19th Century Musicians Lesson Plans

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 conditions. 

Students examine 19th century life for African-Americans. In this slavery lesson, students analyze the lyrics of slave songs and present their findings to their classmates.

Students describe some of the distinguishing characteristics of rock, folk, blues, and country music. They identify two main musical roots of today's American popular music.

Learners examine and discuss 19th century clothing, comparing it to contemporary styles. After writing paragraphs describing the clothing styles, they play games from the period. For homework, they crreate their own games which they play the next day.

Sixth graders read "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and researach human behavior and events that took place in the late 19th century. They write a business letter, analyze elements of literature and write an 8 sentence paragraph.

Young scholars study biography from the 19th century. They read "The Red Badge of Courage." Students research a topic from the list provided in the lesson plan and write a 5-7 page paper. They study lyrics and melodies of the confederacy and contrast/compare their messages and meanings to the social climate of the day.

Students observe global cultures by listening to music and watching videos. In this Latin American dance lesson, students define merengue, salsa and other dances from the Hispanic culture while listening to Latin rhythm music. Students view educational DVD's which discuss reggae as well as the tango.

Students use video and the Internet to research the life of Nellie Bly, a famous female reporter from the 19th century. They research a writer and present their information to the class in the style of a news reporter.

This units gives students opportunities to * Research the history and patterns of French settlement in Louisiana * Discover three types of music (New Orleans jazz, Cajun, Zydeco) which are representative of the Francophone presence in Louisiana. * Make connections between the rhythms of the music and those of the French language.

Students investigate the history of patriotic music and practice singing the tunes with classmates.  In this U.S. History lesson plan, students examine lyrics of the traditional song "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and discuss the differing points of view in the song.  Students sing "Yankee Doodle" as well as other classic patriotic songs in class.