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iRock
Young scholars explore, listen to and analyze songs that helped define rock and roll music. They read and discuss the article, "They're All Oldies, Dad Included." Research on contemporary artists is conducted and then the students choose...
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
"People Everyday" offers class members an opportunity to develop their literacy analysis skills and to develop media literacy. Guided by an included list of discussion questions, groups examaine the word choice, literary devices used,...
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Eleventh graders discover the thematic connections between classical literary and popular song lyrics. In this English lesson, 11th graders research a specific topic to be presented to the class. Students analyze song lyrics...
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Who Rocks Your World?
Students develop their writing skills. In this business letter activity, students write a letter of nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame regarding a music artist of their choice. Students read their finished letters to their peers.
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A Modest Proposal: Irony Made Understandable with Rock and Roll
Who doesn't love music? Poems and songs will engage your high school class in a discussion about irony. Use songs like "Rockin' in the Free World" or "Born in the U.S.A." to illustrate the ironic point of view. Print the lyrics so...
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Know Thyself: Reflections of the Adolescent Identity Crisis in Rock and Roll
Twelfth graders define themselves through music. In this psychology lesson, 12th graders identify James Marcia's 4 states of identity and identify songs that reflect each of the states.
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Hall of Fame
Students create a Hall of Fame. They discuss and study established Hall of Fames such as baseball. They participate in mock nominating and voting process for the hall of fame.
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Slices of American Pie: The 1960s Through Music
Eleventh graders examine political, cultural, and social movements through music. In this 1960s American history instructional activity, 11th graders explore the music of the decade in order to better understand the complexity of the...
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And We Were All in One Place: Youth Culture and the Rock Festival
High schoolers explore historical youth culture events. In this youth culture lesson, students discover details regarding the Altamont, Woodstock, and Monterey concerts. High schoolers conduct research that regarding the rock...
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Teaching Economics and Rock and Roll: Unemployment
Learners explore the consequences of unemployment. In this macroeconomics lesson, students listen to the songs “Johnny 99” and “Worried Man.” Learners discuss the socioeconomic costs of unemployment as they analyze the songs.
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Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America
Students explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary activity, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
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Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project
Students become exposed to British poetry. They identify and discuss the thematic connection between a poem and a song of their choice, and enrich their understanding of poetry through an in-depth analysis of literary devices in the song...
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Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project
Students explore poetry. In this literature lesson, students examine music and lyrics by Natalie Merchant in order to make the transition to analyzing poetry by Keats and Wordsworth.
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Using Rock as Primary Source Material
Learners listen to a song which functions as an entertaining primary source. It illustrates the part angry, part irreverent anti-war sentiments of the counter-culture in the late 1960s. After hearing the song, students discuss how it...
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Using Rock to Teach Literary Devices: Jimi Hendrix “The Wind Cries Mary”
Students explore literary elements through music. In this figurative language lesson, students examine imagery and personification in "The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix.
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You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone: The Changing American Landscape
Students examine the changing American landscape. In this cause and effect lesson, students listen to rock music that exemplifies urban growth in America and the interconnectedness of America today. Students write cause and effect essays...
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The Blues, B.B. King, Muddy Waters
B.B. King and Muddy Waters are two of the most famous blues performers of all time. In this music lesson, middle schoolers study the early careers and lasting musical contributions of both artists, each of whom carried the blues on to...
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Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum
Henry David Thoreau and Linda Ronstadt? Ann Tyler and Pete Townshend? Joyce Carol Oates and Pearl Jam? This richly detailed plan pairs classic literature with contemporary music and asks learners to analyze how the theme of conformity is...
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Hip-Hop History and the Beastie Boys
So what about those Beastie Boys? Kids read a New York Times article relating the history of hip-hop and rap icons the Beastie Boys. They then answer eleven who, what, when, where, and why questions about the text they read.
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Assignment #10: Internet Scavenger Hunt
Test your learners' Internet research skills with this scavenger hunt. Of the twenty questions provided, scholars research ten and provide the answer, the URL, the search engine, and the keywords they used. While some of the questions...
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For American Hi-Fi Fans
High school students can sharpen their research skills by employing the Internet to find the answers to the trivia questions presented in this learning exercise. This particular learning exercise focuses on questions that have to do with...
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Getting Inside The Outsiders Through Music
Learners listen to popular music of the 50's and 60's to make literature connections to The Outsiders. In this popular culture lesson, students evaluate and analyze various songs and connect them with the themes in the literature related...
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Langston Hughes and the Blues
Students explore the connections between Langson Hughes and blues music. In this African American culture lesson, students compare and contrast blues music with poetry and short stories by Langston Hughes.
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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...