Engage in an activity that focuses on the concepts of formal and informal language use. Middle and high schoolers compare and contrast each style by using a Venn diagram that includes some examples. They read and hear a passage of lyrics...

Eight various activities have your learners looking at hype in the media. Advertisements for films, politics, music, and philanthropy all contribute to emotional appeals and marketing strategies trying to convince consumers to...

Language learners write down the words to a song as they listen to it. They then work in groups to write a love poem using the words and phrases they wrote from the song. As a culminating activity, scholars read their poems to the class.

"Stolen from Africa, brought to America,/Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival." Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldiers" provides high schoolers an opportunity to explore the rich history of the Rastafarians in Jamaica and the Buffalo...

Sixth graders explore lyrics, phrases, and the beats in each phrase. They select a nursery rhyme, set it to a simple tune they already know, and match the tune with the same number of beats per phrase with a poem with the identical...

Students analyze the quatrain structure and rhyming in the song, "Puddles". They use this format to create their own quatrain lyrics for a song then they share their song ang revise it.

Students compare and contrast music and lyrics of national anthems from around the world. They listen to their national anthem and other countries' anthems and compare the music. Working in groups, they write an anthem for their class or...

Eighth graders discover different concepts for identifying musical structure and song form.  In this Music History instructional activity, 8th graders compare and contrast a Red Hot Chili Peppers song to an Andrea Bocelli's song. 

Students identify and pat the beat. They move to and play quarter notes, half notes, and eighth notes to create a "factory" movement and instrument improvisation. Students get into groups of three. Each person in the group moves to one...

Students analyze the lyrics to the soul music of Wilson Pickett as a step towards the exploration of the life and talents of the man. The language and expressions utilized in a descriptive article about the composer form the basis of the...

Pupils are introduced to the various songwriting techniques of Paul McCartney. They explore and compare the basic melodic, harmonic, and lyrical tendencies of the different types of pop music.

Fourth graders brainstorm ideas that answer the question, "What is a song?" They determine the parts of a song, read lyrics, and listen to a song while identifying the chorus. They repeat the procedure with a new song before working in...

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.

Students analyze the music of The Clash and have extensive and intensive practice in reading and listening skills.

Students study symbolism in media. They listen to two Hip Hop songs and watch the videos for them. They identify symbols and their meanings based on the context of the images seen in the videos and the lyrics heard.

In this song writing worksheet, 9th graders read about the cadences, chords, tunes, and lyrics that are used in song writing. There are no questions associated with this worksheet.

Ninth graders examine who Eleanor Rigby is in the song by the beatles. In this Beatles music instructional activity, 9th graders read an article. Students complete a set of guided questions. 

Students analyze an event where a person or groups of people were singled out because of their race, religion, nationality or sexuality. They interpret the song "Scarecrow" by Melissa Etheridge and apply the lyrics to the events they...

High schoolers review themes they have seen so far in their study of poetry. They compare four poems and one set of song lyrics as they search for meaning in each. They compare and contrast all five and then give a presentation of...

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.

Students create a rap/skit showing the effect of alcohol, nicotine or caffeine. In this biology lesson, students identify the important points of their chosen drug. They present their rap/skit in class.

In this Louisiana musical landscape poem and song worksheet, students analyze a poem about the Mississippi River and Cajun music to learn more about the musical landscape in Louisiana.

Students listen to the song and fill in the lyrics on a worksheet. They translate the meaning of the song into English. They concentrate on the correct verb tenses in the song. This activity is used as a warm up for a verb Spanish...

Students 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.