Lesson Plan
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Anonymous Patriots: Songs of the Revolution

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Give your class a deeper understanding of the context and meaning behind early American song lyrics. By reading the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle" and  "Revolutionary Tea," high schoolers will practice analysis by examining the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Variations of Pain

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students listen to the song :King of Pain" by the Police. They identify different instrumentation and different rhythmic accompaniments to the opening vocal phrase and explore the text in-depth, discussing the various poetic images of...
Lesson Plan
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Rap as Lyrical Poetry

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Learners investigate the history of rap as an analysis of lyrical poetry and hip hop culture. In this rap analysis lesson, students watch a PBS NewsHour clip about the difference between rap music and hip hop culture. Learners...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: American Idyll

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Using the painting, Childhood Idyll for inspiration, learners reflect on things that are idealized. They focus in on pop music and pop idols, write a song, and perform it in front of the class, American Idol style.
Lesson Plan
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Campaign Songs as Propaganda:Free Trade vs. Protectionism - In Whose Interest?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze campaign messages about tariffs in a 19th-century campaign song. They read and discuss the lyrics, complete an analysis worksheet, and identify the intended audience of the song's message.
Lesson Plan
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The Great Depression: A Study Guide Through Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners take a closer look at the political and social outlook during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze selected songs from the time period. Learners use the provided lyric sheets and song...
Lesson Plan
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Music and Lyrics

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders analyze lyrics from songs from a variety of genres. In this musical analysis lesson, 8th graders write an essay about their life plans in which they discuss the lyrics of U2's song, "One." They tell how the writings of Dr....
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Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Henry David Thoreau and Linda Ronstadt? Ann Tyler and Pete Townshend? Joyce Carol Oates and Pearl Jam? This richly detailed plan pairs classic literature with contemporary music and asks learners to analyze how the theme of conformity is...
Lesson Plan
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"I Hear America Singing": Controversy and Music in the Mexican War

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the Mexican War and its outcome through music. In this primary source analysis lesson, 8th graders analyze the lyrics of selected songs to consider the 2 perspectives regarding U.S. involvement in the war. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Poetic Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students write a poetic analysis on a poem by Carl Sandburg. They take their previous knowledge of poetic devices and apply them to a piece of writing that displays their knowledge on a specific poem. They explain what they know about a...
Lesson Plan
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders discover the thematic connections between classical literary and popular song lyrics.  In this English lesson plan, 11th graders research a specific topic to be presented to the class.  Students analyze song...
Lesson Plan
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Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars explore poetry. In this literature lesson, students examine music and lyrics by Natalie Merchant in order to make the transition to analyzing poetry by Keats and Wordsworth.
Lesson Plan
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The Music and Message of Lauryn Hill

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students explore the music of artist Lauryn Hill and analyze the way she uses her music in a socially responsible manner. In this music artist instructional activity, students read the lyrics to Hill's songs and listen to some example...
Lesson Plan
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Music With a Message

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
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Storytellers: Pearl Jam, New Twist on an Old Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the use of music as a medium for social protest. They watch the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," describe the historical significance of words/phrases in three versions of one song, and answer discussion questions.
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University of North Carolina

Music

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Music is a universal pleasure, but writing about it can be a little trickier. An informative handout discusses common types of music writing assignments that one might encounter in a college-level course. Individuals read about musical...
Lesson Plan
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MTV and Othello

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After reading Acts III and IV of Othello, give your class a fun, interactive, music-related activity. Begin by asking students about songs they have heard in movies or plays. Let them look up the lyrics online and ruminate about the...
Lesson Plan
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I Hear Poetry

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students practice analysis of poetry by analyzing song lyrics using a worksheet to guide the analysis process. They work in small groups to assess the stylistic and literary devices used in the song lyrics then they find a published...
Lesson Plan
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It's All Poetry to Me!

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore language arts by analyzing poetry styles. In this writing analysis lesson, 4th graders read several sample poems in class and identify similes, metaphors and other figurative language within them. Students analyze...
Lesson Plan
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Campaign Songs as Propaganda

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Student analyze campaign messages about tariffs in a nineteenth-century campaign song. They identify the intended audience of the message. They discuss strategies for courting the other political party's bloc.
Lesson Plan
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International Curiosity and National Pride

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students analyze their own culture and a Bulgarian culture to identify national, local, or ethnic traits. In this culture analysis lesson, students identify three important characteristics of their culture and compose a list of...
Lesson Plan
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You Bleed, You Learn?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Jump back into the 90s with Alannis Morissette's song "You Learn." After hearing the song, small groups analyze the lyrics and write an essay about a mistake they've learned from. Use the example sentences to identify the denotative and...
Activity
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Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students become exposed to British poetry. They identify and discuss the thematic connection between a poem and a song of their choice, and enrich their understanding of poetry through an in-depth analysis of literary devices in the song...
Lesson Plan
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The Electric Hearth

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine popular media. In this media awareness lesson plan, students keep logs of their interactions with media and then write an essay regarding the data.

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