Curated OER
Draw Me the Music
Students explore and investigate the foundation and history of jazz music. They listen to various pieces of music while creating drawings, develop a timeline of jazz history, and read and discuss biographies of famous jazz musicians.
Look! We're Learning!
Ella Fitzgerald Biography Mini-Unit
Before there was Beyonce, before there was Madonna, before there was Cher, there was Ella. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Jazz, with a reading comprehension exercise that presents a brief biography of her life and then asks...
Curated OER
Ella Fitzgerald
Students examine the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald. They participate in a matching game, explore an Internet website, and write in response to Ella Fitzgerald's music.
Jazz Academy
Let Freedom Swing
Three lessons in the Let Freedom Swing concert tour resource guide packed with information, materials, and activities that provide the context for any study of American history.
Curated OER
Smithsonian Jazz Class: Ella Fitzgerald
Students play "Ella's Match Game" to learn an overview of Fitzgerald's life and career. In this Ella Fitzgerald lesson, students listen to excerpts of Fitzgerald's music and respond by creating writing prompts.
Curated OER
Musician Extraordinaire Based on the DC Quarter Reverse
Students develop an understanding of the role of a musician, composer, and conductor. In this musician lesson, students examine the District of Columbia quarter and see that Duke Ellington is on the reverse side. They define performer,...
Curated OER
Jazz Word Search
In this music activity, students find the words that are associated with Jazz music and the answers are found by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Lesson 12- Quincy Jones:What Makes an American Master?
Students study the life of Quincy Jones and research black music for selected decades of the 20th Century. They discuss the qualities that help one create and sustain a successful career. They design a timeline of what their future...
Curated OER
Louis Armstrong
Young scholars discover the music of Louis Armstrong. In this jazz lesson plan, students are introduced to Armstrong's trumpet and vocal art in a matching game, then listen to a sampling of his music and respond in writing.
Curated OER
Good Times and bad; The Roaring Twenties
Changes in society through 1900 to 1930 in the suburbs and work culture are covered in this presentation on aviation and the automobile. Music, movies and the Harlem Renaissance are the other main topics, with 6 or so bullet points...
Library of Congress
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance brought forth many American art forms including jazz, and the writings of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Using a carefully curated set of documents from the Library of Congress, pupils see the cultural...
Curated OER
Let's Do a Biography!
Students sequence events of a biography for a person from the District of Columbia. In this sequence of events lesson, students read about the life of Duke Ellington and sequence the events of his lifetime into a timeline activity.
Curated OER
Harlem Renaissance
Students investigate the African American culture in the 1920's and the Harlem Renaissance. They read and analyze poems written by poets of the Harlem Renaissance, listen to jazz music and identify the characteristics of the music, and...
Curated OER
Smithsonian Jazz Class: Benny Carter
Students play "Benny's Match Game" to learn about the life and career of Benny Carter. Students listen to samples of Benny Carter's music and create written responses that evaluate his music.
Curated OER
Jazz: An Expression of Cooperation - Lesson 3
Students describe ways in which the principles of students or citizens working together are interrelated with those of musicians working together. They demonstrate their knowledge of the concept of "swing" in various jazz styles.
Curated OER
Sing the Blues
Students explore examples of this musical form, then write their own lyrics for a blues song.
Curated OER
VH1 Road to Fame: Harry Connick Jr.
Students sing songs by Harry Connick Jr. and then learn different musical terms.
Curated OER
Time in Jazz
Students examine time and meter in the jazz idiom. They analyze Take the A Train and Take Five. They research websites featuring Ella Fitzgerald and her music.
Curated OER
Fun with Phylogenetic Trees
Tenth graders differentiate angiosperms and gymnosperms. In this biology lesson plan, 10th graders construct a musical phylogenetic tree from information they gathered on resource websites. They present their project in class.
Curated OER
Be ready for your English exam
In this reading instructional activity, students read each line and at the end of the line they write "correct" if the line is correct and if there is a word that should not be there, they write that word. Students complete this for 15...
Curated OER
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance inspired a group of writers, musicians, and artists whose influence is still seen today.
Curated OER
Patriotism and Foreign Policy
Twelfth graders create a museum of Patriotism and Foreign Policy. They participate in discussions and work in committee's to determine which objects shall be displayed in the museum. They present visual and performing arts along with...
Curated OER
The Life and Work of Jacob Lawrence
Black History Month provides a time to talk about the accomplishments of African Americans like Jacob Lawrence.
Curated OER
VH1 Road to Fame: Harry Connick Jr.
Young scholars are divided into groups of employees of a jazz radio station and a classical radio station. They role play their own broadcasts.