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.

Working in cooperative groups, your students will learn how jazz musicians expressed the Civil Rights era in their music. This activity focuses on the Civil Rights movement in Little Rock, Arkansas. Also, they will learn to about the...

Fordham University provides college-level reading on how the Nationalism of the 19th Century affected the music of the 20th, especially Classical music. These composers lived most of their lives in the 1800's, but are often classified...

This lesson is an introduction to a unit on The Harlem Renaissance, the period between the end of WW I through mid 1930s when African Americans were recognized for their literature, music, and art. It discusses their themes and lists...

Kids learn about the music and dance of the European Renaissance including choirs, madrigal, instruments, composers, and movements.

This lesson is a cool and hip way to tour across New York State. The teacher takes students on a virtual tour of NYS while using music and movement.

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...

Learning about the science of music is what this site is all about. With clever activities that lead to writing, mixing, and experimenting with music; with videos that explain tuning, stepping (or rhythmic movement), instrument building,...

Combine mental math with physical activity to engage students and increase overall fitness. This lesson plan describes a twenty to twenty five minute series of activities that require pre-made math flashcards that can be easily created...

This unit examines poetry of the postmodernism period, focusing on the Beat Movement, Black Arts Movement, feminism, and other related movements and periods in recent literary history. An extensive list of authors, time line, video, and...

This site is a lesson about the poet Allen Ginsberg. Read his poems, read about the work of other writers in the Beat movement, and investigate the larger social and political climate in which they lived.

Byrdcliffe was an artist colony founded in 1902-03 in New York. This exhibition from the Johnson Museum of Art is the first traveling exhibition of Byrdcliffe and it features art objects, historical materials, architecture, music, and...

Information on the literary group known as the Beat generation, including prominent members and published works.

Paper detailing the emergence of the Beat Generation and the Bohemian Dialectic.

At this site from University of Virginia you can read about the formation of the "Beat Generation" as well the most influential written works of this period. This website provides brief write-ups on the poems and books of Beat authors,...

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart contains Activote questions having to do with beats and movement.

Listen to audio clips of songs of protest from eight eras of U.S. history. Explore the lyrics, learn about the songwriters, and gather background information on the music that served and continues to serve as a catalyst for thought,...

Five pages of information, activities, and songs to teach students about fish and fishing. Lesson ideas include dramatic play, art projects, music and movement, cross-curricular connections, and home connections. PDF. Requires Adobe Reader.

In this lesson plan, students will consider "The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.

This tutorial from Bill Nye explains how a coconut (and the air inside it) can transform the energy of movement into a variety of interesting sounds.

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...

Comprehensive interactive learning module explores the Vietnam War and includes maps, a timeline of important events, primary source documents, photographs, personal accounts, music, and teacher resources.

Looks at the new morality that emerged in the 1920s. It changed the role of women and the perception of African Americans, the latter facilitated by the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on the music and dance of the Jazz Age. Also...

This site has a lesson plan on Muddy Waters focused on the American Masters documentary about him. Parallels the Great Migration with the growth of the blues music movement in America. Click on Muddy's name to access a detailed biography...