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Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Unit Prepared by Denise Gregson

Notebook Pages for this Unit

Bible & Character

Character - Empathy
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone’s shoes and understand what they might be feeling.  Mr. Beethoven had reasons for being lonely and different that Christoph would have missed if he didn’t get to know him.   By jumping to conclusions it is easy to misunderstand or misjudge people.  Sometimes we have to go through a hard time ourselves to have empathy for others.  God comforts us in our suffering so that we can extend comfort to others who are going through difficulties.  (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)  Do you know someone who has grumpy and rough exterior but underneath might be hurting?  Sometimes, it takes time and patience to be able to have a breakthrough in building a relationship with such a person, but God calls us to show this kind of compassion.

Empathy Notebook Page

Social Studies

Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all times. He composed, performed (piano) and conducted musical masterpieces.  Beethoven was so well known that about thirty thousand people were said to be present at his funeral procession on March 29, 1827.   (Note: He died on March 26, 1827.)

Beethoven was born in Germany in 1770. He came from a family of musicians. He studied and was inspired by other musicians such as Mozart and Haydn and he trained under Haydn (Haydn composed the famous Surprise Symphony which your child may recall from Babar, To Duet or Not to Duet,  Five in a Row Volume 2).   Beethoven moved to Vienna, Austria in his early twenties and during that time suffered from a gradual hearing loss.  Even after he became totally deaf he continued to compose musical masterpieces!

Beethoven had a very difficult upbringing.  The pain of this, combined with his hearing loss along with his brilliance all may have contributed to his strange behavior and hot temper.

Note:  Is your child familiar with the Peanuts series?  If so does she remember that Schroeder’s favorite composer is Beethoven and he is often found playing music by Beethoven?

If you keep a timeline, you could add Beethoven to your timeline:  (1770-1827)

Beethoven Notebook Page created by Wende

Geography: Austria
Austria has been the birthplace of many famous composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss, Sr. andJohann Strauss, Jr.  Find a map of Europe or use the one at enchanted learning.  Ask your child, How many countries border Austria?  (answer: seven – Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary).

Prepared Austria Notebooking Page
Austria Information Sheet
Austrian Flag
Austria Flag minit book
Austria Shutterfold minit book  by Wende

Vienna (where Beethoven moved to in his 20’s) is the capital city of Austria.  Vienna is rich in art and culture with lots of theatre, opera, classical music and fine arts originating there.

Christoph’s Uncle Karl was a student of music in Salzburg.  Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria.   It is the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for parts of the musical The Sound of Music.

The Alps Mountains
The Alps is one of the great mountain ranges of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east, through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west.  Find an atlas of Europe that will show the Alps.

Language Arts

Beethoven Quotes for Copywork and Reflection (contributed by Wende)

Weaving Fact with Fiction
The story is accurate in most of the details of the character of Ludwig Beethoven.  I understand there really was a boy named Christoph as well. However, the author has taken some liberties in adding details that can’t be verified.  This type of writing would be considered “historical fiction”.  Many people don’t enjoy reading a bunch of facts as much as they enjoy reading facts in the form of story. 

Letter-writing
Date:  The date is normally written at the top of a letter (often on the upper right hand side of the paper) so that the person reading knows when it was written in case there is some delay in the delivery of the letter.  It is also helpful if the recipient keeps the letter and wants to go back and reread it at a much later date.  Does your child know how to write the date correctly?  (month day comma year)/ Practice this using today’s date.  Note:  In the US if writing the date using all numbers we write:  mm/dd/yy but in some countries the model is:  dd/mm/yy .

The upper left hand side a letter starts with a greeting. Most of the time, the letter's author begins with   “Dear__(name)____,”

Then comes the body of the letter.

The letter ends with a signature.  Discuss when these signatures might be used:  Love, Regards, Sincerely or simply the author’s name.

Review how to address the envelope with the return address on the upper left hand corner, the destination clearly written in the center, and the postage stamp affixed in the upper right hand corner.

Have your child write one or more letters to a relative or friend, putting this all into practice.

