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African American Music: Let’s Sing and Play Clapping Games Lesson PlanAfrican American Music: Let’s Sing and Play Clapping Games Lesson Plan
Publisher
Smithsonian Institution
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
K - 2nd
Subjects
Social Studies & History
3 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Duration
2 days
Instructional Strategies
Collaborative Learning
3 more...
Technology
Audio
Internet Access
Usage Permissions
Fine Print: Educational Use
Lesson Plan

African American Music: Let’s Sing and Play Clapping Games

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This African American Music: Let’s Sing and Play Clapping Games lesson plan also includes:
  • "Town Talk" by George Hicks
  • "Long John" by Ella Jenkins
  • Activity
  • Join to access all included materials

Two lessons focus on making a beat. Using popular African American music of its time, scholars listen and analyze the rhythm then recreate it with hands drums, and cups. 

113 Views 72 Downloads

Concepts

african american culture, african american history, african americans, music beats, music history, music appreciation, music styles, Music, rhythm, rhythm patterns, clapping, black history month, slavery, slave culture

Additional Tags

visual and performing arts

Instructional Ideas

  • Work Songs are engrained in the history of slavery—add information to cover the subject more thoughtfully
  • Locate additional songs that have a strong beat for pupils to hear, and follow along to, with their musical instruments
  • Collaborate with the school's music teacher, or a parent who's expertise is in music, to add to the music-related information shared

Classroom Considerations

  • The lesson's focus is on music application, not so much the history
  • Requires hand drums and cups

Pros

  • Participants have ample opportunity for movement
  • The lesson plan is written in detail

Cons

  • In lesson two, relating Working Songs to a non-BIPOC's own experiences is problematic as it minimizes the true history of the music

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