Curated OER
Cultural and Historical Meaning: Little Johnny Brown
Students perform a folk dance and discuss its cultural and historical meanings. They review the dance and perform it, beginning with four individuals who dance with confidence right from the start.
Curated OER
The Affect of Music on Visual Images
Eighth graders consider cross-curricular connections between social studies, singing, and current events. They listen to the song, "I Can't Cry Hard Enough." view scenes from September 11, then create presentations using images, a...
Curated OER
Who Fought for the Union?
Learners read New York Times articles, letters, and listen to songs written from a soldier's perspective during the Civil War in order to understand who was fighting in the Union Army. This is a great lesson, complete with weblinks,...
Alabama Learning Exchange
J. Alfred Hyperbolizes
Mermaids will sing to your class members as they engage in an activity related to T.S. Eliot's famous dramatic interior monologue. After engaging in a socratic seminar about literary devices in the poem, individuals choose one...
Curated OER
Learning to give: freedom songs
Students learn freedom songs and discuss how the famous leaders of the Civil Rights Movement used them to motivate people to overcome adversity during this time. In this freedom songs lesson, students learn the songs and discuss their...
Curated OER
Give Peace a Chance
High schoolers 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.
Learn NC
Buffalo Soldiers
"Stolen from Africa, brought to America,/Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival." Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldiers" provides high schoolers an opportunity to explore the rich history of the Rastafarians in Jamaica and the Buffalo...
Curated OER
Write a Song About American History
Students explore the historic background of the song, The Battle of New Orleans. Working in pairs, students research other historic events and write their own songs based on them.
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
Historical Comparison of Anti-War Music
Students explain that, how in this world of increasing awareness and interdependence, music can act as a magnet to draw people together. They research and compare anti-war songs from many different generations.
Curated OER
George Washington in Song
Students establish similarities to George Washington's time in office with the song "Yankee Doodle." In this U.S. History lesson, students learn the song "Yankee Doodle" then create a timeline of the song and a timeline of George...
Curated OER
Songs, Myths and Games
Fourth graders recognize that the Ojibwa lived in a serene environment which shows in their legends. For this songs, myths and games lesson, 4th graders recognize characteristics of the Ojibwas culture through the study of their games,...
Curated OER
Patriotic Performance
Young scholars participate in a patriotic performance. In this patriotic lesson, students sing, do reader's theater, tell historic facts and joke. This lesson includes several attachments including the script that was used.
Curated OER
Civil War
Historical poetry is lyrical in form and rich with content. After examining the differences between the Northern and Southern states before and during the U.S. Civil War, learners complete a Venn diagram and create an illustration of the...
Smithsonian Institution
Singing for Justice: Following the Musical Journey of “This Little Light of Mine”
Scholars go on a musical journey to discover the origin, importance, and evolution of the song, "This Little Light of Mine". Class members boost their voice talents and clap to the beat while learning the lyrics in both English and Zulu....
Curated OER
Images of Slavery and the Underground Railroad
Pictures and photographs can help us foster greater connections and a deeper understanding of a historical time period. After closely analyzing several images that depict slavery and the Underground Railroad, your class will have the...
Carolina K-12
Affrilachia
What makes a culture unique? Learners research life in the Appalachia region of the United States. Poetry, music, and oral history create Affrilachia, the term used to describe the lifestyle of the area. African-American mountain culture...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Ruby's Wish (Bridges)
Jump into traditional Chinese culture with budding readers as they examine vocabulary in context through Shirin Yim Bridge's book Ruby's Wish. This book is read on YouTube if you don't have it on hand. Scholars are briefly introduced to...
School District of Palm Beach County
Timelines
What do BC and AD mean on a timeline? What is the difference between a decade and a century? Here is a nice handout that offers all the foundational knowledge your young historians will need on how to look at historical timelines.
Curated OER
"We Didn't Start the Fire"
Students extract geographical and historical information from the lyrics of a popular song, make associations between people, places, and events, and plot their information on a map.
Curated OER
Slavery in Colonial America
Pupils examine the experience of the middle passage of slaves. They review slave songs and discuss their common themes. They develop a monologue in which they integrate a fragment of an actual slave song into a poem they have written.
Curated OER
Wanted, a Substitute
In this primary source analysis activity, students analyze an American Civil War song. Students respond to 5 short answer questions about the song and its lyrics.
Anti-Defamation League
Analyzing Primary Source Documents to Understand U.S. Expansionism and 19th Century U.S.-Indian Relations
Historical events can be viewed from multiple perspectives. This simple truth is brought home in a lesson that examines primary source documents related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny,...
Anti-Defamation League
Viewing History from Multiple Perspectives
Celebration or protest song? The full text of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" opens a study of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Louisiana Purchase, and Western Expansion from various perspectives. Middle schoolers examine...