Comprehension Questions
*Why didn’t Christoph appreciate Mr. Beethoven at the first?
*What sort of behaviors observed in Mr. Beethoven made Christoph believe he was mad?
*Why did Christoph feel the prince was afraid of Mr. Beethoven?  Why didn’t Christoph’s uncle agree?
*What behavior showed Mr. Beethoven’s restlessness?
*Why did Mr. Beethoven take the legs off some of his pianos?
*What was the nickname given to Christoph by Mr. Beethoven?
*Why did Christoph nickname the twins “the sopranos”?
*Did his Uncle Karl help Christoph to come to understand and accept Mr. Beethoven?  How so?
*Do you think that if Mr. Beethoven hadn’t come into his life that Christoph would have named his dog Metronome?  Why or why not?  (the definition of metronome is found in the vocabulary section)

Vocabulary
Naturally, much of the vocabulary in the book is related to the theme(s) of the story:

(vocabulary related to Beethoven’s unusual behavior)
Madman – crazy or insane person
Peculiar – odd, strange
Laughingstock- an object of ridicule, mocking or taunting
Dreadful (sight)- extremely unpleasant or shocking
Pitiful- deserving of pity (sympathetic sorrow, compassion)
Rage- violent, uncontrolled anger
Uproar – commotion, disturbance
Eccentricities – unusual/odd behaviors

Vocabulary Notebook Page (print as many as you need)

What other words can you child think of that describe Mr. Beethoven or the situation? (strange, odd, queer, quirky, unusual..)

(music-related vocabulary)
Inspiration- the act or power of influencing or moving the intellect or emotions
Symphony- a large and complex composition for a full orchestra
Composer- someone who writes musical arrangements
Metronome- an instrument for marking exact time by a regularly repeated tick
Ear trumpet- a trumpet-shaped appliance which served as an early hearing aid
Orchestra- a group of instrumentalists organized to perform ensemble* music
Sopranos- the highest singing voice; the highest part in a 4-part chorus
Concert – a public performance
Conductor – the leader of a musical ensemble*

*an ensemble is a group of singers, dancers or player producing a single effect

Music Vocabulary Notebook Page

Have your child brainstorm a set of words related to a topic they are passionate about and utilize the words to write a paragraph. Some examples of topics might be: horses, camping, the beach, autumn, Christmas.

Writing
Have your child write an essay about  Why I Agree (or Disagree) with Beethoven that Music Can Change the World.

Essay Notebook Page

Fine Arts

Classical Music
The classical period of music occurred from about 1730 to 1820.  In addition to Beethoven, other well-known composers from this period include:  Bach, Stamitz,  Haydn, Salieri,  Mozart, and Schubert.  Most of the famous composers of that period were from Europe.

Beethoven composed nine symphonies.  Lots of other composers wrote more than that, but Beethoven’s Symphonies are very famous and have some distinguishing characteristics.  His Third Symphony, for example, was the longest symphony ever written at that time.  The beginning of the second movement of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony imitates a metronome. (see the definition in the vocabulary section).

Beethoven's Ninth was the first symphony to use voices and his Fifth Symphony may be the most famous piece of music ever written.

Find some of Beethoven’s music at the library or online to listen to. Here is one link you can visit to listen to some of his work:

For more, try these links:

This site give you teaching tips for incorporating classical music into the classroom, suggestions of books and videos with a musical theme, music clips for various instruments and much more)

Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s site which offers lots of great learning and fun!

Download free midi files of his works

Oil Paint Medium
Scott Cameron has used oil paint in earthy tones to catch key moments in the story. The black, browns and reds are accented with rich cream and gold tones.  Discuss his use of color with your student as you study the illustrations together.

Science

Ears and Hearing
Does your child remember that sound travels on waves?  Your outer ear is shaped in a way that it can collect sound vibrations and send them inside your ear.  They then hit your eardrum (a thin membrane) and make it vibrate. The eardrum passes on the vibrations to the small bones in your middle ear.  The vibrations continue on to your inner ear which is filled with liquid. Your nerve cells feel the ripples and send a message to your brain.  Label the parts of an ear worksheet

Deafness is the partial or complete loss of hearing.  Deafness may be present from birth, or the loss of hearing may happen later in life due to injury, disease or old age.  Too much exposure to loud noise can result in permanent hearing loss so we need to be diligent to protect our ears!  Wear ear plugs if you plan to be around loud noises, particularly continuous loud noise!  Be very careful with use of headphones.  If given a choice, e.g. at a concert, choose a seat away from speakers.   

Beethoven’s deafness did not stop him from playing and writing music. He “felt” the music. Put your hands on a piano or another instrument while someone is playing it. What do you feel? Play some music on a radio or CD/tape player and turn the bass up and the treble down. Put your hands on the speakers. Do you “feel” the music. Even so, it is amazing to think that someone who is deaf could continue to write music!

