Young scholars examine a variety of songs, poems, and books exploring and analyzing the theme of self reliance and being true to one's self. They write a poem, essay, or letter that captures their true spirit and individuality and then...

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...

Students examine U.S. foreign affairs with the Middle East during the Reagan and Bush presidencies. In this Middle East lesson, students watch video segments, examine maps, and listen to music regarding the relationship between the U.S....

In this famous people worksheet, students read a selection about the life of John Lennon, then complete a variety of comprehension activities including synonym matches, fill-in-the-blank sentence completions, unscrambling words and...

Students examine struggles for freedom. In this Underground Railroad lesson, students listen to "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Freedom" to lead them into a discussion regarding freedoms . Students watch the video "The Freedom...

Students explore the U.S. Constitution through music. In this Bill of Rights instructional activity, students discuss a hypothetical case regarding lyrics by Madonna and the historical Massachusetts Blue Laws. Students use the Bill of...

Students analyze social activism messages in music. In this feminism lesson, students explore selected music that expresses sentiments voiced in the women liberation movement in the United States. Students compare the lyrics of the songs...

Students explore the American tradition of state and county fairs. In this American fairs lesson, students read an article about American fairs and complete a five senses table for experiences at fairs. Students role play a family...

Young scholars identify important Americans from the colonial, revolutionary and slavery periods who are noted for standing up for their beliefs in the face of peer disapproval. They identify the importance of music in motivating and...

Students use different pieces of music and writings to explore the theme of self-reliance and individuality. After viewing a video clip, they discuss how the images made them feel. They keep a writing journal to evaluate their own...

Students research symbols from Texas history and make selections for quarter designs. In addition, they include written explanations to accompany their drawings. Coin designs cultural background and visually represent patriotism and...

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...

This collection uses primary sources to explore the early history of Rock and Roll music.

Many high school students do not recognize the use of repetitive song form in rock and roll music. This instructional activity will introduce concepts for identifying musical structure and, more specifically, song form. A comparison of...

The online home the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lets visitors journey through the history of rock 'n' roll and discover the talents of the hall of fame inductees. Includes many stylish exhibitions and fashions to sample.

Examines the impact that rock and roll music, movies and the invention of television had on America in the 1950s.

In this lesson, a subject of high interest to students is the vehicle for teaching skills that may be perceived as boring to students. Nominating a performer for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame allows students to recognize...

Read a brief history of rock and roll and its roots. See why this form of music shook the establishment and shattered the idea of conformity.

The major rock festivals have been viewed as seminal mileposts of the counterculture era. Not only were there significant musical performances from the festivals themselves, but music was created before and after these concerts to...

The following lesson uses the lyrics of four popular songs (songs that were commonly sung or played) to stimulate critical thought and discussion of what is right or wrong with American democracy.

In the 1950s, financial prosperity allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television.

One of the most important concepts in economics, particularly macroeconomics, is unemployment. Indeed, much time is devoted in both classrooms and textbooks to discussing the unemployment problem. When used together with the traditional...

Music students rarely see the value or have any interest in music other than their favorite popular artist or group. By showing connections and similarities between current music and 'classical' music, the teacher begins to break down...

Young music young scholars rarely see or, better still, hear a connection between the different types of scales, modes, intervals and other compositional techniques such as meter, tonality, and form used in both traditional 'Art' music...