Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Page to Stage

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students, utilizing video clips and Web sites, compare specific passages from original texts to moments in Broadway musicals on which they were based, analyzing similarities and differences between them. They adapt literature into a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Studying The American Musical Theatre

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers discover the group dynamics necessary to produce an American musical in this six day lesson. Themes and characterization techniques are explored during collaborative small group research projects.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Musical Theater

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students made oral presentations of a famous muscial theater performance. They research the musical, view selections, and listen to music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sondheim: Voice of Cultural Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore Stephen Sondheim's contributions to musical theatre in the context of the dramatic cultural shift that occurred in American life in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Collaborative Works of Rodgers and Hammerstein: Show Business

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners study the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein in an historical context of the development of American musical theatre as an art form. Students explore "roots" of the genre as it evolves in last half of the 19th and first two decades...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover"

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students examine video clips and Web sites related to relevant productions, study song lyrics, and compare and contrast actual history with Broadway history. They create lyrics for a new song based on a contemporary or historical figure...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the music of Woody Guthrie and how the political and economic climate influenced his work. They read and discuss online articles, define key vocabulary words, take a Political Orientation Survey, and write a position...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from the Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages of looking at a historical event from the multiple points of view of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Language Arts: The Rise of the Operetta

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students develop an appreciation for the musical theater form, the operetta. In addition, they present parodies of songs from The Mikado. Working in small groups and accessing provided Websites, they compose their parodies. Once...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Dave Matthews Band

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students decide what the term "art" means to them. They identify artistic elements displayed by the Dave Matthews Band. They understand the relationship between music and other means of artistic expression.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Money Talks

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Learners move from fact finding to interpretation as they examine paper money from the time of the American Revolution. In the final exercise, they use the issue dates of the bills to construct a chronology of political changes during...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Voices of Harlem

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history lesson, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Students research and report on a famous Harlem artist.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arts Directors

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars reflect on a personally meaningful live performance and the circumstances necessary to create art. They study about the current leadership crisis facing the Met, Carnegie Hall, and the Public theater. In groups, students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Westward Movement

For Teachers Pre-K - 8th
Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. In this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Literature: Porgy and Bess

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars examine the various portrayals of African-Americans in literature, focusing on the opera, Porgy and Bess. They conduct Internet research on African-American culture between the two World Wars. Students write fictional or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

India: Where Remarkable Differences Are Ordinary

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students research India and Indian culture. In this Indian research lesson plan, students research and report on the lives of Indian children. The report will be in the form of a mock interview between a journalist and an Indian child....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paul Robeson: The Renaissance Man

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners research the life of athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist, Paul Robeson. They answer the question, "Which was most important to American culture -Robeson's work as a scholar, a performer, an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cole Porter: You're the Top

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch selected film clips about Cole Porter and discover his uniqueness. In groups, they research associates of the Porter's and present reports on them. Then, they write position papers on prominent people of the Jazz Age. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils Footprints Across Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine fossils to understand how they are formed and how they give information about geological history. In this fossil lesson, students research and write about fossils and make models of different fossil types.The PDF...
Handout
ProCon

Social Media

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—are they good for society? Pupils prepare for a class debate in which they voice their opinions on the issue. They read the main pro and con arguments, explore others' opinions, view videos, and discover the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaurs Were Real!

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students investigate the history of dinosaurs, as real animals. In this dinosaur lesson plan, students examine basic concepts that help them understand the history of all life. Included in this article is information on the world of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art to Zoo: Celebration

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students research and develop a report on birthday rituals around the world. In this research lesson plan, students compare birthday rituals from other cultures to their own. Images and resources are included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching With the Power of Objects

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students define value of an object. For this value lesson plan, students identify reasons for collecting objects, compile a personal inventory of items they find valuable, and then define why those items are valuable to them. In step...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Bridges: Living in a Diverse Society

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students participate in various activities that help them build esteem, and explore racism. In this multicultural lesson plan, Students increase their awareness of, and appreciation for, cultural differences and similarities. This...