Media Smarts
Defining Popular Culture
What part does media play in creating, defining, and perpetuating popular culture? High schoolers chart their encounters with fads, trends, and icons and reflect on the media's influence on popular culture.
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Entertainment During the American Revolution
What do people do for fun around here? Explore colonial period games, toys, and life with a look at entertainment during the American Revolution. Discover the games, sports, and songs that were popular during the time of the Revolution.
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Having Fun: Leisure and Entertainment at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Middle schoolers explore how the innovations in culture and technology influenced the development of a leisure industry in America at the turn of the twentieth century.
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Ambassador Satch, Superb Entertainer: 1950-1971
Students participated in guided listening lessons of Louis Armstrong's jazz music while interpreting his lyrics. They study his life as an entertainer and goodwill ambassador for the US.
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Having Fun: Leisure and Entertainment at the Turn of the 20th Century
Students inquire about the history of enterntainment and flim. The development of the modern industry of entertainment is done from reflecting upon its roots and background. The discussion is leading to answering how Americans have...
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Tudor Entertainment
In this facts about Tudor entertainment worksheet, students read illustrated facts about Tudor sports, banquets, theatre, and public execution and create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting them with entertainment today. Students...
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Popular Culture
Students analyze the period of Belle Epoque and the methods of art that signified popular culture. In this art analysis lesson, students consider the ways popular culture influenced art by analyzing the images and completing image based...
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The History of The Cyclorama and Moving Panorama
Here is a lesson designed to acquaint learners with two amazing forms of entertainment from the 19th century: The Cyclorama and the Moving Panorama. After seeing what these two contraptions were all about, pupils make their own version...
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Tudor Entertainment Crossword
In this English history activity, students read 20 clues about entertainment in the Tudor culture. Students complete a crossword puzzle with their answers.
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Kidding Around In The 1980s
Students examine pop culture of the 1980s. In this historical time period lesson, students view a Smurfs cartoon from the 1980s and discuss its similarities and differences to cartoons today. Students work in groups to examine an...
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200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Students discuss the style and characteristics of the Classical era and the genre of opera. They compare and contrast modern day popular icons to musical icons throughout history. They write original librettos to modern entertainment.
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Those Amazing Animals
Students understand the roles of animals in entertainment and sports. In this animal welfare lesson plan, students recognize that some animals are used humanely and others are used cruelly. Students classify different animals into the...
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Waves of Radios
Students grasp the fundamentals of radio/sound communication technology. They research why the size of radios has gotten smaller through advances of technology...from large radio tubes through transistors through microchips. Students...
Library of Congress
Understanding Immigration Through Popular Culture
Class members are introduced to a project-based learning unit on US immigration with an activity that asks them to analyze sheet music and other primary source materials to uncover issues raised by immigration.
BBC
The Role of a Monarch (key stage 2 and 3)
What makes a good monarch? Elementary and middle schoolers examine popular symbols of the British monarchy before designing a television advertisement about the qualities needed in a monarch. Next, they write poems using metaphors and...
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Grown-ups at Play
Students realize that adults entertain themselves at work and in their private lives and that much of adult play, like children's play, is part of adults' folklife and that they play in various folk groups. They consider the elite,...
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Sunday Night With Oscar
And the winner is.....! The Academy Awards are a big deal in film and often make top headlines in the paper. Kids read an article about the most recent Academy Awards Ceremony and answer 11 questions about who won what award, and why.
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Jews and Blues
Students examine how American Jews affect music and entertainment. They identify problems between immigrants and their children. They relate the Jewish American issue to those of African Americans.
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Art Reflecting Life
Have your young television viewers discuss popular shows among their peers. After choosing one show to analyze, middle and high schoolers read about the 2007-2008 network television lineup with the New York Times article "Gauging Viewer...
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Music: "Hearing Between The Lines"
The class listens to and reads lyrics from popular songs that explore themes of self-esteem, body image, and eating disorders. The song interpretations will serve as a jumping-off point to deeper discussion on the issues, culminating in...
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Voice of History
Way before the digital age radio was the medium of popular culture. After listening to excerpts from radio programs (easily available on the Internet), participants return to the radio age by creating a two-minute sketch based on a...
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Imperial China: Qin to Ming Dynasties
Looking for a way to supplement a unit on ancient China or world cultures? Look no further than this presentation, which combines rich information with entertaining pictures of Chinese artifacts. China's glorious dynasties provide a...
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Avoiding Run-on Sentences
Viewers are entertained as well as educated by the illustrations in this colorfully animated PowerPoint focused on run-on sentences.
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The Hunger Games: Anticipatory Set
Designed to accompany a reading of The Hunger Games, readers are asked to agree or disagree with a series of statements and use examples and reflections to explain their stance. After reading Chapter One of Suzanne Collins’ popular...