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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils read about Woody Guthrie and how folk music often tells of events of the time and can be effective protest music.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Sixties: Dylan Plugs in and Sells Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Before Woodstock, there was Newport. Get plugged in to the social changes of the 1960s with a lesson that looks at Bob Dylan's performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival as a symbol of the radical changes that marked the era.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Music of the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners examine protest music and songs from the Civil Rights movement. In this music of the Civil Rights era lesson, students listen to selected music before working in groups to determine who the music was directed at, what social...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America Lesson Plan 7

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners survey free jazz and fusion. They explore how free jazz and fusion reflected American culture and society in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America Lesson Plan 7

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The student will explore free jazz, fusion, and contemporary jazz. They will listen to avant garde, fusion, and pop recordings. In addition, they participate in a class discussion regarding jazz's contribution to and reflection of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs that Bring Us Together - Lesson 5

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners compose song as a classroom effort. They write a one-paragraph essay about "message" songs in 100 years and include three ideas for topics along with the style of music (such as folk, rock, blues, rap, etc.) that would match.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study four American songs that they will sing during the month of February. They discuss the origins and meanings of the songs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading and Writing About Boxing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the life of Jack Johnson and his relationship with other boxers. They write about his life by using the same style as Muhammad Ali, his taunts and boasts using rhyming.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Masters: Bob Dylan

For Students 9th - 10th
The companion website of a film documentary directed by Martin Scorsese about the life and music of Bob Dylan. Understand Dylan's career and the impact of his music on the politics of the time, his influences, and his many musical...
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Masters: Paul Simon

For Students 9th - 10th
Along with Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon was part of one of the most popular bands of the 1960's. Still popular today, read about his career in this biography from PBS.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site from the Library of Congress, you can listen to an 82-year-old Virginia fiddler, Henry Reed, playing tunes recorded in the 1960's. Many of the tunes have been transcribed and the notation can be viewed on line as well. The...
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Bobby Mc Ferrin

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bobby McFerrin, an American musician noted for his tremendous vocal control and improvisational ability. He often sang a cappella, mixing folk songs, 1960s rock and soul tunes, and jazz...
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Mississippi John Hurt

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Mississippi John Hurt, an American country-blues singer and guitarist who first recorded in the late 1920s but whose greatest fame and influence came when he was rediscovered in the early...