To gain a more in-depth understanding of the tumultuous 1960s, young historians examine video clips, listen to music, examine images, and interview survivors. Once they have a foundation of information about the period, class members...

Learners 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.

Eleventh graders examine political, cultural, and social movements through music. In this 1960s American history lesson, 11th graders explore the music of the decade in order to better understand the complexity of the time period....

Students 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.

High schoolers investigate how art and music define and unify a social movement. They decide how art and music can act as symbols of protest. They view both contemporary and historical examples of art as a tool for protest and design an...

High schoolers explore music that exemplified the Civil Rights Movement. In this music and history instructional activity, students research 1960's protest songs, Motown recorded music, and rap of the 1990's to consider the power of...

Students analyze and perform an American social protest song. They describe its historical setting, consider the effectiveness of the music and recognize that popular music is a reflection of American culture.

Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.

Students explore the role of protest songs. In this early American history activity, students research the acts passed by the British that angered colonists. Students then listen to protest songs from contemporary American history prior...

Students are introduced to various time periods in history in which African Americans wrote songs and poetry to cope. In groups, they travel between different stations to listen or read poems and music from the Civil War period, Civil...

Learners 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.

Students examine how art and music help to define and unify a social movement and also how they can function as symbols of protest. They watch KQED program And Then One Night: The Making of Dead Man Walking and discuss what happens when...

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.

Students 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.

Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...

Learners 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.

Students are introduced to Yvonne Ranier's "Trio A" dance and investigate how to express concern over social issues through choreography. They research important issues from the 1960's, choreograph and perform original dances.

Students study song-poems from 1865 to the present. They explore the works of Woody Guthrie and the Almanac Singers (including Pete Seeger).

Students listen to the Louis Armstrong song, "What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue?" and consider it as a protest song. They write in their journals about Armstrong, his music, and civil rights.

Young scholars examine information regarding the Protestant Reformation. In this primary source analysis instructional activity, students read teacher-selected primary sources that enable them to analyze the ideas and consequences...

Students evaluate the role labor groups had on the U.S. Government in the early 1900's.  In this teaching American history lesson, students complete several activities, including response writing and listening to music, that...

Students consider the role of the Freedom Riders. In this American Civil Rights lesson, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding the participants in the Freedom Ride protest. Several weblinks, worksheets,...

Students examine the concept of freedom of speech as it applies to music. They watch and discuss the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," participate in a class discussion about free speech, conduct research, and conduct a debate.

Students consider which aspects of world around them have roots in 1960s, research and compare 1960s to today with regards to Civil and Women's Rights, Vietnam, counterculture, music, voting, and economic rights, and explore legacy of...