Curated OER
Anonymous Patriots: Songs of the Revolution
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...
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Variations of Pain
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...
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Rap as Lyrical Poetry
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...
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Poetic Analysis
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...
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MTV and Othello
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...
University of North Carolina
Music
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...
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Music and Lyrics
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
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...
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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...
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I Hear Poetry
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...
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You Bleed, You Learn?
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...
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Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project
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.
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The Music and Message of Lauryn Hill
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...
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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.
Curated OER
Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project
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...
Curated OER
The Electric Hearth
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.
Curated OER
Slices of American Pie: The 1960s Through Music
Eleventh graders examine political, cultural, and social movements through music. In this 1960s American history lesson plan, 11th graders explore the music of the decade in order to better understand the complexity of the time period....
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It's All Poetry to Me!
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...
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"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Students complete reading and vocabulary activities for Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias." In this literary analysis lesson, students review vocabulary and related definitions for the text. Students read the poem and discuss the meaning.
Curated OER
Writing Task
Eighth graders consider parallel relationships in Much Ado About Nothing and the structure of the play within an extended piece of writing. In this point of view lesson, 8th graders examine relationships and write a discursive...
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Literature Soundtracks
Student choose ten songs to create a soundtrack for a novel read in class or as outside reading. In the liner notes, instead of lyrics Students writes a rationale of why or how the song relates to the novel in terms of setting,...
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All Access Spotlight: U2
Students explain the growth and development of a musical group and their work through discussion and analysis of two representative songs by U2 from their first and last albums.
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Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
Students read Zora Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and explore her life history as well as novel analysis activities. In this novel analysis lesson, students identify elements in the novel and its overall literary impact. Students...
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The Jury's Still Out
Young scholars examine the trials and executions of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. In groups, they use the internet to research the impact of the executions in the shape of political cartoons and writings. They discuss an...