Students connect the diversity of American culture to the music of Dave Matthews Band and then create lyrics that emphasize how diversity pertains to their own life.

Students read excerpts from the historian Conover Hunt writing about John F. Kennedy and from primary source documents using the handout: Historical Sources and Historians. Students discuss and identify source types, evaluate sources,...

Students listen to music composed in the 20th century and discuss varying interpretations. They play a contemporary piece of music and explore techniques available to a modern composer.

Learners watch the opera "La Boheme" and the movie "Moulin Rouge" to explore the similarities and differences between them.

Students study how the music of Dave Matthews Band is based on jazz, blues, bluegrass, rock and roll, and rap.

Students compare and contrast classical piano style with jazz piano style. They watch a segment of the video, "VH1 Driven: Jamie Foxx," participate in a class discussion of the music from the video, and develop a list of adjectives for...

Students watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira. They research various foreign music styles and discuss how they influence American pop music today.

Pupils are introduced to the various songwriting techniques of Paul McCartney. They explore and compare the basic melodic, harmonic, and lyrical tendencies of the different types of pop music.

Students 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 lyrics...

The orchestra plays the National Anthem and discusses their origin. Students listen to other nation's National Anthems, and discuss how they felt while listening. As the students play the National Anthem, the teacher sings. The students...

Students watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira. They identify the elements of Latin Pop-style music and identify the elements that make the singer Shakira unique.

Young scholars compare two versions of a song by two different artists and define "covering." students examine the longevity of recording artists.

Pupils compare two versions of song done as an original and as a cover. They attempt to arrange a pop song to show a different musical style.

Pupils examine the reasons and controversy regarding Sam Cooke's transition from gospel to pop.

Students examine musicians of the past and examine their music.

Students watch a video excerpt about the life of Kanye West. They draw connections between his life and their own and compose a rap song in the style of West, using his song, "Through the Wire" as an example.

Students examine American humor and character through analysis of works by Mark Twain. In this cross curricular lesson, students develop a definition of American humor and determine how and why some consider Twain the 'first truly...

Fourth graders make necklaces out of petroglyphs that they stamp into clay. In this petroglyphs lesson plan, 4th graders draw designs and explain where they come from as well.

Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...

High schoolers research how the development of the atomic bomb affected people in World War II, participate in a debate about the bomb's use, and investigate how it has affected people's lives since 1945.

Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...

Students examine the effects of war on civilians. In this Vietnam War lesson, students research and discuss the reasons the Vietnam War began, why America became involved, and what some of the long-term effects of this war were.

Students examine the aftermath of war. In this Vietnam War lesson, students consider the implications of war as they analyze the image Siege of An Loc, South Vietnam. Students discuss the causes of the war and the outcome prior to...

Students identify, analyze and explain examples of politcal satire. They discuss the role of political satire in the democratic process and create and present examples of political satire.