Adopted June, 2004

In addition to the identification of a social studies philosophy, seven major social studies standards have been identified and are consistent throughout each of the three grade level groupings. The benchmarks have been identified and are consistent throughout each of the three grade level groupings. The benchmarks identified for each grade level represent an age-appropriate understanding of these concepts.

Research for this curriculum was based on National Council for the Social Studies Standards, Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, Bulletin 89, The Quality Core Curriculum of Georgia, and Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (McRel/ASCD)

Archdiocese of Atlanta
Philosophy of Curriculum

At the core of education which is Catholic are the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church. While curriculum documents can reflect these realities in written form it is the responsibility of all that minister in Catholic schools to bring them to life in themselves and in those whom they teach.

Of great importance to the curriculum are the elements of message, community, service and worship. Through an exploration of each, learners seek to acquire a deeper understanding essential for their own growth and development. Such an approach necessitates a vision of curriculum, which is non-biased and inclusive.

In order for a curriculum series to have validity, it must have the learner as its central focus. Courses which are planned should be developmentally responsive. Instruction should be engaging and cause the learner to be an active participant. Secular subject areas should be represented as well as the universal truths which are reflected by the history and tradition of the Church. In general, subject areas should acknowledge the present, study and reflect on the past, and assume a posture of openness to the future.

When developing curriculum, the unique features of each school should be taken into consideration. In addition, all professional educators should understand that it is the curriculum, which drives the entire educational process. This document allows teachers to make implementation decisions on a local level for the improvement of educational programs.

Archdiocese of Atlanta
Goals of Curriculum

1. Communicate the Gospel message.
2. Engender a sense of responsibility as members of a church community.
3. Empower learners to accept responsibility for the acquisition and use of knowledge.
4. Cultivate a desire for continuous learning through formal and informal education.
5. Engender a sense of responsibility as citizens within a democracy.
6. Empower learners to make informed choices.
7. Use independent and critical thinking.
8. Strive toward connectedness of all learning.
9. Implement instruction, which is developmentally appropriate.
10. Strive toward clear and accurate communication through the development of a variety of skills.
11. Represent all subject areas resulting in comprehensive literacy.
12. Use all available technologies to support instruction.
13. Implement effective prevention programs as early as possible for students who demonstrate learning challenges.
14. To ensure a thorough foundation of knowledge for successful transition into secondary study.

Archdiocese of Atlanta
Philosophy of Music Instruction

As music educators in the Archdiocese of Atlanta we believe that:

Music illuminates God’s divine presence and binds the assembly, as one voice, in celebration. Music leads us to an enhanced appreciation for the inherent beauty of the human experience. In addition, music education in the formative years develops a foundation for organization, discipline, and sense of accomplishment in personal and group performance. This is achieved by using a multisensory approach to instruction.

Standards and Benchmarks

Level I (K-2)

STANDARD: Participate in liturgical music

1. Understanding value and purpose of music in the liturgy.

2. Sing the congregational aspects acclamations.

3. Participate in liturgically-based programs according to Church seasons or appropriate occasions.

STANDARD: Sings alone and with others.

1. Singing independently on pitch.

2. Sings expressively with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation.

3. Demonstrates understanding of steady beat and word rhythm.

4. Sings from memory a varied repertoire of songs, genres, and styles from diverse cultures.

5. Sings ostinatos while maintaining a steady beat.

STANDARD: Performance on instruments.

1. Performs on appropriate designated pitches, in rhythm with appropriate dynamics, and maintain a steady tempo.

2. Performs easy rhythms and melodic patterns accurately and independently on rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic classroom instruments.

3. Performs expressively a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and styles.

4. Echoes short rhythms and melodic patterns.

5. Performs in groups, matching dynamic levels, and responding to cues of a conductor.

6. Performs independent instrument parts while other students sing or play contrasting parts.

STANDARD: Improvising melodies, rhythms, and accompaniments.

1. Improvise “answers” in the same style to given rhythmic and melodic phrases.

2. Improvise simple rhythmic and melodic ostinato accompaniments.

3. Improvise short songs and instrumental pieces, using a variety of sound sources, including traditional sounds, nontraditional sounds available in the classroom, body sounds, and sounds produced by electronic means.

STANDARD: Reading and notating music.

1. Read whole, half, quarter and eighth notes as rests in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 meter signatures.

2. Use a system to read simple rhythmic notation.

STANDARD: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

1. Create and arrange music to accompany readings, poems, or sound stories.

2. Use a variety of sound sources when composing.

STANDARD: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.

1. Identify simple music forms when presented aurally.

2. Demonstrate perceptual skills by moving, answering questions about, and describing aural examples of music of various styles representing diverse cultures.

3. Use appropriate terminology in explaining music, music notation, music instruments and voices, and music performances.

4. Identify the sounds of a variety of instruments, including many orchestra and band instruments, and instruments from various cultures, as well as children’s voices and male and female adult voices.

5. Respond through purposeful movement to selected prominent music characteristics or to specific music events while listening to music.

Level II (3—5)

STANDARD: Sings alone or with others, a varied repertoire of music.

1. Distinguishes between beat and rhythm.

2. Sings on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction, and posture, and maintains a steady tempo.

3. Sings expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation.

4. Blends vocal timbres, matches dynamic levels, and responds to the cues of a conductor when singing as part of a group.

5. Knows songs representing genres (e.g., march, work song, lullaby, Dixieland) and styles (e.g., of various composers, nations) from diverse cultures.

