Curated OER
No Form of Tobacco is Safe
Students create an advertisement to convince children to stay away from tobacco products. In this smoking prevention lesson, students discuss the health effects of tobacco use and evaluate current tobacco ads. Students work in small...
Curated OER
Classroom Quilt of Cultures
Learners discuss the similarities and differences in their cultural traditions. In this quilt of cultures lesson, students sing and dance to "Smile at your Neighbor." Learners write down their favorite food, holiday, family...
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And We Were All in One Place: Youth Culture and the Rock Festival
Students explore historical youth culture events. In this youth culture lesson, students discover details regarding the Altamont, Woodstock, and Monterey concerts. Students conduct research that regarding the rock festivals and...
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What Makes a Hero?
Students identify the characteristics of a hero. In this character development and writing lesson, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Students explore individuals and charitable...
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John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
Fourth graders discover facts about John Brown. In this Harper's Ferry Raid lesson, 4th graders evaluate the lyrics to the song "John Brown's Body", and write a descriptive obituary about John Brown. Students also view pictures of...
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Black and Blue: Jazz in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
Students analyze the impact of jazz on the novel, "Invisible Man," by Ralph Ellison. They read and discuss excerpts of the novel, write an essay on the influence of jazz on Ralph Ellison as a writer, and view video excerpts on jazz...
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I Watch Babies Grow
Students explore the changes of life in different generations. In this change of life instructional activity, students help out families with new babies and learn about their needs. Students participate in interviews, creating timelines...
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Defining Voice of the Punk Years
Students analyze the music of The Clash and have extensive and intensive practice in reading and listening skills.
British Council
Alphabet
Here's a packet filled with suggestions and activities for teaching the alphabet.
TCI
Celebrating Our Constitution
School House Rock's "Preamble" launches a study of the Preamble of the US Constitution and the relevance of this 200 year-old document today.
Curated OER
Words/Music/Images: Interpretation and Meaning A Motivational Activity
Learners explore popular music in its historical context. In this music lesson, students examine the lyrics, musicical arrangement, and video imagery of selected songs to interpret the messages and themes of the songs.
Curated OER
De Colores
Students listen to the song, De Colores, and list the colors heard in the song. They create murals, describe the murals in Spanish, and describe how colors change their endings according to the nouns they modify.
Curated OER
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Students listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and repeat what they have heard. They discuss the significance of the story and how it relates to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They observe a map of areas in the...
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Stylistic Devices
Students review connotation and denotation and stylistic devices in poetry. They read the lyrics to a song as it is being played and then discuss the meaning of the song. As a class, students read poems, share their thoughts, and...
Curated OER
Boosting Rap's Rep
Learners consider the negative image that some have of rap and hip-hop music through discussion and reading an opinion piece from The New York Times. They create CD cover artwork reflecting these messages.
Curated OER
You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone: The Changing American Landscape
High schoolers 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. High schoolers write cause and...
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Helping Others
Students explore community service. In this character development and community lesson, students sing a song based on the fable The Lion and the Mouse. Students participate in a discussion about kindness, and generate ideas for...
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Jack and the Beanstalk
Young scholars create a creative interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk. In this artistic expression lesson, students paint the stages of the beanstalk plant as a storyboard and create song about how the seed is growing.
Curated OER
Tupac Poem Lesson Plan
Learners brainstorm what they know about Tupac. In groups, they divide the statements into good and bad and read "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" about Tupac's life. To end the lesson, they answer questions about the meaning of the...
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Storytellers: Coldplay
Students discover the importance of lyrics in the successful combination of music and words in the process of composing a song. They discuss how emotion-based lyrics influence the creative aspects in composing a song.
Curated OER
Connecting to Colonial Music
Learners 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.
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You've Got to be Taught to Hate and Fear
Students explore themes of prejudice and acceptance. In this character education activity, students listen and respond to several fiction books, poems, and lyrics with a similar theme. Students locate articles with the main idea of...
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Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, The Minstrels
Students explore "Stairway to Heaven". In this music history lesson, students examine the music and lyrics of the Led Zeppelin song. Students compare the song to Renaissance madrigal music.
Curated OER
Understanding Past and Present Labor Injustice through Music
Students explore early 19th century labor conditions through the use of period songs. In this tolerance lesson, students listen to period songs and respond. Students write their own song that protests unfair and dangerous working...