet dances that are based on his music. A short biography of Tchaikovsky is also found here.

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