STANDARD: Performs on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

1. Performs on pitch, in rhythm, with appropriate dynamics and timbre, and maintains a steady tempo.

2. Performs simple rhythmic, melodic and chordal patterns accurately and independently on rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic classroom instruments (e.g., recorder-type instruments, percussion instruments, keyboard instruments, electronic instruments, fretted instruments such as a guitar or ukulele).

3. Knows a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and styles.

4. Performs in groups (e.g.; blends instrumental timbres, matches dynamic levels, responds to the cues of a conductor).

5. Performs independent instrumental parts (e.g., simple rhythmic or melodic ostinatos, contrasting rhythmic lines, harmonic progressions and chords) while others sing or play contrasting parts.

STANDARD: Improvises melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

1. Improvises simple rhythmic and melodic ostinatos (repetition of a short musical pattern) accompaniments.

2. Improvises simple rhythmic variations and simple melodic embellishments on familiar melodies.

3. Improvises short songs and instrumental pieces using a variety of sound sources, including traditional sounds (e.g., voices, instruments), nontraditional sounds (e.g., paper tearing, pencil tapping), body sounds (e.g., hands clapping, fingers snapping), and sounds produced by electronic means (e.g., personal computers and basic MIDI devices such as keyboards, sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines).

STANDARD: Composes and arranges music within specified guidelines.

1. Creates and arranges music to accompany readings or dramatizations (e.g., manipulate dimensions such as the variety of sounds, tempo, loudness, mood).

2. Creates and arranges short songs and instrumental pieces within specified guidelines (e.g., a particular style, form, instrumentation, compositional technique).

STANDARD: Reads and notates music.

1. Reads melodic and harmonic notation.

2. Reads and notates whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eight notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4/ meter signatures.

3. Knows symbols and traditional terms referring to dynamics (e.g., piano, forte, crescendo, diminuendo) tempo (e.g., presto, retard, accelerando), and articulation (e.g., staccato, legato, marcato, accent).

4. Knows music of various styles representing diverse cultures.

5. Knows appropriate terminology used to explain music, music notation, music instruments and voices, and music performances.

6. Identifies the sounds of a variety of instruments (e.g., orchestral, band, instruments from various cultures) and voices (e.g., male, female, children’s voices).

STANDARD: Understands the relationship between music and history and culture.

1. Identifies (by genre or style) music from various historical periods and cultures.

2. Knows how basic elements of music are used in music from various cultures of the world.

3. Understands the roles of musicians (e.g., orchestra conductor, folksinger, church organist) in various music settings and cultures.

Level III (6-8)

STANDARD: Participates in worship and praise through liturgical music.

1. Sings songs representing the appropriate liturgical season and celebration with the Catholic faith and tradition.

2. Understanding the songs in relation to the order of the Mass.

3. Relates songs to personal expression and daily prayer.

4. Demonstrates ensemble performance as a form of group worship.

5. Understands the history of the Catholic Church and faith traditions through liturgical music.

STANDARD: Singing alone and with others a varied repertoire of music.

1. Singing with good breath and good posture throughout their vocal ranges –alone and in small and large ensembles.

2. Technical accuracy, balance, diction, intonation, timbre, correct pitches and rhythm.

3. Sing music written in 2 and 3 point harmony.

4. Singing globally –representing different cultures and genres.

5. Singing major and minor and pentatonic scales.

STANDARD: Performs on instruments.

1. Performs on at least one instrument accurately and independently --alone and in small and large ensembles in good posture.

2. Performs music representing in diverse genres.

3. Plays by ear simple melodies on a melodic instrument, and simple accompaniments on a harmonic instrument.

4. Plays music as an ensemble at the appropriate difficulty level.

5. Uses ensemble skills when performing as part of a group balancing intonation and rhythmic unity.

STANDARD: Improvises melodies, rhythms, and accompaniments.

1. Improvises simple harmonic accompaniments.

2. Improvises rhythmic and melodic variations on given pentatonic melodies, and melodies in major and minor keys.

3. Improvises short melodies, unaccompanied and over given rhythmic accompaniments.

4. Improvising in specific styles, genres, and cultures (blues, classical, folk, gospel).

5. Improvising in different time signatures (meters).

STANDARD: Reading and notating music.

1. Read whole, half, quarter, eight, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8.

2. Read at sight simple melodies in both the treble and bass clef.

3. Identify and define standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, articulation and expression.

4. Use standard notation to record students’ musical ideas and the musical ideas of other students.

5. Sight read accurately and expressively, music with a level of difficulty on a difficulty of 2 on a scale of 1– 6.

STANDARD: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

1. Demonstrates how the elements of music are used to achieve unity and variety, tension and release, and balance in musical compositions.

2. Composes short pieces within specified guidelines (ABA form, limited range, and simple rhythms).

3. Arranges simple pieces for voices or instruments other than those for which the pieces were originally written (guitar accompaniment for a folk song).

4. Uses a variety of traditional and nontraditional sound sources and electronic media when composing and arranging.

5. Composes a variety of distinct styles (classical folk, pop, jazz, rock).

STANDARD: Evaluating music and music performances.

1. Devises criteria for evaluating performances and compositions.

2. Can explain, using appropriate music terminology, their personal preferences for specific musical works and styles.

STANDARD: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

1. Can identify similarities and differences in the meanings of common terms used in the various arts.

2. Can identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with those of music.

STANDARD: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

1. Describes in simple terms how elements of music are used in music examples from various cultures of the world.

2. Identify various uses of music in their daily experiences and describe characteristics that make certain music suitable for each use.

3. Demonstrate audience behavior appropriate for the context and style of music performed.