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Instrument Families

Third graders learn that instruments belong to families — strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and keyboard — grouped by how they make their sound.

Grade 3Instruments35 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name instrument families.
  • ✓Know how each makes sound.
  • ✓Group instruments.
  • ✓Explore the families.
Essential Question

Instruments are grouped into families by how they make sound! What are the instrument families?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Instrument Families Explorer

Project this and tap each family. Have children learn the instrument families and how they make sound.

🎻 Explore instrument families — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Artistic Process (Listen · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

35 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Listen — Grouped by Sound

4 min

Instruments are grouped by how they make sound — how?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a violin and drum.
  • Ask how each makes sound.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Instrument Families

9 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to the Instrument Families Explorer.
  • Note each family.
  • Note how they sound.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note them.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

10 min

Children create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a string instrument.
  • Name a percussion instrument.
  • Sort some instruments.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Name it.
  • Sort them.
4

Perform — Perform

8 min

Children perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pretend to play a family.
  • Have others guess.
  • Be kind.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Play it.
  • Guess.
  • Be kind.
5

Reflect — Reflect

4 min

Children respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a family.
  • Give an instrument.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Give one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Music).

NCAS
MU:Re7.2.3

Classify instruments by family.

NCAS
MU:Re7.1.3

Recognize instrument sounds.

NCAS
MU:Cn11.0.3

Connect instruments to the world.

NCAS
MU:Cr1.1.3

Explore instrument sounds.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Instrument + family cards.
  • Sentence frame: “A ___ is a ___.”
  • Use instrument pictures.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with strings and percussion.
  • Use pictures.
  • Name one family.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add more instruments.
  • Explain the orchestra.
  • Sort a full family.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎻Instrument pictures
  • 💻The Instrument Families Explorer
  • 🎵Instrument sounds
  • 🖍️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

familya group of instrumentsstringsplucked or bowedwoodwindsblown, often with a reedbrassbuzzed metal instrumentspercussionhit or shakenkeyboardplayed with keysorchestramany instruments togethersoundwhat you hear
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What family is a violin in?
Strings.
QUESTION 2
What family is a drum in?
Percussion.
QUESTION 3
How do brass instruments make sound?
You buzz your lips into them.

Reflect: name a family.

Have children name an instrument and its family. A printable families sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Instrument FamiliesFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Instrument FamiliesQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Instrument FamiliesPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: brass, family, keyboard, orchestra, percussion, sound, strings, woodwinds
  1. blown, often with a reed
  2. what you hear
  3. a group of instruments
  4. many instruments together
  5. plucked or bowed
  6. played with keys
  7. buzzed metal instruments
  8. hit or shaken

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What family is a violin in?
  2. What family is a drum in?
  3. How do brass instruments make sound?
Answer key — Part A: 1) woodwinds · 2) sound · 3) family · 4) orchestra · 5) strings · 6) keyboard · 7) brass · 8) percussion
Part B: 1) Strings. 2) Percussion. 3) You buzz your lips into them.