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Hearing the Poetry of Langston Hughes Through the Sounds of Jazz

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students have an appreciation of Langston Hughe's poetry and his use of jazz rhythms, have the ability to read poetry closely, and freewrite to gain a fresh perspective on music and literature.
Worksheet
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The Sting

For Students 5th - 9th
In this music worksheet, students read an excerpt from the movie The Sting and identify the American composer, Scott Joplin, who found ragtime jazz music heard in the movie. They also respond to eight questions related to the excepts read.
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Lesson 12- Quincy Jones:What Makes an American Master?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the life of Quincy Jones and research black music for selected decades of the 20th Century. They discuss the qualities that help one create and sustain a successful career. They design a timeline of what their future...
Lesson Plan
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Dancing Hands, Abstract Drawings

For Teachers K - 8th
Students discover African musical rhythms by performing Ancestral Spirit Dances.  For this musical lesson, students research Willis "Bing" Davis and the abstract work he created.  Students listen to Yoruba drum music and...
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All That is Irish and More - Activity 1

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Students listen to examples of fiddle music and violin music to determine the similarities and differences between the two musical forms. A video link is included in this introductory lesson to fiddle music (Part One of Two).
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Rhythm Sticks

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders experience artistic perception of rhythm in music and see how to move their bodies and tap their sticks to the rhythm of a particular song.
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“And Still I Rise” Proud Black Women

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experiences of African American women. In this poetry lesson, students use their literary analysis skills to compare the poetry of Maya Angelou to rap music performed by Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill.
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Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain - Kenya

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students accompany music to the story Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain - Kenya to show how sound and music can accompany story description. In this music instructional activity, students learn how to show sound during a story.
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Literature: Porgy and Bess

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students 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
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Singing And Making Rhythm

For Teachers 1st
First graders engage in a lesson that emphasizes the use of music to form a rhythmic beat that incorporates singing. They create a song in freestyle and some of them create a song. Students are assessed at using hand movement to track...
Lesson Plan
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Spoken Word Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine the spoken work poetry of Abiodun Oyewole. They discuss the West African Griot tradition, listen to spoken word poetry, write and perform a poem, and watch a video excerpt of a poetry workshop.
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Blues Improvisation

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students practice playing and improvising while playing the 12 bar blues. They practice compositional skills, evaluate and perform musical pieces focused on the blues.
Worksheet
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Jamaican Styles: Ska and Rock steady

For Students 4th - 7th
In this Jamaican styles musical learning exercise, students review and analyze two types of music from Jamaica while answering four detailed questions in complete sentences.
Lesson Plan
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The Language of the Civil Rights Movement:

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders study the poetry of the US Civil Rights movement and the Black Arts movement over a 12 day period. They author a website showing works of poetry that students have chosen to analyze and relate to these movements.
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Langston Hughes

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Young scholars identify similarities between Hughes' poetry and music (jazz and the blues).
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Exploring Cultural Rituals

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Young scholars analyze images and music of common rituals in America with those of other countries. They use worksheets to compare and contrast the events.
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Clerihew Dances III, 4 and 5

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders relate dance movements to chants. They tap out the rhythm of poetry on different body parts.
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Music Motivates

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars listen to songs from the Civil Rights movement. They explain how the music might have inspired African-Americans to be activists in the movement. They examine how the Civil Rights movement affected the common good.
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Courageous Voices that Shook the Nation to Action

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. In this Martin Luther King, Jr. day lesson, students learn about the holiday for Dr. King through literature and music. Students learn the lyrics to Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday' about...
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In My Dream

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students listen to recordings of early jazz and identify examples of ostinato and syncopation. They discuss important personalities from jazz cultures and take a quiz on aspects of jazz.
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I See The Rhythm : The Study of Blues and Jazz

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students gain an appreciation for various types of music. Using the music of the past, they compare it with the music of today. In groups, they research periods in which blues and jazz were most popular and write their own piece of music...
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Appreciating African Languages

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders say "hello" in at least one language spoken in Africa.
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Words and Music - Lesson 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the relationships among cultural values, freedom of artistic expression, ethics, and artistic choices in various cultures and historical periods.
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Azar Grammar

Song Lessons: Father and Daughter

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Paul Simon's "Father and Daughter" offers language learners and native English speakers an opportunity to study adverb, adjective, and noun clauses.