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Jazz and Math: Rhythmic Innovations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners compare and contrast the rhythms of marches and jazz. They watch an excerpt about Buddy Bolden from the PBS Ken Burns Jazz documentary, compare/contrast march and jazz rhythms, complete a worksheet, and notate and perform jazz...
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Exploring Heroism

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the concept of heroism in this lesson, through personal reflection, group activities and a thoughtful analysis of the documentary, HEROES OF GROUND ZERO. They explore their own understanding of what it means to be...
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Poetry through Jazz, Rap, and Hip Hop

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore poetry through jazz, rap, and hip hop music. They discover the common threads that run through the poetry and music. Students design their own lyrics to a jazz, rap, or hip hop selection and share their songs with the...
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Jazz and Math: Improvisation Permutations

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the various rhythmic combinations in jazz and blues music. They watch a video segment, apply a mathematical formula to calculate the number of possible rhythmic combinations, and perform a combination of notes and...
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Who Controls the Real Cost of Credit Cards?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view the film "How Much Does Debt Cost?" and explore the reasons why credit card fees and interest rates have gone up so much over the last 25 years. They participate in class discussion and complete a worksheet.
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Coney Island

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the use of historic and archival photos and films while they study the history of Coney Island. They participate in critical viewing activities and discuss what they see to make decisions based on historic visuals.
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Race, Culture, And Identity in Daughter From Danang (Part 1)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine cultural identity. They watch the PBS documentary, 'Daughter From Danang,' answer discussion questions, and write an essay regarding the characters ethnicities and stereotypes portrayed in the film.
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Random Strategies in Archaeology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars critically evaluate cultures according to their artifacts. In this Random Strategies in Archaeology lesson, Students interpret evidence in order to better understand ancient societies. Young scholars watch films that...
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Unchained Memories

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders consider what life was like for American slaves. In this primary source analysis lesson, 11th graders read slave narratives from Unchained Memories and then participate in a discussion about the conditions in which...
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All About Me

For Teachers K - 4th
Students produce a slide show documentary designed to help them recognize their individuality, respect each other's differences, and discover what makes them unique. They examine the concept of digital portfolios. It is designed to...
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Cultural Representation in "Spellbound" Part 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch the film "Spellbound". They analyze concepts of how the media represents race. They discuss how the movie depicts race after the film.
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The Role of Television in Social Justice

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students will read and evaluate another student's culminating project rough draft. Students will make written comments on the evaluation sheet provided by the teacher with regard to relevance to topic of Media and Social Justice,...
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The Role of Television in Social Justice

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students will discover the direct impact television coverage had on the African American Civil Rights Movement. They will employ listening, information processing, and critical thinking skills while watching the film clips and answering...
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Alexander The Great

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners investigate the historical person of Alexander The Great. They view a video in order to create the context for the lesson. They read some biographies and conduct research using a variety of resources. Then students create their...
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Houdini

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine Houdini, and his legacy in the world of magice. Also, they explore documentary techniques that help tell a story. In addition, they perform a magic trick and discuss what goes into a magic act.
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Welcome to Leonard Bernstein's New York

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the life and musical work of Leonard Bernstein. They examine the history of New York City using three Broadway musicals in a web based lesson. They create a portrayal of their own town in this multi-lesson activity.
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Zooming In!

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars observe an area of the schoolground, choosing a particular viewpoint or line of vision. At various times, students take photographs and videos of the observed area. Young scholars write a news article based upon their...
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The Other Drug War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view the film "The Other Drug War" and discuss its content. They participate in a class debate over prescription drug pricing and complete a worksheet to use a discussion guide after viewing the film.
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Mars rovers' Next Stop: IMAX

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students read an article and discuss it.  In this Mars rover activity students complete an activity that allows them to see things through a different viewpoint. 
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Ivanov Goes to Moscow

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Young scholars complete a unit on the play, "Ivanov" by Chekhov. They read and analyze the play, write a short story, watch a film of the play, complete a data sheet, and conduct a debate.
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Literacy through Photography

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars photograph scenes from their lives and use the images to become a catalyst for related writing exercises. They explore the themes such as self portrait, family, community, visual storytelling, and dreams to encourage them...
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American Frontiers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners study the settlement of the American frontier through literature. In this literature lesson, students read and discuss works by James Fenimore Cooper, Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Hamlin Garland. Learners compare...
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Rationalizing Race in US History

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students consider the classification of people. In this race studies lesson, students examine the concept of race as it relates to U.S. history and trends. Students research racial discrimination and prejudice in order to support their...
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An Untold Triumph

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine and analyze the history and experience of Filipinos in Hawaii and California. They identify the contributions of Filipino Americans to the US war effort in World War II, and analyze the many causes that led to...