MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Magical Musical Tour: Using Lyrics to Teach Literary Elements
Language arts learners don't need a lecture about poetry; they listen to poetry every day on the radio! Apply skills from literary analysis to famous songs and beautiful lyrics with a lesson about literary devices. As class...
Curated OER
The John Travolta Syndrome
Students examine the influence of music and film on contemporary fashion. In this popular culture lesson, students research select films featuring John Travolta. Students research selected time periods in American history as well....
Curated OER
Music History - The Romantic Period
Students chose one topic about the music of the Romantic Period to write an essay about. They research this era, take notes on the important facts, and write an essay about the topic.
Curated OER
Music History: Part One
Students research the various music composers of the Baroque music period. They conduct Internet research, take notes about their selected composer, and write an essay that includes important information about their composer.
Curated OER
Musical Impressions
Students listen to two examples of bluegrass music and try to identify the instruments that they hear and the subtle differences between the two songs. They describe their impressions of the selections, then conclude by comparing and...
Curated OER
Entertainment and Recreation in the Early Twentieth Century and Today
Eleventh graders research entertainment and recreation in the early twentieth century using primary sources and the book From the Hidewood, by Robert Amerson. They compare the rural experience of the time period to the national...
Curated OER
Social Studies, Music, The Blues, Urbanization, and Technology
Enable students to use the blues to explore urbanization, technology, and their effects on everyday life in the 20th century. Musicians were among the large number of people who, between 1914 and 1945, participated in the Great Migration...
National Association for Sport & Physical Fitness
Indoor Physical Activity Ideas for Kids!
Rainy day schedule doesn't mean you can't stay fit! Use a collection of indoor physical activities during periods of inclement weather, substitute teaching days, or for those afternoons when your class just wants to move around!
Curated OER
Jazz Exploration: A Collage Project
Middle schoolers explore and experience jazz through collage. They listen to improvisational jazz, discuss the origins of jazz, then design and create a collage that shows jazz being played. This project will result in amazing works of...
Curated OER
Fats Waller, Handful of Keys
Playing piano is great fun and playing jazz is even better. Kids watch a video of Fats Waller playing the song, "Handful of Keys," they then use either a piano key print out or Orff instruments to practice his signature stride piano...
Education.com
Pablo Picasso
Introduce your class to one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. After reading a brief biography of Pablo Picasso, pupils create their own collages on the next page on the theme of music.
EduGAINs
Preparation for Transitions and Change— Guidance and Career Education
Every hopeful in your class has gone through some kind of life change, from parents' divorce to a death in the family to moving up into another grade. Encourage them to discuss these changes, the skills they used and acquired during...
Journey Through the Universe
A Scale Model Solar System
Between the time scientists discovered Pluto and reclassified it as a dwarf planet, it did not even make one full revolution around the sun. In two activities, scholars investigate scale models and their properties. Pupils find that it...
Curated OER
Tango Stories
Students listen to tango music and research the country it came from. In this music lesson plan, students find that tango music comes from Argentina. They listen and dance to the music and then write stories.
Curated OER
Feelin' Swing, Part 2
Upper elementary schoolers listen to and reproduce the rythm of Mary Lou William's musical piece, "Scratchin' in the Gravel." The swing song was written at a time that women did not play jazz. She broke the rules by playing and writing...
Curated OER
Renaissance: Rebirth to Revolution
Sixth graders use a variety of resources to research the Middle Ages and Renaissance over a nine-week period. Working in cooperative teams, they become experts on specific topics. Students hold a Renaissance Faire and role-play as...
Curated OER
Arts of the Gilded Age
Learners study the art forms of the Gilded Age. In this integrated arts lesson, students research the art, music, dance, and drama of the historical era and then create their own personal projects that exemplify the time period.
Curated OER
Connecting to Colonial Music
Students listen to songs from the French and Indian War period. They answer questions about the song and identify any historical terms. They examine the role of music in their own lives.
Curated OER
Crawford Grill: Opening the Doors of Opportunity
Analyze the role the Crawford Grill played in the history of Jazz music. Budding historians research interviews and video clips to learn about the Crawford Grill in Pennsylvania and black music history. The lesson culminates when...
Curated OER
Looking at French Decorative Arts: The Quest for True Porcelain
Students study the effects of production and consumption of goods on French society during the porcelain period. In this history lesson students research the trade history of porcelain from Asia.
Curated OER
Understanding Past and Present Labor Injustice through Music
Young scholars explore early 19th century labor conditions through the use of period songs. In this tolerance lesson plan, students listen to period songs and respond. Young scholars write their own song that protests unfair and...
Curated OER
The History of Rock and Roll: Part 10 - Up From the Underground - Lesson 1
Students discuss the effect music videos have had on the role of the music. They examine how developments in technology have effected the music industry.
Intel
Beat the Heat
Explore greenhouse effect and climate change through a 15-day unit. Scholars learn about these STEM concepts by researching, conducting surveys, experimenting, and collaborating with experts in the field. They frequently communicate...
Curated OER
"Music Be the Food of Love:" Found Poetry with Shakespeare and Hip-Hop
Lines from Shakespeare and from hip-hop artists provide learners with an opportunity to examine the literary devices these artists use to express their ideas about love. Groups use the provided lines to craft found poems, and then the...