National Endowment for the Humanities
The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s marched to its own beat—literally. Using songs from the era, as well as other primary sources such as King's "I Have a Dream" speech, class members analyze lyrics to discover how music and protest...
Curated OER
Learning to give: freedom songs
Students learn freedom songs and discuss how the famous leaders of the Civil Rights Movement used them to motivate people to overcome adversity during this time. In this freedom songs instructional activity, students learn the songs and...
Carolina K-12
Group Project: Freedom Parade
Parades are a great way to celebrate. Get young historians into the festivities by asking them to create an informational float for a Freedom Parade. Picking a topic from the provided list or suggesting one of their own, class members...
Curated OER
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Third graders read the story, "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" and discuss slavery. After answering questions about the story, 3rd graders sing "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd" and explore the clues in each verse that allowed the slaves to...
Curated OER
The Statue of Liberty: The Meaning and Use of a National Symbol
Engage your class in a series of activities, each related to the use or analysis of symbols used to convey patriotic or national concepts. They identify different national symbols and explain their meanings, discussing the importance of...
Curated OER
Let Freedom Sing: A patriotic Program for Grades 1-6
Students understand information and stories contained in patriotic songs. In this patriotic music lesson, students participate in grade appropriate lessons to understand the music and lyrics of patriotic songs. Students perform the...
Curated OER
25 Greatest Protest Songs
Students view and discuss The 25 Greatest Protest Songs video as compiled by VH1. They focus on when and why each of the songs were written, looking for patterns.
National Park Service
Lesson 1: Journaling with Songs of Freedom
There's more to music than a memorable tune. The songs of those who were enslaved reveal the harsh realities of their lives. Using both songs and slave narratives, historians uncover this hidden history. The lesson incorporates a variety...
Curated OER
Freedom
Students brainstorm a list of the freedoms they have living in the United States. In groups, they compare and contrast these freedoms with those of their home country. After completeing a worksheet, they examine lyrics to songs to...
Curated OER
We Are The Freedom Riders
Students consider the role of the Freedom Riders. In this American Civil Rights lesson, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding the participants in the Freedom Ride protest. Several weblinks, worksheets,...
Curated OER
What Does This Song Really Say?
Students investigate communication by analyzing lyrics from a song. In this music arts lesson, students discuss slavery, the Underground Railroad and African American traditions while listening to a song called "This Train." Students...
Curated OER
Slave Code Songs
Seventh graders study water bodies that were escape routes to Canada for slaves seeking freedom. They examine and create a coded spiritual that describes a personal experience with secrecy and fear.
National Park Service
Lesson 5: Coded Spirituals, Metaphor in African Spirituals
If a picture is worth a thousand words, song lyrics also can communicate many meanings. Using the lyrics of spirituals, young historians analyze them for coded messages about freedom. Resources include a chart to help individuals track...
Curated OER
Freedom, Power and the People
Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.
Alabama Learning Exchange
J. Alfred Hyperbolizes
Mermaids will sing to your class members as they engage in an activity related to T.S. Eliot's famous dramatic interior monologue. After engaging in a socratic seminar about literary devices in the poem, individuals choose one...
Curated OER
Counting the Miles To Freedom
Students research Harriet Tubman via an Underground Railroad website in cooperative groups. They identify Tubman's first route to freedom and organize information gleaned from the research in a visual display (created in KidPix.)
Curated OER
Give Peace a Chance
Students research protest songs of the Vietnam War era. They search for information on the artists and motivation for the lyrics. They interview people who remember the music from that era and bring back information they found.
Music Publishers Association of the United States
I Made It. I Own It. Please Don't Steal It.
Explore the world of copyright law with a variety of activities to instill the importance of respecting creative property. Scholars watch an animated tale then take part in a grand conversation detailing the video's main idea, details,...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Runaway Slaves in Alabama: Individual Freedom Fighters in the 1800s
Class pairs examine eight runaway slave advertisements from the mid-1800s to develop an understanding of the conditions slaves faced and of race relations.
Curated OER
25 Greatest Protest Songs - Lesson 2
Learners explain the potential consequences of protest. They discuss selected historical conflicts and examine the role of the individual in protest.
Curated OER
The Meaning of Passover Story Through Songs and Traditions
Learners explore the meaning of Passover. In this holiday lesson, students participate in various learning centers that focus on the Passover holiday. The learning centers include simulating the feelings of slavery, listening to music by...
Curated OER
Introduction to American Literature
High schoolers discuss the topic of freedom and what the National Anthem means to them and to our country. They create a new and original verse for the National Anthem.
Curated OER
Understanding the Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Students 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...
Curated OER
Let Freedom Sing: A Patriotic Program for Grades 1 - 6
Students explore the history, meaningful background, and significance of Patriotic songs in the eight lessons of this unit. Each of the different grade levels experience a different amount of lessons all culminating in a Patriotic Program.