Lesson Plan for the First Week of 2nd Grade
The first week of 2nd grade music sets the tone for the whole year. By this point, students already know the basics of how music class works, but they’re also coming in a little rusty after summer break. I like to think of this week as a chance to review what they’ve learned, rebuild routines, and sneak in a few new skills in a fun, low-pressure way. In this post, I’m sharing my go-to lesson plan for the first week of 2nd grade—activities that keep students engaged, help me see where they’re at, and make sure everyone leaves class feeling successful.
Let’s get into our plans for our first week of 2nd Grade!
Establish Expectations From the Door
If you’ve read my other lesson plans, you will know by now that this part is critical. Set a routine for entering your classroom and stick to it. It’s even okay to practice it a couple times during the first week of class.
I do a hello song with my 2nd graders. It’s usually the last grade I do hello songs with, but do what works best for your student community. My monthly hello song playlist is below.
If you are teaching on a cart (as I did for a couple of years), it’s important to build a rapport with the classroom teacher and let them know your expectations for when you enter their classroom.
Movement Activity
This song is always a favorite with first graders! I like to do it with my 2nd graders as well!
Singing Activity- Bee Bee Bumblebee
Teach “Bee Bee Bumblebee” and introduce it as a passing game. Have students sit in a circle and pass a beanbag (or ball) around the circle to the steady beat as they sing. On the phrase “I declare that you are out” the student holding the beanbag steps out of the circle. To keep everyone engaged, students who are “out” can choose an instrument and play the steady beat while the rest of the class continues the game.
You can also use this song to review sol/mi and quarter notes/eighth notes. I put together this rhythm dictation Google Slides so students have a clear visual to guide them as they notate the rhythm for the song.
Rhythm Play Along
This rhythm playalong uses quarter note/rest, and eighth note pair, which are notes I teach in first grade. The first week of school is a great time to review what they remember. Grab an instrument and play along!
Summer Recap
Kids love to talk about what they did over the summer, so I like to incorporate time for them to do that in our first class together. It’s a great way to get to know them and their family, but it’s also a way to get participation from some of the students that may not want to contribute right away.
Name Games
If you’ve taught this group before you might already remember some names, but it’s always a good ideas to incorporate name games during the first week of school as you may have some new students joining. My favorite with this grade level is I Can Keep A Beat, but look through the playlist and see what works for you!
A good way to learn names is to also have assigned seats.
Getting to Know You Activities
One of my favorite activities for the first week of school are Would You Rather questions. They’re such an easy way to grab students’ attention, spark fun conversations, and give you a no-prep activity to start or end class. I put together a set of 30 ready-to-use slides that you can use in your class.
I love using these getting-to-know-you worksheets at the start of the year. There are a bunch of different versions, so you can use them with multiple grade levels without repeating the exact same activity. They make it super easy for students to share a little about themselves while you start learning more about your new class.
If you want to see exactly what’s inside, check out the preview video on the product page—it walks you through all the worksheets you’ll get.
Read Aloud
Books are a great way to incorporate literacy into the music classroom. I always recommend getting the book and reading it to your students, but YouTube read-alouds work great as well. Here is a playlist of books for the first week.
Back-to-School Choice Board
If you want a lesson that is already done for you, this back-to-school choice board is perfect. These 8 different activities will help jumpstart your first few days of school.
Need Lesson Plans for September?
2nd Grade lesson plans for September are coming soon! You can check back later, but if you subscribe below, I’ll send you a quick note as soon as they’re ready, along with other helpful resources you can use in your K–5 music classroom.
