Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Went to the Crossroads: The Faust Theme in Music, Film and Literature

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze song lyrics and discuss Faust theme in musical history. In this thematic instructional activity, students view a film clip and create a song lyric, poem or short story developed around the Faust theme. Students perform...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Two: Rock N Rhythm & Rhyme (Part Two)

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders find rhythm and rhyme in poetry. In this poetry lesson, 2nd graders listen to different poems to find the rhyming words. They play a memory game and try to find two words that rhyme. 
Activity
Library of Congress

The Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders discover the thematic connections between classical literary and popular song lyrics.  In this English lesson, 11th graders research a specific topic to be presented to the class.  Students analyze song lyrics...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

“And Still I Rise” Proud Black Women

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experiences of African American women. In this poetry lesson, students use their literary analysis skills to compare the poetry of Maya Angelou to rap music performed by Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone: The Changing American Landscape

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the changing American landscape. In this cause and effect instructional activity, students listen to rock music that exemplifies urban growth in America and the interconnectedness of America today. Students write cause...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

End-of-the-Year Celebration Program

For Teachers K
Students sing songs, recite a poem, share what they can now do that they couldn't before and explain how they see their accomplishments. They read "Leo The Late Bloomer" and create graduation hats.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Study of Japan with the Haiku of Basho

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore haiku poetry and the works of the Japanese poet Basho. They review characteristics of haiku poetry and other forms of poetry. After they write three or more haiku poems, they illustrate one of them and share with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music With a Message

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students write a line by line analysis of a song which they feel expresses a powerful message that can change society for the better. They then present their analysis to the class in an oral report.
Lesson Plan
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Poetry In the World Around Us

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students engage in a lesson which is designed as a literacy connection to science lessons on the effects of water on plants. This lesson uses an excellent Reading Rainbow episode on the effect of drought, and then rainfall, have on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rockin' and Rollin'

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders, in groups, describe the three major types of rocks through either a song, skit, poem, etc. They present their work to the class during a "rock concert."
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Self

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students 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 they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moving West

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students research the Westward Movement and struggles encountered by the pioneers as they moved from Nebraska, Westward along the Oregon Trail. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students read an Oregon Trail poem and visit 5 different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Repetitive Song Form

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discover different concepts for identifying musical structure and song form.  In this Music History lesson, 8th graders compare and contrast a Red Hot Chili Peppers song to an Andrea Bocelli's song. 
Lesson Plan
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Math: Musical Patterns

For Teachers K
Students employ their five senses to interpret and duplicate instrumental patterns. Following the teacher's patterns, students clap their hands and later use instruments such as bells, triangles, or cymbals to create their own "songs."
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The Block": Romare Bearden's and Mine

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students study Bearden's style of collage and create their own collage that reflects their neighborhood. They are read "The Block" and poems about neighborhoods and write one about theirs.
Lesson Plan
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Exploring the Self

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers 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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan for Granny Will Your Dog Bite and Other Mountain Rhymes

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders practice choral reading of poetry.  For this creative literature lesson, 6th graders incorporate elements of performing arts into their choral readings of various poems.  They discuss musical instruments, facial...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ogre Bully

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students listen to the book, The Ogre Bully, and discuss the problems the farmer and his family had during the story.  In this garden themed lesson plan, students examine different fruit and vegetables and plant them in soil to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Top 10 Games of 2007

For Students 7th - 10th
In this top ten games of 2007 worksheet, students review each game and its genre and then answer four discussion questions, complete a writing task and then write an outline for a computer game story with a script.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mending Walls: Barriers in Communications

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore a literal and figurative wall. In this communication lesson, students examine and discuss barriers in communication as they analyze Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and Robert Frost's "Mending Wall".
Worksheet
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Assorted Facts

For Students 5th - 6th
In this research skills worksheet, students use any source of information to find the answers to 10 multiple choice questions on a variety of subjects.
Lesson Plan
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Die Lorelei

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students use a traditional German Folksong to increase vocabulary. They use a traditional German folksong to identify a historical time period and explain the meaning of Die Lorelei.
Lesson Plan
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Do a Ditty

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders work in cooperative groups to create a ditty to teach the characteristics that distinguish literary forms to younger students. The ditty is performed before the class.