Key Stage 1 Carnival of the Animals
Introduction and Saint-Saëns

Introduce `The Carnival of the Animals´ and go on an incredible journey. Learn about the music, be inspired by the orchestra and explore making sounds. Discover how the individual pieces describe animal features.

Session 1 An Introduction to the Composer, Works and Musical Terms

Objectives

Music

  • Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high quality live and recorded music.
  • Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

Lesson Planning

Begin with a detailed introduction to the `The Carnival of the Animals´. Children will listen and respond to the music, learn new musical terminology and explore how sounds are made.

Teaching Outcomes
To listen, respond to, and learn about the works of The Carnival of the Animals.

Children will:

  • Listen, respond to, and learn about the works of 'Carnival of the Animals'.
  • Understand that sounds can be made in different ways.
  • Explore how music is created through tempo, beat and pitch.

Provided Resources

  • List of works
  • Pictures of animals
  • Animal sequence
  • Music examples clips 1,2,3,4
  • Additional music examples
  • Musical terminology

You Will Need

  • A3 paper

Session 2 An Introduction to the Orchestra

Objectives

Music

  • Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high quality live and recorded music.
  • Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds, using the inter-related dimensions of music.

Lesson Planning

Children will play a game to discover animal classification groups. They will learn about animal characteristics and how the music describes those features.

Teaching Outcomes
To identify instruments used in live-recorded music and understand the different sections of an orchestra.

Children will:

  • Identify instruments used in live recorded music.
  • Understand that there are 4 instrument sections in the orchestra.
  • Respond to classical music.
  • Understand how sounds can be made in different ways.

Provided Resources

  • Listening map examples
  • Finale music instrument order

You Will Need

You do not need any particular resources for this session.

Session 3 An Introduction to the Animals

Objectives

Science

  • Identify and name a variety of common animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, identifying and classifying.

Music

  • Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.

Lesson Planning

Learn about the orchestra, the instruments and how they are played. Children will get a chance to become a class orchestra and create listening maps.

Teaching Outcomes
To identify and describe animals and to group them according to the 5 groups of animal classification.
To listen and respond to Saint-Saën´s music Hens and Cockerels.

Children will:

  • Play a game to discover animal classification groups.
  • Learn about animal characteristics and how the music describes those features.

You Will Need

  • Box