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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

The Vietnam War and Protest Music

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here's a must-have resource for your Vietnam War curriculum file. Class members view a PowerPoint that details the background of the conflict and then examines the reasons for and the effects of protest songs on American attitudes toward...
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Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Classroom Activities for Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An 11-page packet contains three activities designed for readers of Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Civil Disobedience. In one exercise, groups debate whether Thoreau would today be considered liberal or conservative. For another,...
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Activity
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Livaudais-Baker English Classroom

Kindred Unit Project

For Students 11th Standards
To conclude a unit study of Octavia E. Butler's Kindred, groups use MovieMaker or the class website to publish an original story about slavery in America. The detailed project assignment sheet includes a list of possible topics,...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s marched to its own beat—literally. Using songs from the era, as well as other primary sources such as King's "I Have a Dream" speech, class members analyze lyrics to discover how music and protest...
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Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Songs of Protest: Seneca Falls to Vietnam

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed Standards
Long before the songs of the 1960's Peace Movement, long before the songs of the Civil Rights Movement, and even before the songs of the Abolition Movement, were the songs of the Suffrage Movement. To understand the power of protest...
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Lesson Plan
Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Protesting Violence without Violence

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
The ultimate legacy of Emmett Till's violent death is its role in the non-violent roots of the Civil Rights Movement. A instructional activity compares contemporaneous articles with the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "The Death of Emmett Till"...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Sixties: Dylan Plugs in and Sells Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Before Woodstock, there was Newport. Get plugged in to the social changes of the 1960s with a lesson that looks at Bob Dylan's performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival as a symbol of the radical changes that marked the era.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Breaking the Code: Actions and Songs of Protest

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil changed history. Their sit-in at the lunch counter of the Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960 became a model for the nonviolent protests that...
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Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

The Poetry of Bob Dylan

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Bob Dylan's selection as the 2016 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first songwriter ever to receive the honor, has focused the attention of a new generation on the work of the legendary artist. Class members analyze the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Protest Music Video

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers create an iMovie that expresses the meaning of a protest song from the 1960's or 1970's. They investigate the emotional and political overtones of the times and use images to interpret the song's meaning.
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

1960's Protest Songs

For Teachers 4th - 8th
By learning about 1960's protest songs, and the politics of the era, students can broaden their understanding of music and history.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Colonists Protest Song

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore the role of protest songs. In this early American history activity, students research the acts passed by the British that angered colonists. Young scholars then listen to protest songs from contemporary American...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

25 Greatest Protest Songs - Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze the lyrics of protest songs as a catalyst for social change. They discuss the influence of music on behavior and explain the use of music as a means of self-expression.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom, Power and the People

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

25 Greatest Protest Songs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars view and discuss The 25 Greatest Protest Songs video as compiled by VH1. They focus on when and why each of the songs were written, looking for patterns.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Give Peace a Chance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research protest songs of the Vietnam War era. They search for information on the artists and motivation for the lyrics. They interview people who remember the music from that era and bring back information they found.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs from Two Generations - Lesson 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify popular songs from 1968 era and analyze some of the topical and musical elements. They focus on social protest songs and other songs of social conscious.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

25 Greatest Protest Songs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the lyrics of protest songs as a catalyst for social change. They discuss the influence of music on behavior and explain the use of music as historical record.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

25 Greatest Protest Songs - Lesson 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain the potential consequences of protest. They discuss selected historical conflicts and examine the role of the individual in protest.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conveying Message Through Musical Composition

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers listen to and discuss various protest songs from the 1960's, and write original lyrics for a song addressing global or societal issues. They write a paragraph evaluating the efficacy of the song to convey a message.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs of Protest/Songs of Unity: 1865 to the Present

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students study song-poems from 1865 to the present. They explore the works of Woody Guthrie and the Almanac Singers (including Pete Seeger).
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Website
PBS

Pbs: Independent Lens: Strange Fruit: Protest Music Past and Present

For Students 9th - 10th
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,...
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Website
PBS

Pbs: Independent Lens: Strange Fruit, the Film

For Students 9th - 10th
Website on Strange Fruit, a documentary film about the history and legacy of the protest song "Strange Fruit." Includes the lyrics and audio for the song.