Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Dear Mr. Copland and Mr. Ellington

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Renaissance of Jazz and Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore, analyze, study and read a variety of poems and listen to jazz that have their roots in the Harlem Renaissance. They then discuss the similarities and differences of themes in the works of different poets and composers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs of the Civil War

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students investigate music of the Civil War era and explore how music can be used to arouse and express emotion. They identify a rhythmical musical pattern and match lyrics to it.
Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

By the Great Horn Spoon!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
By The Great Horn Spoon is a fantastic novel for introducing learners to life during the California Gold Rush. First, kids research and analyze American folk songs, then they connect to the text as they listen to symphonic pieces written...
Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Washington Portrait

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Fifth and second graders pair up to create mini dance scenes based on the image Washington Crossing the Delaware. Second graders create the movements while their fifth grade partners play the musical accompaniment. Leadership...
Lesson Plan
Poetry Out Loud

The Tabloid Ballad

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What do the theme song from Gilligan's Island, the nursery rhyme "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat," and the poem "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" all have in common? Why, they're ballads of course! Challenge your young balladeers to compose their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living Yesterday's History Today

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students describe and contrast life as it was in colonial days. They plan, compose, and produce a student movie. They reflect on what they have learned. They share their experience with others in digital format.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elementary My Dear Dancer-Foundation Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students participate in dance choreography. In this choreography instructional activity, students classify elements of choreography. Students collaborate in small groups and compose choreography.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying Coins and Their Value

For Teachers K - 1st
Use the special Tennessee State Quarter as a learning tool. During this instructional activity, discuss why the Tennessee Quarter has musical instruments on it. You can also utilize a worksheet embedded in the plan to help your class...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Enlightenment: Matching #3

For Students 7th - 8th
Who were some of the great thinkers, composers, and authors of the Enlightenment? Here are ten matching questions, where learners link the person to the work created during the time of the Enlightenment. Smith, Linnaeus, Diderot,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Pearl: Found Poem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
It's hard to beat the beauty of John Steinbeck's prose, so borrow a little of it to form your own found poetry. After kids finish Chapter One of The Pearl, they select the most evocative and vivid words to create found poems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ragtime: 1880-1920

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Build an understanding of the social, economic, and cultural changes that were incited by the American Industrial Revolution. Learners will research the historical context of the Ragtime Era, and compose an oral presentation in the...
Lesson Plan
New Class Museum

Lesson: Elizabeth Peyton: Portraits: Androgyny in Contemporary Culture

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Portraiture, artistic expression, romanticism, and androgyny are discussed in a thought-provoking activity. Upper graders first discuss and examine the history of portraiture and the elements common to the Romantic style. Then they turn...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thumbs Up For Movie Reviews

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
If your class loves movies, this lesson is sure to interest them. After discussing the purpose and structure of movie reviews, young writers compose a movie review and discuss why people may read a review before they go see a film. The...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Human Body Riddle

For Teachers 5th
The human body can be a mystery, or at least a riddle. Fifth graders pair up and use Photostory to create a riddle relating to a human body part and how it functions in the body system. They will compose a riddle, use a story board, take...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Antonia: Guided Imagery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Willa Cather's novel My Antonia is full of vivid imagery. Encourage your pupils to visualize and translate images from the text into original writing with this guided imagery activity. Learners listen to an excerpt, take a moment to...
Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

The Role of Citizens in a Participatory Democracy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Groups research participatory democracies and compare the role and rights of citizens in ancient history with those in recent U.S. history. Guided by a series of questions, individuals compose a persuasive essay in which they discuss the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Kanye West, Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students compose a beat in the style of Kanye West. They listen to and analyze the song, "Through the Wire" by Kanye West, compose a beat, and complete a worksheet.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Sting

For Students 5th - 9th
In this music worksheet, students read an excerpt from the movie The Sting and identify the American composer, Scott Joplin, who found ragtime jazz music heard in the movie. They also respond to eight questions related to the excepts read.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students define the term "exoticism" and identify musical elements used by 19th and 20th century composers and modern pop icons to convey exoticism.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs that Bring Us Together - Lesson 5

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Misterioso: Thelonius Monk

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the musical style of Thelonius Monk, particularly Misterioso. They write in their journals how the song sounds and fits with the way Monk dresses. They journal about how their own music might sound if they wrote jazz music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov!

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students 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 Ippolitov-Ivanov.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Kanye West

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students watch a video excerpt about the life of Kanye West. They draw connections between his life and their own and compose a rap song in the style of West, using his song, "Through the Wire" as an example.

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