Media Smarts
Defining Popular Culture
What part does media play in creating, defining, and perpetuating popular culture? High schoolers chart their encounters with fads, trends, and icons and reflect on the media's influence on popular culture.
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Student Opinion: Are You Popular, Quirky or Conformist?
Approach the topic of popularity with this resource from the New York Times and their Learning Network series. The article is about Alexandra Robbins' "Quirk Theory." Learners respond to the article excerpt either on paper or online....
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...
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200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Upper graders explore pop culture and pop music as a forum for female role models. They explore women who have currently contributed to our pop world and why they could be considered role models. They each interview a woman in their...
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Pop Culture and Art
Learn about American pop culture, art, and the social voice that art can convey. The class discusses the life and art of Barton Benes, views his piece Reliquarium, then discusses what they see and feel when they view his work. Make sure...
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Allusions to Shakespeare in Popular Culture
Send your high schoolers on a scavenger hunt through popular culture (music, television, video games, movies) to find allusions to Shakespeare. They must each provide three to share with the class, and the one they present cannot have...
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Individuality vs. Conformity
Spark an animated debate in your class! Young adults consider some of the fads or trends that are prevalent at their school, as well as their own level of participation in them. Just how much of a role does popular culture play in their...
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Explore Literary Devices in Popular Lyrics
Bring literary devices to life by listening to popular song clips and studying their lyrics.
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Popularity, Publicity, and Public Service
Students discuss the issue of celebritites who speak out for certain diseases. After reading an article, they consider a doctor's perspective on the use of celebrities. In groups, they research a common disease and design a public...
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice: 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Upper graders view the animated short, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and analyze how the music score was chosen to express the scene. They create an animation as they listen to a classical recording to experience the connection between...
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Music and Animation: 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Music has been used to convey thoughts, feelings, and the human condition for thousands of years. Your class will analyze several songs hear in the animated classic, "Charlie Brown." They will listen to several jazz pieces from the show,...
Student Handouts
Constitutional Principles
Keep track of constitutional principles with a graphic organizer. Pupils define, describe the origins of, and note down the location of the following terms: checks and balances, federalism, individual rights, limited government, popular...
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Popular Sovereignty Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Seventh graders examine the implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In this slavery lesson, 7th graders examine a map of 1820 America and discuss the balance of power implied by the map. Students then read Stephen Douglas's speech on...
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AIDS: A Pop Culture History
Students watch the documentary AIDS: A Pop Culture History and discuss the issues the documentary raises. Students discuss the different facts and myths about AIDS, discuss stereotypes in relation to the disease and discuss common fears...
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Heroes and Sidekicks from Popular Culture
Students discuss familiar fictional characters. In this fictional characters lesson plan students practice pronunciation of adjectives. They describe the personality of popular characters by answering questions about those characters.
Japan Society
Popular Culture and Japan’s Gross National Cool
From Manga to Godzilla and Pokemon, Japanese pop culture has been taking the globe by storm. This phenomenon is called "soft power." Learners will examine the differences between hard and soft power, as well as learn the historical and...
Media Literacy
Good Versus Evil: Exploring Popular Children's Animation
Dora, Buzz Lightyear, Mufasa. Swiper, Dr. Porkchop, Scar. The six lessons in this unit packet focus on how good and evil, and violence, are portrayed in children's animation. The lessons encourage kids to consider how violence is...
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Popular Music and Music Videos
This resource is part of a three-activity unit that introduces your class to the concept of popular culture and the role that it plays in their lives. Here, learners examine the importance of the music industry and music videos in pop...
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The Function of Music
Explore concepts of audience, purpose and symbols in this lesson from Media Smarts that asks students to consider all the functions of music. Through a series of discussions and activities, your class will brainstorm possible functions...
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Word for the Dazed: SAT Vocabulary
Prep those high schoolers for the S.A.T. by giving them one new word each day. There are 16 wonderful words, each with dictionary definitions and contextual example using a current pop-culture reference. Tip: Extend the daily vocabulary...
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Waves of Radios
Students grasp the fundamentals of radio/sound communication technology. They research why the size of radios has gotten smaller through advances of technology...from large radio tubes through transistors through microchips. Students...
Child Care Lounge
How Many Spots are on Each Ladybug?
The ever popular ladybug serves as a excellent tool for developing the number sense of young mathematicians on this math learning exercise. Presented with a series of colorful pictures, children practice counting and writing the numbers...
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VH1 AIDS: A Pop Culture History Lesson 3
High schoolers investigate the relationship between music and culture, and how music conveys thoughts and emotions. They write their own song.
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WHAT IS THE POPULAR COLOR?
Fourth graders graph cars according to their colors. They complete the graph including a title, scale, x-axis, and y-axis. Students collect the data and choose the type of graph to be made.