Contemporary Music Lesson Plans

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.

Learners discover the significance of similarities and contrasts of three separate cultures of the United States through music. They take out maps and trace the expedition of the Spanish along the coasts of Mexico and North and South America and the Caribbean Islands.

Students investigate Leonard Peltier. In this contemporary issues lesson student research contemporary issues through a variety of methods. Students engage in debate over the controversial issues that they research.

Learners identify and interpret the styles and elements of music in three major folk regions of Louisiana within specific traditional music genres. Then they hear the diversity of music in the state and identify the major genres of traditional music by how they sound and where they most ofter occur. Students also identify the context within which to consider their own musical landscapes that they look for and listen to different versions of songs.

Students examine the effect of music on society. While listening to music, they identify the beat, rhythm and write down their reaction to it. Listening to longer selections, they assign a color to the music and share it with the class. They create a piece of art using that color reflecting on the music pieces to end the lesson plan.

Students research the 1920's era in the U.S. In this 1920s era lesson, students create a PowerPoint presentation  and write a research paper incorporating music and fashion of the time. Students learn and perform a dance from the 1920s.

Students examine Puerto Rico's location and from its geographic location, reflect on its culture and people. They also read a play by a Puerto Rican author. This is an excellent cross-curricular unit, including history, geography, and literature.

Learners are able to understand the importance of the history of the Underground Railroad to the plot of the novel. They are able to understand the setting and theme of the novel. Students are able to understand slavery in the United States. They are able to understand how the Underground Railroad operated.

Pupils study the French sculptors of the 19th century. In this art history lesson, students study French sculptures of the 19th century. This lesson includes a discussion of the different artistic movements and is meant to be used with an accompanying visit to the Musee d'Orsay in France.

This lesson enables teachers to use blues styles and performers to think about various geographical regions of the United States. By studying different blues styles from the Mississippi Delta, Texas, and the Piedmont region of the Southeastern Coast, or f