University of Wisconsin
We're Off to India!
Pack your bags and set off to the wonderful country of India in a multi-day cultural unit. The lesson is a 17-day series focusing on literature, music, art, geography, and the culture of India. Scholars complete several activities,...
National Constitution Center
Creating Your Own Town Hall Poster
Middle and high schoolers are walking into a world rife with strong political viewpoints and vocal opinions. Help to prepare them for controversial discussions with a activity in which they choose, research, and learn more about a...
Curated OER
Comparison/Contrast Composer Study
Pupils choose two composers to research and complete a compare and contrast study of them. In this composer research lesson plan, students select two composers to research. Pupils use Internet sources, the library, and music class...
Curated OER
Words/Music/Images: Interpretation and Meaning A Motivational Activity
Students explore popular music in its historical context. In this music lesson, students examine the lyrics, musicical arrangement, and video imagery of selected songs to interpret the messages and themes of the songs.
Curated OER
West Virginia State Museum Lesson Plan: West Virginia Music
Students compare and contrast music about West Virginia. In this West Virginia history lesson, students analyze popular music so that they may gain an understanding of the relationships between songs and history. Students then create...
Curated OER
Learn Under the Old Masters
Learners take a closer look at portraits. In this art appreciation lesson, students may visit the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria Art Gallery, or the Scottish National Portrait Gallery online or in-person to discover works of art.
Curated OER
Edgar Allan Poe Lessons- Taking A Look At The Original Goth
Edgar Allan Poe lesson plans can provide a way for students to learn about literature, psychology, and the horror genre.
Media Smarts
Thinking About Television and Movies
As part of their study of the influence of TV and films, class members consider how music, lighting, costumes, camera angles, etc. are used to influence the response of viewers.
Washington University in St. Louis
Teaching Jazz as American Culture
Jazz and the City, Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement, Jazz and Gender, Jazz and Literature, Jazz and the Arts, Jazz and Film. Here's a packet of unit plans organized around themes that reflect American culture. Each unit examines how...
Curated OER
Music, Culture and War
Students see that music serves as a major conduit for the transport of knowledge. As they watch video, students tabulate the variety of music artists listed by different soldiers.
Curated OER
African-American Musicians
Young scholars research three African-American musicians and compose a report based upon their research in this Music Appreciation lesson for the middle level classroom. The lesson could be adapted for various student levels and abilities.
Curated OER
Africa: Small Sounds From a Big Country
Students explore the music from Burundi, Zimbabwe, and Pygmy cultures. They listen to and discuss music from the African cultures, analyze the musical elements, write a song, and perform music.
Curated OER
Give Peace a Chance
Students 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.
Curated OER
Art Lessons Students Can Appreciate
Art may be something some students have to learn to appreciate, but there is always a lesson that can do this.
Curated OER
My Secret War: The WWII Diary of Madeline Beck: Lesson 11
Fifth graders explore world history by participating in a class game. In this propaganda instructional activity, 5th graders identify Madeline Beck and the role women played during World War II. Students create fictitious propaganda...
Curated OER
Introductory Lesson: Greece
Middle schoolers get a taste of Greek culture. In this Greece instructional activity, students participate in activities that require them to study the religion, music, food, clothing, and history of Greece.
Curated OER
Tango Stories
Pupils listen to tango music and research the country it came from. In this music lesson, students find that tango music comes from Argentina. They listen and dance to the music and then write stories.
Curated OER
Meet Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov!
Young scholars listen to music and review instruments of the orchestra. They explore musical terms, solo, texture and theme of the music and discuss other features of the music. Students research and discuss the life of Mikhail...
Curated OER
The Orchestra: Exploring the Instruments
Students explore the instruments of the orchestra. In this music appreciation lesson, students discover the four families of instruments and research each of them using selected Internet sources.
Curated OER
Song Singing Activity
Students discover their musical talents by singing with their class. In this musical appreciation lesson, students attend a camping trip with their classmates and sing songs from memory around the campfire. Students are...
Curated OER
The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
The Nutcracker Teacher Resource Guide
Clara becomes Marie, The Mouse King becomes a rat, and the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh becomes the setting for a modern interpretation of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet. Intended as a resource guide for a 2012 performance, the...
National Park Service
The Poet's Toolbox
If you need a lesson for your poetry unit, use two poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ("Rain in Summer" and "The Slave in the Dismal Swamp") and a resource on Elements of Poetry. The lesson plan guides you through activities...
Curated OER
Mariachi Mania
Students play the beats of mariachi music. In this mariachi lesson plan, students listen to mariachi music and discuss why music is important.