Grieg and Chopin: Day and Night

This integrated lesson uses Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, first movement "Morning Mood," and Frederick Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2, to study day and night. As part of our science curriculum, we read and learned about day and night; routines at home and at school for day and night; and what animals are awake and asleep in the day and night. Students listen to the music of Grieg and Chopin, and compared the music in terms of what we had learned about day and night; painted day and night scenes to the music; and created a dance for each piece to show themselves waking up or going to sleep.