Elementary Art and Music Lessons for Grades 3–5 Classroom Teachers
Elementary Art and Music Lessons for Grades 3–5 Classroom Teachers
If your school has no art or music specialist and the arts block is yours, the Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle gives you five ready units for Grades 3–5: three in music (rhythm, singing, instruments and timbre) and two in art (color mixing and contrast, patterns and printing). It costs $74.99, compared with $124.95 for the units bought separately.
Browse the arts unitsThe Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle costs $74.99 and includes five units for Grades 3–5: Rhythm: Listen, Read & Create; Voices & Songs; Instruments & Timbre; Mixing Color & Creating Contrast; and Patterns & Printing. Bought separately they come to $124.95. It is meant for elementary classroom teachers who teach their own art and music, and for specialists who need ready lessons. Supplies and instruments are not included.
The resources
Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle, Grades 3–5
5 resources in one download: $74.99 instead of $124.95 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle | Rhythm, Singing, Instruments, Color Mixing & Printing | 5 Units | Grades 3–5
Elementary Science Curriculum | Life, Earth & Physical Science | 11 Units | Grades 3–5
Music Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Music (Grades 6–8)
Art Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Art
The real problem
When the arts block lands on the classroom teacher
In a lot of elementary schools the arts are taught by the classroom teacher, either because there is no specialist or because the specialist sees each class only now and then. A teacher trained for reading and math is suddenly responsible for rhythm, singing, color and printmaking. The common result is that arts time turns into coloring sheets or a song on the screen. That is not for lack of goodwill. Planning a real music lesson is hard if you do not read music yourself, and an art lesson with paint means thinking through materials, clean-up and what students should actually learn beyond making something nice. What a classroom teacher needs is a short set of units with one clear skill in each. In music: listening to, reading and creating rhythms, using the voice, and hearing the difference between instruments. In art: how colors mix and contrast, and how a pattern becomes a print. With those five foundations the arts block has a direction, and students leave Grade 5 with skills middle school art and music can build on.
Why it fits
What each unit gives a non-specialist
Each unit centers on one skill, so the arts block has a clear goal every time.
- Rhythm: Listen, Read & Create moves from listening to reading and then creating rhythms.
- Voices & Songs uses the instrument every child already has: the voice.
- Instruments & Timbre teaches students to hear and describe how different instruments sound.
- Mixing Color & Creating Contrast gives a clear art skill with a visible result on paper.
- Patterns & Printing ends with a technique students remember, from repeating pattern to finished print.
- Five compact units fit between other subjects in a crowded elementary timetable.
Getting started
Fitting five units into a school year
One way to spread the bundle over the year is to alternate music and art. Treat the order as a suggestion.
- Fall: rhythmStart with Rhythm: Listen, Read & Create. Rhythm work fits short slots, needs little space and gives you a routine to return to for warm-ups during the rest of the year.
- Late fall: color mixingTeach Mixing Color & Creating Contrast. Collect paint and paper ahead of time, since the bundle includes no art supplies, and plan clean-up as part of the lesson rather than an afterthought.
- Winter: voices and songsUse Voices & Songs in the weeks when many classes prepare songs for school events. Singing also works in rooms where space or noise limits other activities.
- Early spring: instruments and timbreTeach Instruments & Timbre. If your school has classroom instruments, bring them in; if not, recordings let students compare how instruments sound. No instruments come with the bundle.
- Spring: patterns and printingFinish with Patterns & Printing. Students design a pattern and turn it into a print, which makes a good closing display of the year's arts work for families and visitors.
What to buy
Which arts product fits your grade
For Grades 3–5, buy the Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle at $74.99; the five units cost $124.95 separately. If you also want hands-on science for the same grades, the Elementary Science Curriculum ($109.99, 11 units) is the companion purchase. For Grades 6–8, Music Complete – Middle School starts at $149.90 with 50+ resources ($199.90 for the Extended version), and Art Complete – Middle School is $149.90 with 70+ resources; both are full middle school curricula with their own sequence.
Honest limits
What you still need to provide
The bundle includes no paint, paper, printing materials or instruments; you supply those. It is five units, not a full-year art and music program. It is not written for any state's arts standards and has no standards codes, so check it against your own. Music lessons may need recordings you choose yourself. If an art or music colleague wants to use the same files, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If the bundle does not suit your class, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned with my state's arts standards?
No. The units are not aligned with, endorsed by or approved under any state's visual arts or music standards or the National Core Arts Standards, and they include no standards codes. They cover rhythm, singing, timbre, color and printing, which you can compare with your state's expectations for Grades 3–5. Your district arts coordinator can help.
I cannot read music. Can I teach the music units?
The music units are written with elementary classroom teachers in mind, as well as specialists. Read through Rhythm: Listen, Read & Create before you start; the title shows the order, with listening first, then reading and creating. Practicing the rhythms yourself once makes the lessons much easier to lead.
Do I need classroom instruments?
No instruments are included. Rhythm and singing work with clapping and voices. For Instruments & Timbre, use whatever your school has, or recordings, so students can hear and compare different instruments. A music teacher at a nearby school may also be willing to lend a few.
What art supplies should I plan for?
The bundle includes none. For Mixing Color & Creating Contrast, plan for paints and paper; for Patterns & Printing, plan for simple printing materials. Read each unit before you order, so you buy only what the lessons actually use and nothing sits in a cupboard.
Can I use it with second or sixth graders?
It is written for Grades 3–5. A strong second grade class may manage parts with extra support and more time per lesson. For sixth grade, the middle school Art Complete and Music Complete curricula are the better fit, since they are built for Grades 6–8 and move into analysis, theory and longer projects.
How quickly can I start?
Immediately. After checkout you get a download link by email, and the files also appear in your customer account under Orders. Rhythm work can begin with clapping, so read through that unit first and print its opening lesson today; your next arts block is then planned while you order paint for the color unit.
Make the arts block more than a coloring sheet
Open the product page to see the five units, then download the first one for your next arts lesson.
Browse the arts units