Curated OER
Country's Music
Jazz, Blue Grass, Hip Hop, Swing. Gospel, R&B, Ragtime, Disco. So many music genres born in the USA. After reading an article about the fate of New Orlean's Jazz after Hurricane Katrina, class members investigate the life cycles of...
Digital Public Library of America
Women and the Blues
A 12-piece primary source packet sets the tone for a study of the role women played in the origins, development, and impact of blues music. Legends like Bessie Smith, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Mamie Smith, and Ida Cox are featured, as are...
Curated OER
General Music: Grades 4 & 5
The story behind the Star Spangled Banner sets off this singing and music lesson. Emergent singers study facts about Francis Scott Key and his famous song, they then discuss and practice singing the first verse paying close attention to...
Curated OER
I've Got the Blues!
Students identify the musical form of the 12-bar blues. They identify a problem from the "Farming in the 1940's" section and compose a 12-bar blues song. make comparisons between problems of the 1940's and today.
Curated OER
Patriotic Music: Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue
Middle schoolers examine the patriotic songs of the 1940's and compare them to those of today. They identify elements that classify a song as patriotic, listen to several examples and complete Venn diagrams contrasting different examples.
Curated OER
My Way
Students culminate a humanities project by improvising music to accompany a video of a particular era in US history.
Curated OER
The Princess and the Frog
Learners study the sounds of New Orleans jazz, its origins, and its influences. For this jazz music lesson, students listen to various jazz songs and discuss the songs. Learners use the worksheet 'Jazz: the Universal Language' to study...
Curated OER
A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues
High schoolers examine the history of blues music and discover how it relates to the music of today. As a class, they listen to the drum songs of Africa and compare it to the use of drums in pop music today. Using the internet, they...
Curated OER
Teaching Economics and Rock and Roll: Unemployment
Young scholars explore the consequences of unemployment. In this macroeconomics activity, students listen to the songs “Johnny 99” and “Worried Man.” Young scholars discuss the socioeconomic costs of unemployment as they analyze the songs.
Curated OER
Banding Together
Students explore the effect that a particular culture can have on popular music. They develop their own music groups, each representing a style of music and a historical culture and perform their group's concert for the class.
Curated OER
Rock Around the Map
Students research the geographical histories of various musical genres and make maps that note important places in music history. They Write geographical biographies about one of their favorite musical artists.
Curated OER
Moccasins Are Made for Dancing
Students explore two Native American legends. In this cultural traditions lesson, students read "The Legend of Blue Bonnet," and "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush." Students then study basic Native American dance movements prior to...
Curated OER
When the Going Gets Rough...
In this activity, students will reflect on what strategies they have used-and with what degree of success-when confronted with frustration or difficulty in an assignment, project, or activity.
Curated OER
The Great Water Hunt
Students create a model of the land to water ratio in a large group and search for all the places water is used at their school while on a Great Water Hunt. They identify where water can be found and compare how much of world is covered...
Curated OER
Swing Your Partner! It's A Virtual Square Dance
Learners explore the Wessels Living History Farm website and research how to do a square dance. They read a story, listen to an explanation of barn dances, and participate in various square dances.
Curated OER
Fourth of July Fitness Fun
Students increase the heart rate and improve fitness by moving for an extended length of time. They go to three work stations: 1) Jump into July, 2) Firecrackers, and 3) Flag building.
Curated OER
Simple Symbols and American Children
Students are introduced to a variety of symbols representing the United States. As a class, they identify places in which they have seen the various symbols and discuss what they mean. To end the activity, they state the words from the...
Curated OER
St. Patrick's Day -- History and Traditions
In this St. Patrick's Day worksheet, learners answer questions about the history and traditions of the holiday. Students complete sentences about the history and traditions and a word search.