Wordpress
Behind the Music Project
Authors write about what they know, and that does not exclude songwriters. Invite partners to explore the story behind a song. They analyze and discuss the lyrics, conduct research online, create a poster, and put together a two-minute...
John F. Kennedy Center
Harriet Tubman: Secret Messages Through Song
A lesson all about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad introduces scholars to African American spirituals. By way of reading, speaking, and listening, learners discover, analyze, and decode African American spirituals. They...
Curated OER
Teaching About Tolerance Through Music
Explore the importance of tolerance with a music-themed lesson. Learners listen to the music of Peter, Paul, and Mary, and discern the underlying messages before discussing the painful effects of ridicule, disrespect, and bullying.
PBS
Hidden Messages in Spirituals
Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...
Curated OER
With Your Own Two Hands: Are You Changing the World or "Waiting for the World to Change"?
Can your pupils change the world? Explore this question with Ben Harper's song "With My Own Two Hands" and John Mayer's "Waiting for the World to Change." After listening to the songs, they discuss the tools at their disposal for...
Curated OER
Eagle Song
Students read a book. In this comprehension lesson, students read the book Eagle Song stopping to answer comprehension questions about each chapter. Students complete post reading activities including a Tree of Peace.
Computer Science Unplugged
Codes in a Song—Modems
Let's listen to some codes. To understand how a modem sends binary numbers over a phone line, class member listen to the codes included in the provided mp3 files, translates the tones to binary numbers and then convert the binary numbers...
Curated OER
Sportsmanship Rap Songs
Using this creative lesson idea, your class can explore music with a message. Upper elementary learners create their own rap song to express their feelings about physical education and sportsmanship. The resource includes an assessment...
Curated OER
Songs That Bring Us Together
Students listen to the song, Get Together, and discuss the theme. They list topics that bring people together, write the lyrics to and sing a class song, and write a paragraph about message songs.
Curated OER
Campaign Songs as Propaganda:Free Trade vs. Protectionism - In Whose Interest?
High schoolers analyze campaign messages about tariffs in a 19th-century campaign song. They read and discuss the lyrics, complete an analysis worksheet, and identify the intended audience of the song's message.
Curated OER
Nos Creemos Americanos: Braceros in History and Song
Mexican folk songs offer an authentic look at WWII immigrant workers. This study of the U.S. Bracero Program sets historians up with context information so they can write their own corrido. The class reviews themes and formulas of...
Curated OER
What Does This Song Really Say?
Students investigate communication by analyzing lyrics from a song. In this music arts lesson, students discuss slavery, the Underground Railroad and African American traditions while listening to a song called "This Train." Students...
Curated OER
Conveying Message Through Musical Composition
Students listen to and discuss various protest songs from the 1960's, and write original lyrics for a song addressing global or societal issues. They write a paragraph evaluating the efficacy of the song to convey a message.
Curated OER
Songs from Two Generations - Lesson 2
High schoolers identify popular songs from 1968 era and analyze some of the topical and musical elements. They focus on social protest songs and other songs of social conscious.
Curated OER
Protest Music Video
Young scholars create an iMovie that expresses the meaning of a protest song from the 1960's or 1970's. They investigate the emotional and political overtones of the times and use images to interpret the song's meaning.
Curated OER
On the Beach: Disabled and Mother's Pride
What do an early 20th century poet and a 1980's rock star have in common with a novel from the 1960's? Using Wilfred Owen's poem "Disabled" and George Michael's song "Mother's Pride," learners answer questions about the lyrics and themes...
Curated OER
Songs that Bring Us Together - Lesson 5
Students compose song as a classroom effort. They write a one-paragraph essay about "message" songs in 100 years and include three ideas for topics along with the style of music (such as folk, rock, blues, rap, etc.) that would match.
Curated OER
Poetry Assignment Instead of a Test
"The Last Song" by Bernie Taupin and Elton John is the inspiration for an analysis assignment. Individuals read the song and answer nine questions about the speaker, figurative language, and significance of the lyrics. Use this as an...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Frederick Douglass’s Narrative: Myth of the Happy Slave
The firsthand accounts of what it was like to be an enslaved person in the mid-1800s riveted a nation and the issue ultimately led to civil war. Using excerpts from Frederick Douglass's autobiography, budding historians examine what it...
Livaudais-Baker English Classroom
Lord of the Flies Postcard Directions
Readers of Lord of the Flies take on the persona of one of the characters in William Golding's novel and craft a postcard to send home describing their adventures. On one side, they create an image of the island, and on the other, they...
Curated OER
Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America
Students explore protest songs. For this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
Curated OER
The Music and Message of Lauryn Hill
Students explore the music of artist Lauryn Hill and analyze the way she uses her music in a socially responsible manner. For this music artist lesson, students read the lyrics to Hill's songs and listen to some example songs. Students...
Curated OER
A Song for Today - Lesson 3
Young scholars analyze musical and topical elements in popular songs and compose song as a classroom effort. They write a short paragraph evaluating the effectiveness of the song in conveying the message of the lyrics.
Curated OER
Make a Theme Song
Students listen to music and the different messages it sends and then they make a theme song for a campaign. For this theme song lesson plan, students learn about propaganda and the importance of music.