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Slavery
Fifth graders complete a short unit on slavery and the U.S. Civil War. They read and analyze the book, "Follow the Drinking Gourd," compose their own secret song, complete an Abraham Lincoln crossword puzzle, and dramatize a historical...
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Oh Shenandoah
Students sing Oh Shenandoah with correct notes, diction, a characteristic choral tone, appropriate style and have an understanding of the history of the lyrics. The version of Oh Shenandoah is for an SSA choir and was arranged by Ruth...
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Mending Walls: Barriers in Communications
Students explore a literal and figurative wall. For this communication lesson, students examine and discuss barriers in communication as they analyze Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and Robert Frost's "Mending Wall".
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Poetry Continued
Students are introduced to the elements in poetry. After listening to music, they discuss how it made them feel and what the lyrics mean to them. Individually, they are given specific elements to write their poem and share it with the...
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The Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress
Students analyze the Minerva mosaic. In this Library of Congress lesson, students conduct primary source analysis of the mosaic as they interpret the symbolism and mythology featured in the mosaic.
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Natural Disasters: Nature's Fury
Young scholars explore the human experience. In this business ethics lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the American natural disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries and the implications they presented.
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Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Students sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" with others in small groups and as an entire class. Using correct posture, correct rhythms, and accurate pitches, students play improvised melodies as accompaniment to the song. This lesson emphasizes...
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VH1 Driven: Kanye West
Students watch a video excerpt about the life of Kanye West. They draw connections between his life and their own and compose a rap song in the style of West, using his song, "Through the Wire" as an example.
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Hearts and Partners
Tenth graders explore, examine and study poetry within a variety of different strategies within this lesson. They review and discuss a diagram of the big picture of why it's importance to study, analyze and deconstruct poetry, so that...
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Literature Soundtracks
Student choose ten songs to create a soundtrack for a novel read in class or as outside reading. In the liner notes, instead of lyrics Students writes a rationale of why or how the song relates to the novel in terms of setting,...
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H1 Classic Presents: Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, Lesson 2
Pupils are introduced to the various songwriting techniques of Paul McCartney. They explore and compare the basic melodic, harmonic, and lyrical tendencies of the different types of pop music.
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It's All Poetry to Me!
Fourth graders explore language arts by analyzing poetry styles. In this writing analysis lesson, 4th graders read several sample poems in class and identify similes, metaphors and other figurative language within them. Students analyze...
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VH1 Fan Club
Students connect the diversity of American culture to the music of Dave Matthews Band and then create lyrics that emphasize how diversity pertains to their own life.
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Japanese Music
Students experience the components of Japanese dance and music through the songs, "Soran-bushi nd Hanagasa Odon." The music is presented in relation to the country's history and culture.
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Hank Williams: My Inspiration
Students research information about Hank Williams using the internet. Using the lyrics from his songs, they interpret the poetry used. They work together and individually to write their own poems and interpret them.
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Heavy: The Story of Metal (Part 1) (Lesson 3)
Students analyze and write an evaluation on the song "Black Sabbath". They interview a person who grew up listening to heavy metal music and compare and contrast the interview with their evaluation on the song. They share them with the...
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Dance with Me
Second graders create a simple dance that illustrates the changes in rhythm in a song. They identify the form of the song. Ask volunteers to show movement or steps that could be used for each section
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Ancient Music Recreated in Scotland
Students read, analyze and critique a newspaper article about ancient musical tunes that have been found in a church in Scotland. They assess key vocabulary terms found within the article and compose lyrics for a song after answering a...
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Sing What You Mean, Mean What You Sing
Learners discuss the vocal styles characteristic of different genres and composers. The explore the use of lyrics, their relation to the music, and the use of the voice to convey emotions and character.
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All Access Spotlight: U2
Students explain the growth and development of a musical group and their work through discussion and analysis of two representative songs by U2 from their first and last albums.
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Somewhere
Second graders write their own version of the book "Somewhere" in this instructional activity. They listen to the book and locate the rhyming words within the text. They find the number of syllables per word in the text, and compare...
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Stylistic Aspects of Spiritual Singing
High schoolers sight-read a piece of music and analyze two unfamiliar pieces of music. They discuss performance aspects of a piece of music.
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Time in Jazz
Learners examine time and meter in the jazz idiom. They analyze Take the A Train and Take Five. They research websites featuring Ella Fitzgerald and her music.
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Figurative Language
What is figurative language, and why do we use it? Introduce your high schoolers to some examples and discuss the importance of including this element in your writing. After studying a text and searching for examples, writers will...