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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Harriet Tubman: Retelling History Through Dance and Drama

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Scholars listen to several pieces of music in preparation for a discussion about how instruments and lyrics convey emotions. With Harriet Tubman as the focus, small groups create an original song or dance. A reflection piece concludes...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Role of Masks in African Cultures

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore ancient tradition and craft of mask making, examine role or function of masks in African culture, create instruments, and participate in class projects.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dance: African Drumming

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students evaluate the messages in music. In this communication through music lesson, students listen to various musical selections and determine the message being conveyed in the song. Then, students create their own message as they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History: An African American Cultural Celebration

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students prepare and organize a cultural celebration of African migration and immigration. Working in groups or individually, they research topics and present the information, including dance demonstrations, instrumental or vocal...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Side of the Story: African Americans Share Their Experiences of Slavery

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders listen to a variety of folktales sharing experiences of slavery. As a class, they compare and contrast reading a story and telling a story. They participate in a role play activity to discover the journey of a slave and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History, African Americans, The Blues

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
This lesson enables teachers to use blues music to explore the history of African Americans in the 20th century. By studying the content of blues songs, students can learn about the experiences and struggles of the working-class...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1920s Variety Show

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
To better understand the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance and become familiar with its major figures, class members examine a painting by Aaron Douglas and a poem by Langston Hughes and compare how the artists develop...
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Lesson Plan
Diane Venzera

Kwanzaa Celebration: Celebrating Family, Community, and Culture

For Teachers K - 3rd
Kwanzaa is the focus of a three-part lesson that celebrates the history and traditions of the holiday. Before lighting the Kinara, scholars listen to a read-aloud of Seven Candles of Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Learners express...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Rap a Tap Tap (Dillon)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Explore the dancing prodigy and Depression-era African-American icon Bill Robinson as scholars learn new vocabulary words in context. As you read Leo Dillon's Rap a Tap Tap they listen for six new words: clatter, greet, passion, pause,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hispanic Arts: Visual Arts, Dance and Music

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students observe global cultures by listening to music and watching videos. In this Latin American dance instructional activity, students define merengue, salsa and other dances from the Hispanic culture while listening to Latin rhythm...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing Hands, Abstract Drawings

For Teachers K - 8th
Students discover African musical rhythms by performing Ancestral Spirit Dances.  In this musical lesson, students research Willis "Bing" Davis and the abstract work he created.  Students listen to Yoruba drum music and experiment...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Roots of Modern Dance in America

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students develop an understanding of how African culture impacted modern dance in the United States.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Similarities Between African Folktales And French Folktales

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study the importance of the Storyteller in ancient times as well as in modern times. They realize that this is an art essential to the development and evolution of the mind and that today more than ever we need to rely on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill Robinson: Mr. Bojangles

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Mr. Bojangles was born just after slavery was abolished and became one of the most beloved entertainers of his time. Explore key vocabulary, the life of an African-American entertainer, and the impact of the Harlem Renaissance on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Can Dance

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research the different kinds of dances Texans participate in. They try to dance the dances they have researched.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hispanic Arts and Culture Unit: Visual Arts, Dance, and Music

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students learn about Latin American dance and rhythm in different forms and participate in dancing. In this Latin American lesson plan, students also analyze Latin American paintings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Origins and American Cultural Pluralism

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars explore, analyze and discuss family origins, special legacies, and racial/cultural groups in literature and art that exposes them to positive examples in African-American history and culture. They encounter examples from...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman

For Teachers K - 4th
Students sing the song "Harriet Tubman" by Walter Robinson. In this African-American history lesson, students review code words that were used during the slave trade and listen to the song "Harriet Tubman". Students create movements to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sundiata, Mali’s Lion King

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the history of Mali. In this African cultures lesson, students research the impact of Sundiata Keita as king of Mali, recognize the significance of historical Malian festivals, and create character masks to be worn...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans Seen Through the Eyes of the Newsreel Cameraman

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders learn about this history of jazz music. For this musical influences lesson, 5th graders read God Bless the Childand listen to a recording of it. Students create a KWL chart on jazz and early 1900s music and dance. Students...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Habari Gani: What is the News?

For Teachers K - 2nd
Display creative works of art after learning about Kwanzaa. Kindergartners hear stories about the history of Kwanzaa and its celebrations. They then create artwork, practice African dances and listen to African music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keeping the Past Alive

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students read about the oral histories of West Africa and complete related activities. In this oral histories lesson plan, students read about the importance of oral customs in African cultures. Students interview a family member about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rites of Passage: Initiation Masks in French Speaking Black Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine African cultures through the study of masks in the initiation ceremonies in French speaking black Africa. They analyze masks, and create their own masks.

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