Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 20: The 1960s Through Music

For Teachers 9th - 10th
By listening to and analyzing the lyrics of selected examples of popular music from the 1960s era, students will develop a greater understanding of the historical and political forces as well as the emotional climate of the decade. This...
Handout
Other

Down Beat: John Coltrane

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical information, photos, and a discography of jazz great John Coltrane, whose work in the 1960s included excursions into free jazz.
Website
Other

Pop and Rock Music in the 60s: A Brief History

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has an web-article of the origins of 60s rock. Sections include "The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll," "The 1960's Begin," "The British Invade," and "1968 & 1969: The Unraveling." Also includes a bibliography section called...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Beat Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia entry surveys the Beat movement in American literature and culture during the 1950s and early 1960s, which was personified by such writers as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Woodstock 1969: How a Music Festival That Should've Been a Disaster Became Iconic Instead

For Students 9th - 10th
Fifty years later, people are still trying to match the bizarre accident that was Woodstock '69. The Woodstock Music and Art Fair began on August 15, 1969, as half a million people gathered on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Billed as...
Article
English Club

English Club: History of Soul Music

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn the history of soul music from its origins in gospel music, through Motown and Memphis Soul, to contemporary rhythm and blues. The site includes three videos: Sam Cooke singing "A Change is Gonna Come," from 1964, with images from...
Graphic
University of Virginia

University of Virginia Library: Rock Music

For Students 9th - 10th
The University of Virginia provides a short discussion of the psychedelic music of the 60s. Also contains cover art from twelve albums from this period. Click on the cover to see a bigger picture.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: American Roots Music: Lesson Three: Gospel Music Meets a Wide Audience

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The third lesson deals with the emergence of gospel as a form of popular music among a general public. Gospel is a musical genre with roots in the African American church, particularly in the South. Between the 1940s and the 1960s,...
Graphic
New York Times

New York Times: Mission: Music

For Students 9th - 10th
Audio slideshow analysis of the musical score for the film "Mission: Impossible III," which uses the theme from the 1960s television series in different ways throughout.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Motown

For Students 9th - 10th
Information on the popular style of music called Motown that developed from a recording company of the same name.
Website
PBS

Pbs: American Masters: Bob Dylan

For Students 9th - 10th
The companion website of a film documentary directed by Martin Scorsese about the life and music of Bob Dylan. Understand Dylan's career and the impact of his music on the politics of the time, his influences, and his many musical...
Website
PBS

Pbs: American Masters: Paul Simon

For Students 9th - 10th
Along with Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon was part of one of the most popular bands of the 1960's. Still popular today, read about his career in this biography from PBS.
Website
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 25: Vietnam Revisited

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using music, videos, and interviews are effective ways to study the Vietnam War era. The music from the late 1960s and early 1970s offers wonderful insights into how many Americans felt about the times. Through the use of personal...
Website
Cengage Learning

Gale: Hispanic Heritage Biographies: Carlos Santana

For Students 9th - 10th
In the late 1960s, when the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane and other rock genres were raging, Carlos Santana and his band Santana introduced the music scene to a new Latin-based rock sound featuring an Afro-Cuban beat. This...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Les. 8: Using Rock as Primary Source Material

For Teachers 9th - 10th
I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag' by Country Joe McDonald has been played with great success in classrooms for over twenty years. While it conveys literary elements such as theme, point of view, and irony, it also functions as an...
Website
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: The Drifters

For Students 9th - 10th
Considered one of the greatest vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960s, The Drifters were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988 and have three songs on the list of the top 500 most influential songs.
Website
University of Virginia

University of Virginia Library: The Psychedelic '60S

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource is a comprehensive online exhibit featuring 1960's American culture. Topics include civil rights, psychedelic drugs, rock music, social protest and cultural change.
Website
Other

Kingwood Library: American Cultural History: 1960 1969

For Students 9th - 10th
An historical record worth delving into to understand the true culture of the 60s. Covers art, architecture, literature, education, fashion, historic events, music, and other aspects of the era.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: The Shirelles

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief information on the career of one of the popular "girl groups" of the early 1960s, the Shirelles.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site from the Library of Congress, you can listen to an 82-year-old Virginia fiddler, Henry Reed, playing tunes recorded in the 1960's. Many of the tunes have been transcribed and the notation can be viewed on line as well. The...
Website
Other

Fifties Web

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore popular culture of the 1950s and 1960s. Learn about the cars, tv shows, music, fashion, pop history, slang, and celebrities of those eras.
Website
PBS

Pbs: American Masters: The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg

For Teachers 11th - 12th
This site contains biographical content drawn from the American Masters Series DVD entitled The Life And Times of Allen Ginsberg. The person featured,Allen Ginsberg, was one of the first "beat" poets. His counterculture experimentation...
Website
PBS

The Sixties: Pop Culture: The Way We Were

For Students 9th - 10th
Resource on pop culture of the 1960s. Part of a companion piece from PBS offers students an overview of the music, books, people, and events that helped shape the popular culture of the era. long with links to other multi-media sources.
Website
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: The Beach Boys

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the greatest vocal bands of the 1960s, the Beach Boys are best known for their harmonies and unique California sound. They were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

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