Lesson Plan

The Nutcracker Lesson Plan: Middles Edition

Meet Tchaikovsky's secret celesta, test pitch with a ruler, and map the March.

This is the Middles Edition of The Nutcracker: one ready-to-teach week written just for grades 4-6. Every day follows the same rhythm: Reading on Monday, Writing and Words on Tuesday, Science and Math on Wednesday, a Hands-on Project on Thursday, and Show and Tell on Friday.

The big question: How did Tchaikovsky use the orchestra to tell a story you can hear?

The Week

• Mon: From Story to Stage (Reading) • Tue: A Secret Instrument (Writing & Words) • Wed: Ruler Twang Lab (Science & Math) • Thu: Draw the March (Hands-on Project) • Fri: Nutcracker Listening Party (Show & Tell)

Teaching more than one level? The all-levels edition of The Nutcracker has Littles (K-3), Middles (4-6) and Bigs (7-8) in one file, so siblings or a mixed classroom can study the same topic together.

Perfect for homeschool families, grade 4-6 classrooms, co-ops and substitute plans.

What's inside

• 5 ready-to-teach days for Middles (grades 4-6), about 60 to 90 minutes a day
• Lab sheet: Ruler Twang Lab
• Sequence cards (From Story to Stage) and a cut-and-sort page (Which Orchestra Family?)
• Writing page: A Secret Instrument
• Hands-on project: March Listening Map
• Word search, crossword, scramble and secret code puzzles
• 8 fact cards, 9 vocabulary cards and a book list of 4 titles
• A certificate and an answer key for the grown-up

Instant PDF download after checkout. Print at home.