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Musical Symbols

Fifth graders learn the symbols sprinkled through a piece of music, from sharps and flats to repeat signs and fermatas, and match each symbol to what it tells a player to do.

Grade 5Notation35 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 common symbols.
  • ✓Match each to its job.
  • ✓Read them in music.
  • ✓Spot one in a score.
Essential Question

Besides the notes, a page of music is full of little signs. What do the common musical symbols tell a musician to do?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match the Symbol · Interactive

Match the Symbol

Project this and match each musical symbol to what it tells a musician to do — tap a symbol, then tap its job.

🎼 Match each musical symbol to what it tells you to doTry it
Symbol
What it tells you to do
Tap a musical symbol, then tap what it tells a musician to do.
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

Hook — Signs in the Music

5 min

Besides the notes, a page of music is full of little signs. What do all those extra symbols tell a musician to do?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a marked-up score.
  • Ask what the signs mean.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Think.
  • Share.
  • Get ready.
2

Use — Match the Symbol

12 min

Students match each symbol to its meaning.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Symbol.
  • Match each pair.
  • Note the job.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Modify — Find It in a Score

13 min

Students locate symbols in music.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Look at a simple score.
  • Find a symbol you know.
  • Say what it does.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Find.
  • Say.
4

Create — Mark a Measure

15 min

Students add symbols to music.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Draw a short measure.
  • Add a repeat sign and a fermata.
  • Explain your marks.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Draw.
  • Add.
  • Explain.
5

Reflect — Reading the Signs

5 min

Students reflect on musical symbols.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • What does a sharp do to a note?
  • What does a repeat sign tell you?
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Music).

NCAS
MU:Pr4.2.5

Demonstrate understanding of the structure of music through reading and analysis.

NCAS
MU:Pr5.1.5

Apply feedback to refine the performance of written music.

NCAS
MU:Cr2.1.5

Use standard notation to document personal musical ideas.

NCAS
MU:Re7.2.5

Demonstrate and explain how responses to music are informed by its elements.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Symbol flashcards.
  • Sentence frame: “A ___ tells you to ___ .”
  • Match one pair at a time.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with sharp and flat.
  • Match one symbol together.
  • Match one fully before the next.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add natural and dotted notes.
  • Find each symbol in a real score.
  • Explain how a tie differs from a slur.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎼A simple marked-up score
  • 💻Match the Symbol
  • 📄Staff paper
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

symbola sign in music that gives an instructionsharpa sign that raises a note by a half stepflata sign that lowers a note by a half steprepeat signa symbol telling you to play a section againfermataa symbol telling you to hold a note longertiea curved line joining two notes into one soundresta symbol for a set amount of silencescorethe written music a performer reads
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 does a sharp do to a note?
It raises the note by a half step.
QUESTION 2
What does a repeat sign tell you?
To go back and play the marked section again.
QUESTION 3
What is the difference between a tie and a fermata?
A tie joins two notes into one longer sound; a fermata tells you to hold a single note longer than usual.

Create: mark a measure.

Have students draw a short measure, add a repeat sign and a fermata, and explain their marks, so musical symbols become something they use. A printable musical-symbols worksheet 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.

🃏 Musical SymbolsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Musical SymbolsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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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.

🖨️ Musical SymbolsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: fermata, flat, repeat sign, rest, score, sharp, symbol, tie
  1. a symbol telling you to play a section again
  2. a symbol telling you to hold a note longer
  3. a symbol for a set amount of silence
  4. the written music a performer reads
  5. a sign that lowers a note by a half step
  6. a curved line joining two notes into one sound
  7. a sign in music that gives an instruction
  8. a sign that raises a note by a half step

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does a sharp do to a note?
  2. What does a repeat sign tell you?
  3. What is the difference between a tie and a fermata?
Answer key — Part A: 1) repeat sign · 2) fermata · 3) rest · 4) score · 5) flat · 6) tie · 7) symbol · 8) sharp
Part B: 1) It raises the note by a half step. 2) To go back and play the marked section again. 3) A tie joins two notes into one longer sound; a fermata tells you to hold a single note longer than usual.