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Words/Music/Images: Interpretation and Meaning A Motivational Activity
Students explore popular music in its historical context. In this music instructional activity, students examine the lyrics, musicical arrangement, and video imagery of selected songs to interpret the messages and themes of the...
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De Colores
Students listen to the song, De Colores, and list the colors heard in the song. They create murals, describe the murals in Spanish, and describe how colors change their endings according to the nouns they modify.
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
Students listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and repeat what they have heard. They discuss the significance of the story and how it relates to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They observe a map of areas in the...
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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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Boosting Rap's Rep
Students consider the negative image that some have of rap and hip-hop music through discussion and reading an opinion piece from The New York Times. They create CD cover artwork reflecting these messages.
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You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone: The Changing American Landscape
Young scholars examine the changing American landscape. In this cause and effect lesson, students listen to rock music that exemplifies urban growth in America and the interconnectedness of America today. Young scholars write cause and...
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Helping Others
Students explore community service. In this character development and community lesson, students sing a song based on the fable The Lion and the Mouse. Students participate in a discussion about kindness, and generate ideas for...
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Jack and the Beanstalk
Students 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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Tupac Poem Lesson Plan
Students brainstorm what they know about Tupac. In groups, they divide the statements into good and bad and read "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" about Tupac's life. To end the lesson, they answer questions about the meaning of the...
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Storytellers: Coldplay
Learners discover the importance of lyrics in the successful combination of music and words in the process of composing a song. They discuss how emotion-based lyrics influence the creative aspects in composing a song.
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Connecting to Colonial Music
Students listen to songs from the French and Indian War period. They answer questions about the song and identify any historical terms. They examine the role of music in their own lives.
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You've Got to be Taught to Hate and Fear
Students explore themes of prejudice and acceptance. In this character education lesson, students listen and respond to several fiction books, poems, and lyrics with a similar theme. Students locate articles with the main idea of...
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Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, The Minstrels
Pupils explore "Stairway to Heaven". In this music history lesson, students examine the music and lyrics of the Led Zeppelin song. Pupils compare the song to Renaissance madrigal music.
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Understanding Past and Present Labor Injustice through Music
Students explore early 19th century labor conditions through the use of period songs. In this tolerance lesson, students listen to period songs and respond. Students write their own song that protests unfair and dangerous working...
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Bob Marley - Legend Episode #3 - Lesson 1
Students recognize and describe elements of Bob Marley's life that influenced his song writing as evidenced in the song "No Woman No Cry". They identify the elements of music characteristic of Reggae.
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Screening Coleridge’s Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy
Twelfth graders use music to aid them in interpreting poetry. In this poetry lesson, 12th graders analyze the lyrics, figurative language, and literary devices of selected music. Students compare the music to the poetry of Samuel...
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Peer Pressure
Eleventh graders analyze the social impact media plays in relation to peer pressure. In this peer pressure lesson, 11th graders listen to Afroman's "Lets All Get Drunk" and read the lyrics. Students write about the song and view a party...
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Intro to the Cold War
Eleventh graders examine the Cold War. In this American History lesson, 11th graders develop answers to comprehension questions about the song "We Didn't Start the Fire". Students write a persuasive essay at the end of the...
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The Music and Message of Lauryn Hill
Pupils explore the music of artist Lauryn Hill and analyze the way she uses her music in a socially responsible manner. In this music artist lesson, students read the lyrics to Hill's songs and listen to some example songs. Pupils...
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Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America
Students listen to and discuss the characteristics of Motown music. They recognize Motown music by its titles.
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Tradition through storytelling and music
Learners discover how storytelling can shape a person's tradition.Students examine different methods of storytelling such as music, biographies, and African folktales. They then demonstrate their knowledge of storytelling by writing...
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No Path Without Pain
Students analyze the message of John Lennon's "Imagine." In this promoting peace lesson, students complete a cloze activity on the song and discuss its meaning. Students then write their own versions of "Imagine."
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Feminism Does Not Have to be an F-Word
Students analyze social activism messages in music. In this feminism lesson, students explore selected music that expresses sentiments voiced in the women liberation movement in the United States. Students compare the lyrics of the songs...
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Subject-Verb Agreement
Young scholars explore subject-verb agreement. They read sentences on the board and fill in a correct subject and verb. Using Lil' Boooie's lyrics, students correct the wrong subject-verb agreements in the lyrics. Time permitting,...