Anti-Defamation League
10 Ideas for Teaching Black History Month
Celebrate Black History Month with the help of 10 ideas that delve deep into the history, major events, contributions, famous African Americans, and sheds light on how scholars today can take a proactive stance on current civil rights...
Curated OER
Hold That Pose
Students discuss the painting The Radcliffe Family and discuss what it was like for them to hold poses for portraits. In this portrait lesson plan, students then pose stuffed animals and make their own portraits.
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Lighting The Way - Activity 1
Students discover the "rule of thirds" technique used in photography through the investigation of magazine and newspaper pictures and an in-class discussion. The work of photojournalist Jeff Bizzel is emphasized.
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Soundtrack to War
Students discuss the important role of music in lives of soldiers stationed in Iraq. They identify and demonstrate skills in creating compositions with limited resources, similar in concept to the soldiers viewed in the documentary.
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Concert Suite from Dances With Wolves
Students complete a unit of lessons that prepares them to perform, 'Concert Suite From Dances With Wolves,' at a public performance. They analyze the emotions depicted by music, view excerpts from the movie, and perform the music.
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Mixed Media Weaving
Learners will demonstrate the ability to create the illusion of space by overlapping shapes.They will recognize the differences between art materials, techniques, and processes. Students will demonstrate the influence of personal...
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Ferde Grofe
Learners participate in three different activities centered around Ferde Grofe. The different lessons are used to introduce music and the artist to the class. They listen to stories that music tells, and create their own sand painting...
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Lesson Plan Project
Learners demonstrate the composing of a string quartet piece by working together in small groups to write a short composition based around a pentatonic scale for all four instruments. They evaluate their peers compositions by...
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the Richness of Rattles: a Lesson in Making And Decorating Clay Rattles
Young scholars study the history behind clay rattles. They form and create a clay rattle using ceramic sculptural techniques and important composition and design elements.
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Teaching Serialism with Technology
Eighth graders compose serialistic tone-row melodies using music notation software. This lesson includes an email address to receive all materials and worksheets involved in the week-long study.
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Composing with Non-Chord Tones to Ornament a Melody
Students develop melodies based on a simple chord progression. They develop the tools need to begin to compose their own music. Students explore the qualities of each NCT and identify them in a composition. They develop listening skills...
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Lesson Plan Project
Students demonstrate how to compose a string quartet by working together in small groups to write a short composition based around a pentatonic scale for all four instruments. They synthesis composing by creatively integrating their...
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Storytellers: The Dixie Chicks
Students compare/contrast compositional devises. They describe events occurring within a musical example. Students explain the roles of creators, performers, and others involved in music productions and presentations.
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Winter Wonderland
Students explore various pieces of holiday music. They select a piece of music, record an introduction that describes the style, and record a section of the music.
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Composing From a Thread
Students listen to music composed in the 20th century and discuss varying interpretations. They play a contemporary piece of music and explore techniques available to a modern composer.
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Melody Words
Fourth graders compose a melody by placing words on the music staff. They play their melody words for the class.
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Sing Me a Story!
Sixth graders explore lyrics, phrases, and the beats in each phrase. They select a nursery rhyme, set it to a simple tune they already know, and match the tune with the same number of beats per phrase with a poem with the identical...
Curated OER
Misterioso: Thelonius Monk
Students examine the musical style of Thelonius Monk, particularly Misterioso. They write in their journals how the song sounds and fits with the way Monk dresses. They journal about how their own music might sound if they wrote jazz music.
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Melodic Variation
Students participate in activities in which they apply various techniques of melodic variation. After reviewing sheet music for the song "Marianne", they compare lines 1 & 3, then 2 & 4 and discuss the variations in the song. ...
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Lyubov Mayzus
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the understanding of musical forms. They conduct research using a variety of resources. They listen to recordings of different types of music and use critical listening skills to...
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Garage Band
Fifth graders identify a pop rock music form that includes a verse, a chorus, and a bridge in ABABCBB form. They demonstrate basic skills using the "Garage Band" application. Students crate a piece of music using the garage band...
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Hip To Be Square
Students explore performing arts by reading a children's book in class. In this body movement lesson, students read the book Dance and create their own artistic impressions based on dancing images from the book. Students share their...
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C.D. Cover
Pupils use computers to create CD covers for their music groups. They search online for images they associate with their local reality, practice manipulating them in photo-editing program, measure size of compact disc case, and create...
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And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop, Episode 2, Lesson 1
Students discuss Public Enemy's lyrics and compare and contrast them with songs popular during the Civil Rights Movement. They write their own rap song that expresses feelings of oppression or freedom from oppression.