This resource is part of a three-activity unit that introduces your class to the concept of popular culture and the role that it plays in their lives. Here, learners examine the importance of the music industry and music videos in pop...

Send your high schoolers on a scavenger hunt through popular culture (music, television, video games, movies) to find allusions to Shakespeare. They must each provide three to share with the class, and the one they present cannot have...

Explore concepts of audience, purpose and symbols in this lesson from Media Smarts that asks students to consider all the functions of music. Through a series of discussions and activities, your class will brainstorm possible functions...

The television and interstate highways both came of age in 1950s America. Scholars use film, text, and discussion to explore how these and other cultural icons shaped the literature of the time. Pupils also create a family history...

Music has often been called the international language that transcends cultures and regions. Scholars analyze the impact of Latin American music on New York City culture in the years following World War II. They research music, video,...

Nicki Minaj is a pop and fashion icon to today's youth. Here, they will read an article about her and what she wore to the MTV Music Awards. They read the article, then attempt to fill in the missing words from several of the paragraphs....

Pupils explore rap and hip hop music. In this music and culture activity, students experience the music of Will Smith in order to work on language and communication skills such as rhyming words, writing, and public speaking.

Your class will enjoy this presentation, whether or not they are fans of hip hop. It focuses on the trends of hip hop names, discussing the role of cool names and the strong letter k. The slide show could successfully augment a class on...

Students listen to popular music of the 50's and 60's to make literature connections to The Outsiders. In this popular culture lesson, students evaluate and analyze various songs and connect them with the themes in the literature related...

Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.

Young scholars consider what makes a movie, television show, musical talent, or artist a cult classic and create descriptive lists of items from these phenomena that may be sold at auction.

Students explore how poems represent the social, historical, and cultural times that they were written in. In this poetry lesson plan, students compare and contrast poems with music of the time and explore implications of writing poems...

Students describe some of the distinguishing characteristics of rock, folk, blues, and country music. They identify two main musical roots of today's American popular music.

James Jamerson. You probably heard him but may not have heard of him. But fans of Motown Records will certainly recognize his contributions to the sound that desegregated popular music during the 1960s. Challenge young history...

Students examine the characteristics of transcendentalism using excerpts from the works of Emerson and Thoreau, comics, and songs from different musical genres. Students develop their views on individualism, nature, and passive resistance.

Music reflects culture and culture is reflected in popular music. Reading an article on how hip-hop has affected the lives of two young men of different races launches an investigation of the development and influences of various musical...

Learners reflect on the popular culture of their own country and explore the "Korean Wave" of popular culture in East Asia. They research the popular cultures of various countries around the world and present their findings in an...

Japan's Taisho Period was a time when authors like Akutagawa and other Japanese modernists began to experiment with point of view and literary form, making the literature produced during this time period a natural choice for teaching...

Young scholars explore the music soldiers listen to before and after battle. They attempt to develop an understanding of the role music plays in this conflict. They create their own lyrics to attempt to construct a pro-war and anti-war...

Students explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. They write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers.

Students consider how the attributes of heroes have evolved. In this character traits lesson plan, students define heroism in their culture and research the epic heroes of literature. Students select heroes to write about and share their...

Students discuss the role of the rapper in Hip Hop music and how the rapper promoted their group's DJ. They compose a short rap about a fellow student highlighting that student's accomplishments and good traits.

Eleventh graders discover the thematic connections between classical literary and popular song lyrics.  In this English activity, 11th graders research a specific topic to be presented to the class.  Students analyze song...

After a teacher-led demonstration on the lives and music of Aaron Copland and Duke Ellington, learners write a letter to them which shows their understanding of how a person's life experiences can be reflected in a composer's music. They...