Curated OER
Rhythm and Art: Gesture Drawing
Students make connection between music and art. In this integrated arts lesson, students complete gesture drawing activities as they listen to Cuban, flamenco, classical, jazz, and contemporary music.
Curated OER
Guantanamera: A Poem and a Song
Students compare revolutionary actions of Jose Marti and Pete Seeger. For this Cuban folk song lesson, students listen to the song "Guantanamera" and discuss the content. Students read articles on the poet and the songwriter and create a...
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Making a Rainstick
Students construct a rainstick. In this music lesson, students investigate the history of the rainstick by reading the book Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. Students express their feelings about the rain and create...
Curated OER
Extendable Bonko
Students create musical instruments to see how the length effects the pitch. For this Bonko activity, students use various size tubes to create a Bonko. Students experiment to observe the difference in the pitch.
Curated OER
A Day In the Life of a 4th/5th Grader
Learners design a photo essay. In this photo essay instructional activity, students take digital pictures of their daily activities such as their mode of travel to school, the lunchroom, their classroom and classmates. They choose the...
Curated OER
Making Music and Playing the Blues
Students research how musical instruments have changed over time. They discover how math is used in music. They describe musical instruments from photographs as well.
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Rock Music
Pupils create percussion instruments using limestone and other rocks. They use instruments to perform a song.
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The Vietnam War: Music of the Era
Students listen to famous songs of the Vietnam War Era. They complete a worksheet covering the ideas advocated/fought against therein.
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Flying with Pythagoras
A lengthy narrative about Pythagoras and his students precedes an activity in which your young mathematicians practice using the Pythagorean theorem to solve three problems about flight and distance. Answers are provided.
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Beat the Clock
Tired of wasting time trying to get your class to split up into groups? Engage in an activity to help your charges manage time. Learners reflect on a time they were left out or rejected, and then practice forming groups of three within...
Music Class
Sound Habits
Hear ye! Hear ye! Encourage your young keyboard/piano players to develop sound habits with a resource packet that introduces a dynamic learning method. The free sample lessons, part of a for-purchase program, are designed to be used in a...
Curated OER
Pop Tops
Get your class primed for a comparative analysis lesson plan with this activity. They compare and contrast their music preferences to those of their classmates. After reading an article, they identify current trends in popular music,...
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Covering the Issue
Examine how art and music can be powerful tools for conveying a political or social message. After considering the issues surrounding rapper Paris, young scholars design their own album covers that reflect their political and/or social...
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Oh, I Believe in Yesterday
Who is Aimee Mann? Read the New York Times article "P.S. I Loved You," included here, and have your readers answer a series of reading comprehension questions. Afterward, encourage your class to brainstorm ways in which they...
Curated OER
Short and Sweet Science
Readers learn how to summarize scientific text and evaluate the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges in writing summaries. They select science-related articles you've pulled and collected from the New York Times and, with a partner,...
Weekly Story Book
Folk Tales and Fables
Pages and pages of engaging activities, worksheets, and writing projects on teaching folktales and fables await you! You don't want to miss this incredible resource that not only includes a wide range of topics and graphic...
Curated OER
Weather: A Global Awareness Tour
Upper graders and middle schoolers make up a scenario of planning outdoor concert locations for their favorite musical group. They do this by looking into the weather patterns in a variety of tropical regions. They research where and...
Curated OER
Right About Now… and Then
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
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Understanding the Sociocultural Perspective
Enhance your understanding of basic principles and best teaching practices as they are viewed through a sociocultural lens.
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The Beat Goes On
Students take their own pulse before and after exercise as they explore how the heart works. They research various ways that heart disease is treated and suggest specific treatment methods for their own imaginary patients.
Curated OER
Teach Inventions with PowerPoint
Students research famous inventors and what they invented. In this technology instructional activity, students gather facts about a specific invention and create a PowerPoint slideshow about it. Students practice adding in animation and...
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Classroom Guide for the Redwall Series
Students participate in cross-curricular activities and readings to become familiar with the works of Brian Jacques. In this heroes lesson, students discuss the character traits of legends and how their characters develop through events...
Perkins School for the Blind
Making Choices
Here is an excellent and well-developed lesson intended to promote choice-making skills for learners with visual impairment and intellectual disabilities. It fosters choice-making skills through a soft version of discrete trial training,...
Curated OER
What Makes a Good Law?
Why were laws created? Spark a group discussion on why we need laws to co-exist. Should the sale of some things be outlawed on Sundays? Read a case summary between Target and the state of Minnesota that debated this issue. Ask your...