Curated OER
Two by Two Guitars!
Students play three simple chords on guitar while singing American folk songs.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Immigrant Discrimination
For a class learning about Chinese and Irish immigration in America, here's a great starting lesson plan. It has your critical thinkers examining song lyrics, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and a political cartoon, and finally...
Curated OER
Understanding the Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Students examine protest music and songs from the Civil Rights movement. In this music of the Civil Rights era lesson plan, students listen to selected music before working in groups to determine who the music was directed at, what...
Curated OER
Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America
Young scholars explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson plan, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
Curated OER
African Popular Music
Students explore popular music of West Africa. In this musicians lesson, students complete listening tasks that challenge them to analyze the music of Oumou Sangare, Angelique Kidjo, and Baaba Maal.
San Francisco Symphony
By the Great Horn Spoon!
By The Great Horn Spoon is a fantastic novel for introducing learners to life during the California Gold Rush. First, kids research and analyze American folk songs, then they connect to the text as they listen to symphonic pieces written...
Curated OER
Protest Songs
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.
Curated OER
Folk Rock Singers and Songwriters
Young scholars listen to and analyze songs of folk rock musicians of 1970 and then compose and perform a song in a popular or folk style for acoustic guitar and voice or for two acoustic guitars.
Curated OER
Early Jazz
Students gain an understanding of early jazz. They study Dixieland and the Roaring Twenties. They examine the American historical significance and cultural implications of early jazz.
Curated OER
Music - Lesson 16 - Songs
First graders determine that Spanish is the language spoken in Mexico before singing a number of Mexicans songs. They make maracas to use while singing Mexican songs. They sing the song, "La Cucaracha," in English realizing that it is a...
Curated OER
Lomax the Songhunter
Students write in their journals about the role of music in their lives. They discuss the media's use of music and watch a video clip about someone who prohibited the use of music. They create an illustration to show the folklife in...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: hip hop
In this hip hop worksheet, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion questions, write, and more...
Curated OER
Emotions in Motion
Students use dance as a form of communication. In this meanings of dance lesson, students create dances to communicate a variety of emotions.
Curated OER
Cha Cha
Young scholars demonstrate the Cha Cha basics. They practice the Cha Cha basics and keep the beat with the motions. They study a brief history of the Cha Cha and observe music in relation to history and culture.
Curated OER
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Students identify what Tchaikovsky's personality was like and what kind of school he attended first. Then they identify and research what was happening in Russian politics during his lifetime. Students also identify who the composer was...
Curated OER
Spooky Notes
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...
Curated OER
Gold Mountain: Real Gold or Fool's Gold
Students participate in a meeting of one of the Six Companies that serves the needs of Chineese immigrants to California in the 1840's. Jobs are researched, profiles filed, posters designed, Chinese immigrant life examined in this lesson.
Curated OER
Oh My Darling
Students discuss human interaction with the environment and sing "Clementine" with historical fiction lyrics. They create a map or model of a mining camp in which Clementine may have lived. They discuss what might happen to their...
Curated OER
Just Lookin' For a Home
What is a boll weevil? Your class can find out that and more by following the activities included here. Pupils read an article, sing a boll weevil song, add to the song with their own original lyrics, illustrate the song, study the...
Curated OER
India: Where Remarkable Differences Are Ordinary
Young scholars research India and Indian culture. In this Indian research lesson plan, students research and report on the lives of Indian children. The report will be in the form of a mock interview between a journalist and an Indian...
Curated OER
Meet Antonin Dvorak
Young scholars engage in a lesson that is related to the history of Antonin Dvorak. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students listen and identify some of the basic elements of music. The lesson includes background...
Curated OER
Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Students interpret a story with unfamiliar vocabulary through the examination of visual images. They view the song and book "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" and describe the story told in the song. Students interpret the visual images in the boo...
National First Ladies' Library
Science: The Purloined Letter
Students examine Edgar Allan Poe's "the Purloined Letter" from the perspective of a profiler. To sharpen search procedures, they examine the text and make lists of items and places in the house that were searched. Then students discuss...
Curated OER
Port of Entry
Students research patterns of immigration throughout American history. The focus is on the process of how immigrants came through Ellis Island. Students reflect upon the topic to develop critical thinking skills.