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A Call for Change
"Come gather round people, wherever you roam..." Bring the voice of Bob Dylan to your class with this lesson plan, which takes Dylan's song "The Times They Are A-Changing" and analyzes both the message and voice in the lyrics. Your class...
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Music of My Heart
Students view and discuss the movie, Music of the Heart. They compare/contrast two versions of the song, Music of My Heart, identify characteristics of heroes, and sing the song, Music of My Heart.
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Rap Music and Hip-Hop
Students explore rap and hip hop music. In this music and culture lesson, students experience the music of Will Smith in order to work on language and communication skills such as rhyming words, writing, and public speaking.
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Hearts and Partners
Tenth graders explore, examine and study poetry within a variety of different strategies within this lesson. They review and discuss a diagram of the big picture of why it's importance to study, analyze and deconstruct poetry, so that...
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M.C. Bard: Hip Hop and Shakespeare
Students compare lyrics from hip hop songs with monologues from Shakespeare's plays, and perform both for the class.
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Lesson 3: Behind the Movie Chicago
In small groups and then as a class, young musicians compare and contrast two pieces from the musical film Chicago. They pair up to look at the elements that make each piece similar and define the elements or arrangements that make...
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Hank Williams: My Inspiration
Students research information about Hank Williams using the internet. Using the lyrics from his songs, they interpret the poetry used. They work together and individually to write their own poems and interpret them.
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Music Education, The Blues
This lesson examines both the content and form of lyrics in blues songs. In addition to highlighting the basic musical form of a blues song, it also addresses the use of floating verses in blues music, both within the context of the...
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Using Rock to Teach Literary Devices: Jimi Hendrix “The Wind Cries Mary”
Students explore literary elements through music. In this figurative language lesson, students examine imagery and personification in "The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix.
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FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS
Students explore the rhythm instruments as part of a rhythm band to accompany the well-known poem, "Five Little Pumpkins." They study instrument names, playing techniques, and playing at the appropriate time. They study how to perform a...
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Jazz Talk
Students analyze the origins of jazz music by examining work songs, spirituals, blues, and gospel songs as well as works of poetry from African American artists. They create their own poems from either the narrative, dramatic, or lyric...
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Poetic Analysis
Students write a poetic analysis on a poem by Carl Sandburg. They take their previous knowledge of poetic devices and apply them to a piece of writing that displays their knowledge on a specific poem. They explain what they know about a...
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Langston Hughes and the Blues
Learners explore the connections between Langson Hughes and blues music. For this African American culture lesson, students compare and contrast blues music with poetry and short stories by Langston Hughes.
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The Jury's Still Out
Students examine the trials and executions of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. In groups, they use the internet to research the impact of the executions in the shape of political cartoons and writings. They discuss an article to...
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Ice -T's Rap School
Students research the history of rap and gain an understanding of the components of rap music. They experience the correlation between Shakespeare's poetry and rap music of today.
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Black and Blue: Jazz in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
High schoolers analyze the impact of jazz on the novel, "Invisible Man," by Ralph Ellison. They read and discuss excerpts of the novel, write an essay on the influence of jazz on Ralph Ellison as a writer, and view video excerpts on...
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Stylistic Devices
Students review connotation and denotation and stylistic devices in poetry. They read the lyrics to a song as it is being played and then discuss the meaning of the song. As a class, students read poems, share their thoughts, and...
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Geo Jammin' - Day 2, Lesson 6: Rhyme and Reason
Learners listen to the poem "Shapes" by Shel Silverstein in order to accurately and specifically describe shapes' rules/traits in their journals. They illustrate the poem and take turns reading during a creative shared reading session.
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Through My Eyes...How I See Relationships
In this relationships worksheet, students read shorts stories about relationships and then analyze the relationships in their own lives. Students then tell a visual story about their relationships using photographs from their lives.
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MG Industrial Revolution
Eighth graders identify advancements made during the Industrial Revolution. Through listening to songs and reading other passages, 8th graders explore the working conditions of children during the Industrial Revolution. They examine...
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P.O.W.: Products of War
Tenth graders are introduced to concepts of war through musical lyrics. They demonstrate and understanding of the role of segregation in US military policy and practice.
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Reflections and Revisions
Students reflect upon and express affective and cognitive learning experience as a result of a direct service experience. In this service learning lesson, students examine and analyze symbolism portrayed in literature and its...
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Jack and the Beanstalk
Young scholars create a creative interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk. In this artistic expression lesson, students paint the stages of the beanstalk plant as a storyboard and create song about how the seed is growing.
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Storytellers: Dave Matthews Band
Young scholars listen to the music of the Dave Matthews Band in order to discuss and analyze the lyrics. They examine how the songs are presented and determine if the Dave Matthews Band does a good job of presenting the meaning of the...