Hearing aids:

Ear trumpets/horns were early hearing aids.  The horns of cows or rams where hollowed out and used as ear trumpets.  Ear trumpets simply helped to collect the sound waves and funnel them into the ear.  In other words they enhance the work of the outer ear. Cup your hand around the back of your ear and notice how it helps to collect more of the sound waves so that you can hear better.  Modern hearing aids are very different.  They are small gadgets that fit in or behind the ear and can help make sounds louder and clearer. Modern hearing aids consist of a tiny microphone (to pick up the sounds), an amplifier (to enhance the sound), a speaker (to send the sound through the ear canal) and a battery to power them.  These types of hearing aids cannot completely restore lost hearing, but they can make it easier for many people to hear sounds.

Iron and Lead
It is uncertain as to how Beethoven became deaf, although some believe nerve damage and/or otosclerosis (a disease which gradually damages the bones in the ears) are the likeliest causes.

Other theories exist. One interesting theory is that Beethoven’s hearing and health issues result  from lead poisoning. This might also explain some of his odd behavior as well.  Chemical testing after his death showed that he had unusually high lead levels in his hair.

Red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body, including the brain.  Iron keeps red blood cells healthy.  Lead competes with iron for a place on the red blood cells.  If the spots on the red blood cells are filled with iron, due to good nutrition and health, then the lead will not have a place to settle.  If a person’s blood is low in iron, however, and they are exposed to lead, then lead poisoning could result.  Sources of lead in our environment include:  old paint chips, lead-glazed pottery, soil (e.g. lead from gasoline fumes and from factory smokestacks eventually settles out of the air and becomes part of the soil, drinking water (in very old homes built before 1930).  Since we now aware of the danger of lead to our health, pipes, paint and food containers no longer contain lead in the US.  However, some lead could remain in and around very old homes or in food containers or folk remedies that are imported from other countries. 

Lead poisoning in a child will affect physical and mental growth and development.  Because of all that Beethoven achieved intellectually, if he did indeed suffer from lead poisoning it was likely to have occurred as an adult.

Regardless of whether you are ever exposed to lead, a diet rich in iron is essential to good health.  A person who is iron deficient will be tired and lethargic and prone to sickness.  They will not reach their full potential.  Good sources of iron include:  meat, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, iron-fortified cereal and dried fruit.

Make a high iron snack mix:
Provide a variety of the following ingredients and have your child make up his/her own mixture:  iron-fortified cereals, raisins, other dried fruit, nuts and seeds, wheat germ.

Iron Notebook Page

The Metronome
A metronome is a device that produces a regular tick and is very helpful for learning to keep a tempo while learning an instrument or composing musical compositions. The metronome was invented back in the early 1800’s! Your child might be more familiar with what a pendulum is, especially if you have a grandfather clock. It works with gravity to keep a constant beat.   

Most modern metronomes are electronic, with a quartz crystal to maintain accuracy. The crystal is vibrated to create an electrical signal that has a very precise frequency. This frequency is commonly used to keep track of time in wristwatches, clocks and radio transmitters.

Applied Math

Musical Notes
Print out the Note Values Chart

Use it to try this exercise suggested at http://www.education-world.com/

Have your student join you in tapping your foot to the count of  1,2,3,4.  (Tell them that the foot is acting like a metronome) Then you will introduce the notes one at a time, clapping to the count of the particular note while continuing to tap your foot simultaneously. A whole note gets a clap tap tap tap.  A half note gets a clap tap clap tap…..    Visit:  http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp303-05.shtml   for complete instructions.

Calendars and Dates
*In the opening of the book it tells of a funeral for Beethoven on Thursday March 29, 1827.  It also says that Beethoven had died three days earlier.  On what day did he die, then?

*What is the date on the first letter of story and what is the date of the last one?  Help your child to figure out how long the correspondence between Christoph and his Uncle Karl went on? 

*If Christoph was ten years old at the writing of his first letter of the book, how old was he at the writing of his last letter of the book?

You could also make a tally of how many letters in total were written by Christoph?  How many by his uncle?  How many were written in 1822? 1823? 1824? 1825?

Ordinal Numbers
Your child may have noticed how the Beethoven’s Symphonies are numbered (there were nine of them). Have your child practice writing ordinal numbers.   Use the Ordinal Number Worksheet to help your child practice writing the cardinal numbers up to ten, or dictate your own.

Ordinal Number Cards and Pocket Label

For Fun:

*Watch The Sound of Music together

*Watch the movie Beethoven Lives Upstairs (I haven’t seen this so can’t comment on it)

*Watch some Peanuts movies or read some Peanuts cartoons that include Schroeder

*Coloring page of Beethoven