Lesson Plan

The Nutcracker Lesson Plan

March like toy soldiers, tiptoe to the Sugar Plum Fairy, and find out what makes a nutcracker strong.

This five-day unit gives you a ready-to-teach plan for three levels, Littles (K-3), Middles (4-6) and Bigs (7-8), for siblings or a mixed classroom. Each day follows the same rhythm: Reading, Writing and Words, Science and Math, Hands-on Project, then Friday Show and Tell. Littles follow the story, clap the beat of four pieces and build a clothespin nutcracker. Middles meet Tchaikovsky's secret celesta, sort the orchestra families, test pitch with a ruler and make a listening map of the March. Bigs read E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 tale, compare it with the 1892 ballet in an argument essay, and test the law of the lever with coins and a ruler.

Perfect for homeschool families, multi-age classrooms, music appreciation and holiday units.

What's inside

• 5 ready-to-teach days for each of three levels
• How a Nutcracker Works label sheet with answer key
• Lab sheets: listening lab, ruler pitch lab, law of the lever lab
• Sequence cards, cut-and-sort pages and a writing page for every level
• Word search, crossword or maze, scramble and secret code puzzles
• 8 fact cards, 9 vocabulary cards, a book list and a certificate per level

Instant PDF download after checkout. Print at home.