Lesson Plan
Curated OER

General Music: Grades 4 & 5

For Teachers 4th - 5th
The story behind the Star Spangled Banner sets off this singing and music lesson. Emergent singers study facts about Francis Scott Key and his famous song, they then discuss and practice singing the first verse paying close attention to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Singing: "I Mailed Myself to You"

For Teachers 1st
Keeping a steady beat, singing soft, loud, and in unison - sounds like music class to me! First graders practice these skills while listening to the song, "I Mailed Myself to You" for Valentine's Day. This is a simple and age appropriate...
Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Sensory “Star Spangled Banner”

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Music can help us to access memories and events in a meaningful way, and Francis Scott Key used specific words to convey what he had seen and felt when writing what would become America's national anthem. Help your class connect to...
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

Hopi Traditional Dance and Song

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Very few outsiders get to see the Hopi "Butterfly Dance." However, using approved footage from the tribe, class members consider the importance of symbols in Hopi culture by watching the dance and analyzing lyrics from its songs....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Halloween Sing Along

For Teachers 1st
First graders get ready for Halloween while engaging in a spirited sing-along. They sing the song "Halloween" along with the teacher as they clap to keep rhythm with the music. Note: This song or song lyrics are not included. 
Worksheet
Look! We're Learning!

Ella Fitzgerald Biography Mini-Unit

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Before there was Beyonce, before there was Madonna, before there was Cher, there was Ella. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Jazz, with a reading comprehension exercise that presents a brief biography of her life and then asks...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music Dynamics - America the Beautiful

For Teachers 1st
First graders sing America the Beautiful and understand the words to the song.  In this singing social studies lesson, 1st graders become familiar with the images and vocabulary in America the Beautiful while singing the words.
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Goals of the March on Washington

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Who else had a dream other than Martin Luther King, Jr.? Pupils explore civil rights leaders in a fourth activity out of a series of five about people who paved the way to freedom for African Americans. The inquiry-based unit has your...
Activity
Virginia Repertory Theatre

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Accompany the story, Town Mouse Country Mouse by Jan Brett with an assortment of activities designed to reinforce concepts covering story structure, comprehension, grammar, and social studies. Here, scholars identify the difference...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music-Follow the Drinking Gourd

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd." In this dance activity, 4th graders listen to the book by the same name, listen to the music, and in small groups create a short dance illustrating a stanza from the song.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spooky Notes

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders move to, sing, compose, and interpret various musical techniques through the use of "America", Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers", and a song called "Skin and Bones". Emphasis is placed upon identifying names and values...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SATIRE AND POLITICS

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students, after analyzing a satiric song written during the Prohibition era, illustrate how humor can be utilized as a political tool by writing satiric lyrics on a current political issue at the front of the news world today. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The 50 States

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders use maps and music to learn the 50 states. In this US Geography lesson, 5th graders map out a region of the United States and practice singing the song, The 50 States that Rhyme.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Farm

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students explore repetition in music. In this music lesson plan, students discover the lyrics of a folk song from Argentina about farm animals. Students read about farms and the animals found on farms prior to learning the song in high...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mystery of Eleanor Rigby Revealed

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine who Eleanor Rigby is in the song by the beatles. In this Beatles music lesson, 9th graders read an article. Students complete a set of guided questions. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Would Moses, Jesus, Krishna Say?

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore different faith traditions.  In this US History lesson, 9th graders compare and contrast different religions.  Students evaluate the relevancy of the civic behavior as described by religious leaders. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hip Hop and Political Activism

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars identify and employ non violent methods/tactics to bring about social change as exemplified in hip hop culture. They examine hip hop as a form of political activism.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Follow the Drinking Gourd

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and repeat what they have heard. They discuss the significance of the story and how it relates to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They observe a map of areas in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patriotic Songs

For Teachers 1st
First graders recognize patriotic songs of America. In this historical music lesson, 1st graders discuss the historical background of the song "Yankee Doodle" and repeat the lyrics after the instructor. Students read the lyrics to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Letter Aa

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students explore letter Aa. In this letter recognition lesson, students participate in country, state, food, literature, physical education, colors, careers, music, and game activities that are linked to the main lesson page....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jingle Bells

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders identify people of different ages, cultural backgrounds, traditions, and careers. They explain how they contribute to the community. Students sing a song to display the different Christmas traditions that are celebrated in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Eerie Canal

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars discover bodies of water in the United States by investigating the Eerie Canal.  In this U.S. Geography lesson, students discuss Lake Eerie and the canal that was built in order to transport goods.  Young...