Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “In This Place (An American Lyric)” by Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman, the United States's first National Youth Poet Laureate, is featured in a resource from the Academy of American Poets. Class members first read Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and note what King wanted...
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Sonnets
Explore the concept of rhyme scheme within a Shakespearean sonnet. After writing out their favorite (appropriate!) rap song and explaining why they like it, middle schoolers define a rhyme scheme. Afterward, they examine a Shakespearean...
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“And Still I Rise” Proud Black Women
Students examine the experiences of African American women. In this poetry lesson, students use their literary analysis skills to compare the poetry of Maya Angelou to rap music performed by Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill.
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And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop
Students discuss the role of the rapper in Hip Hop music and how the rapper promoted their group's DJ. They compose a short rap about a fellow student highlighting that student's accomplishments and good traits.
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African American Music
Students investigate a variety of sites to gather relevant information for a
presentation about African American musical forms in this general Music lesson plan for middle school and high school. Resource links are provided to aid...
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From Remus to Rap: A History in Theory and Practice of the African-American Storytelling Tradition
Students examine the specific form and function of tall tales and toasts.
They discover the importance of performance in the telling of a story and the importance of rhythm in the telling of toasts. They create stories of their own, in...
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Back in the Day
Students identify the genre of music called Hip Hop, analyze its elements, and formulate a definition of the Hip Hop culture.
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And You Don't Stop-30 Years of Hip-hop
Students identify the musical genre of Hip-Hop and make a connection with other styles of music. A time line of musical styles is developed and discussed.
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The Japanese Empire: The Beginning
Ninth graders explore empires by researching Japan's history. For this Japanese research lesson, 9th graders discuss the history of Japan and the elements of World War II that caused Japan to become an enemy of the United States....
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VH1 Driven: Kanye West
Learners 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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VH1 Fan Club Dave Matthews Band
Students study how the music of Dave Matthews Band is based on jazz, blues, bluegrass, rock and roll, and rap.
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African American Scavenger Hunt
In this African American music history worksheet, students research the history of African American music. Students then answer the fifteen questions.
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Songs that Bring Us Together - Lesson 5
Learners compose song as a classroom effort. They write a one-paragraph essay about "message" songs in 100 years and include three ideas for topics along with the style of music (such as folk, rock, blues, rap, etc.) that would match.
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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.
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Haring Inspired CD Covers
Young scholars create CD covers from their music-inspired drawing sessions. They compare what they drew while listening to classical, punk and rap music. They scan their drawings into Adobe Photoshop and design their cover.
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Performing Arts
The classical arts have made a lasting impact on our society and your advanced learners get to find out why. The activity starts as the children create a list of the arts found in society, they discuss how these art forms impact their...
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Cable in the Classroom
Students understand how to successfully work in a group. Students create and perform their own autobiographical rap songs. Students conclude how rap music and music in general can help us to deal with emotional issues.
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The Turbulent 1960s (6)
In this online interactive American history worksheet, learners answer 13 matching questions regarding 1960's America. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
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Poe ... in the Real World?
Eleventh graders work in groups to choose a project/presentation from a list of approved activities to develop. They select and use appropriate software for organizing and refining their product. Groups produce a short...
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Corn in Legend and Myth
Seventh graders compare myths and legends about corn and use creative abilities to act them out. In this corn legends lesson, 7th graders read background information about corn and its importance. Students work in groups to research...
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H1 Classic Presents: Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, Lesson 2
Students 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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VH1 And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop
Students examine the origin and elements of Hip Hop music and the associated culture. They visit websites and listen to examples of the music.
The New York Times
The Cold War: Crossword
This crossword puzzle focuses on clues related to The Cold War. It also has unrelated clues that would be a challenge to middle schoolers, but should be manageable to secondary students; particularly juniors taking US history. There are...
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A Comparative Study of the Civil Rights Movement & the Grassroots Hip Hop Movement
Pupils identify, research, and discuss similarities between the Civil Rights Movement and the grassroots hip hop movement in America.