Lesson Plan
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Using Shanties to Create Lyrics

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students demonstrate an understanding of shanties, a traditional music form. They listen to several shanties and create their own verses to add on to these songs. They express their feelings through music by using rhythm and rhyme to...
Lesson Plan
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Ancient Music Recreated in Scotland

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Young scholars read, analyze and critique a newspaper article about ancient musical tunes that have been found in a church in Scotland. They assess key vocabulary terms found within the article and compose lyrics for a song after...
Lesson Plan
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Musical Moments

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students listen to a song in popular culture. Using the lyrics, they identify the theme and share their conclusions with the class. While listening to the song again, they complete a worksheet along with defining new vocabulary words. ...
Lesson Plan
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Re-Name That Tune

For Teachers K - 5th
Students select a familiar children's tune and redesign it by rewriting the lyrics, writing a play, a dance, a storybook or a puppet show. Students work in groups and share their finished project with their classmates.
Lesson Plan
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Know Yourself

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the events of the  Holocaust.  In this cross curriculum lesson, 11th graders examine the differences between prejudice and discrimination.  Students read various forms of literature and write...
Lesson Plan
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You Bleed, You Learn?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Jump back into the 90s with Alannis Morissette's song "You Learn." After hearing the song, small groups analyze the lyrics and write an essay about a mistake they've learned from. Use the example sentences to identify the denotative and...
Activity
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Your pupils are beginning their research project and are having a hard time narrowing their topics down. If you’re not sure how to help them, then start here. Provided is a student dialogue that works though the issues of narrowing a...
Lesson Plan
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A Comparative Study of the Civil Rights Movement & the Grassroots Hip Hop Movement

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify, research, and discuss similarities between the Civil Rights Movement and the grassroots hip hop movement in America.
Lesson Plan
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Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson - Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
young scholars create song lyrics for two verses and one chorus. They compare their song writing process to the process described by ie Nelson and Sheryl Crow.
Lesson Plan
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25 Greatest Protest Songs - Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the lyrics of protest songs as a catalyst for social change. They discuss the influence of music on behavior and explain the use of music as a means of self-expression.
Lesson Plan
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DIGITAL WATERWORKS

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students add digitally-produced, water sound effects to a song, using electronic keyboards.
Lesson Plan
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Impervious Surfaces

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students compose personal mission statements that express their personal beliefs about their responsibility to the environment.
Lesson Plan
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Earth Day for a Small World

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore what it means to be a good steward of the environment. In this Earth Day lesson, students create watercolor pictures of how to take care of the earth. They brainstorm ideas for an Earth Day project.
Lesson Plan
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Breaking the Code: Actions and Songs of Protest

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students listen to and discuss the purpose of protest music. They analyze an editorial cartoon related to Jim Crow and read questions from the literacy tests given to African-Americans. They work together to write a song about the...
Lesson Plan
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The Element of Color

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study and analyze the elements of color by creating an personalized color wheel. Emphasis is placed on constructive criticism of student work by others for assessment. Students create short poems for their color wheel...
Lesson Plan
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Why Does It Matter? Teaching Tolerance in an Unforgiving Society

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students listen to the song "Scarecrow" by Melissa Etheridge and draw what they think the song is about. They discover the song is about a man who was attacked. They again express their feelings about the song through drawing. Finally...
Lesson Plan
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Songs of Unrest - Lesson 4

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify popular songs from 1968 and make connections with the year's current events. They pretend that they are producing a new CD. The CD includes four songs that comment on today's social issues. They write the liner notes.
Lesson Plan
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"I" On Philanthropy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read children's literature and listen to song lyrics to identify acts of philanthropy. They discuss how one's identity can be shaped by helping others. They also focus on the non-profit sector.
Lesson Plan
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Show and Teach

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders write "how to" sequences for tasks so that another person can follow the sequence to perform the action. They write a "show and teach" once a month for evaluation.
Lesson Plan
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Inter-City Jazz Songbook Project

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Students choose a city with famous musical highlights and create a tourist brochure.
Lesson Plan
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Under Joni Mitchell's Influence

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view the AMERICAN MASTERS entitled Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind, examine the concept of influence, and explore how Joni Mitchell and her work have influenced others. Students read, interpret, and analyze her lyrics by...
Lesson Plan
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Trash or Treasure?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore their experiences and reflect on how one person can make a difference in our world. In this service learning lesson plan, students analyze themes in music related to encouragement. Young scholars perform a service...
Activity
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Romeo and Juliet Project: A Perfect Album Side

For Teachers 7th - 12th
In this Romeo and Juliet worksheet, students combine music, lyrics, and drama to analyze Romeo and Juliet. Students select music to fit the theme, mood, and feeling of each act and research the lyrics. Students compose an essay about why...
Lesson Plan
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Strike Up the Band

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create song lyrics celebrating the history of labor unions serving the entertainment industry, then create posters illustrating the importance of each union to the industry they represent.