Curated OER
Our Town: Using Song Lyrics in the Classroom
Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” and Billy Joel’s “Allentown” motivate young lyricists to craft poems about their own home town. Groups compare the two songs, identifying details, symbols, and conflicts. Individuals then picture a place...
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Lecture 6 - Oral Interpretation - Verse
Students discuss how oral interpretation varies with prose and poetry. They select a piece of prose or poetry to present to the class, and then assess each other on the organization and delivery of their speech as well as on their...
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Poets Got Them Blues
Contemplate what music learners listen to and why they listen. Can they find poetry within music lyrics? Specifically hone in on blues lyrics and ruminate upon the social issues prevalent in the themes. Particular song lyrics coincide...
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Poetry in Music
Sixth graders look at poetry in music. In this language arts instructional activity, 6th graders listen to and read the lyrics of songs to find the poetic aspects of them. They focus on similes and metaphors and write their own songs...
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Our Town
With the songs "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen and "Allentown" by Billy Joel, learners examine external versus internal conflict. When they have finished the first part of the lesson, they create their own poem (or song) about the...
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Foreign Language Lip-Sync Karaoke Contest
Teach your class about foreign language through transcribing lyrics. They will transcribe the lyrics of a song in a foreign language and use the lyrics to create a cloze activity as they listen and speak the language with their...
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THE PEN VS. THE SWORD: LYRICAL RESPONSES TO A NATION AT WAR
Young scholars brainstorm lists of songs that were written in response to American wars; consider the patterns in the lists they create.
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Introduction to Poetry Lesson Plan
Analyze poetry in a group setting. Middle and high schoolers read lyrics to a Tom Petty song and free write about the song's tone, setting, and speaker. They then complete the same activity in a group setting using seven poems. The...
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Protest Music Video
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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Under Joni Mitchell's Influence
Students view the AMERICAN MASTERS entitled Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind, examine the concept of influence, and explore how Joni Mitchell and her work have influenced others. Students read, interpret, and analyze her lyrics by...
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Musical Cares
Learners explore ways in which music can relay messages of peace and how popular songs can be interpreted as commentary on current issues and themes.
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Storytellers: The Dixie Chicks
Students explore an important moment in the course of American History through critical listening. Students analyze the lyrics of one work by the Dixie Chicks. Students have a better understanding of the way music can mirror social...
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Music With a Message
Students write a line by line analysis of a song which they feel expresses a powerful message that can change society for the better. They then present their analysis to the class in an oral report.
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Musical Slide Show
Students create a multimedia presentation using a song they have chosen. After choosing a song, they compile images that correlate to the theme of their songs. Using PowerPoint, students create a presentation that accompanies their...
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Cover the Music
Students explore U.S. history by listening to musical pieces in class. In this Civil War era lesson, students discuss the types of musical instruments that were available to soldiers during the war and the themes of their songs. Students...
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I Went to the Crossroads: The Faust Theme in Music, Film and Literature
Students analyze song lyrics and discuss Faust theme in musical history. In this thematic lesson plan, students view a film clip and create a song lyric, poem or short story developed around the Faust theme. Students perform or present...
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Harriet Tubman: Dancing on the Freedom Trail
Students observe a dance interpretation about Harriet Tubman. In this art/social studies instructional activity, students explore how their emotions can be expressed through movement and create their own dance or dramatic interpretation.
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Jack and the Beanstalk
Students create a creative interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk. In this artistic expression lesson, students paint the stages of the beanstalk plant as a storyboard and create song about how the seed is growing.
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Memory of a Kiss
Third graders read, discuss, and memorize the poem "Jenny Kissed Me." as an example of lyrical poetry. They write a letter to Jenny reliving the memory of her kiss from an elderly person's point of view. They illustrate their poems.
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Oh My Darling
Students discuss human interaction with the environment and sing "Clementine" with historical fiction lyrics. They create a map or model of a mining camp in which Clementine may have lived. They discuss what might happen to their...
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How Are Boundaries Made, Kept, Broken?
Students examine the works of Noam Chomsky. They collaborate in small groups to read and identify vocabulary words and historical questions. They answer their questions and role-play as emissaries to locate remaining answers. They...
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Seeing a World of Difference
Students read through the lyrics and listen to a song about biodiversity. Using pictures they draw, they interpret the song according to their prior knowledge. They identify the threats to different regions around the world and create...
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Music ; Oneida Harvest Song
Students practice singing the harvest song in their native Oneida language and English. They sing the lyrics to the melody of "Children Go Where I Send Thee." Students discover the meaning of the song as it expresses thankfulness to...
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Protest Music Video
Students use iMovie to express the meaning and context of a protest song from the '60s or '70s. They explore different views of the protest movement and gain an understanding of the emotional and political overtones of the times.