An American Ballad - Lesson 1

Take poetry off the page and put it into terms of movement, physical space and, finally, music with this series of three lessons from the Smithsonian Institution. This resource introduces students to two poetic forms that originated as...

Here's a must-have resource for your Vietnam War curriculum file. Class members view a PowerPoint that details the background of the conflict and then examines the reasons for and the effects of protest songs on American attitudes toward...

Traditional Irish music can bring even the most stoic audience to tears. This St. Patrick's Day, explore the lilting flutes and mournful ballads of the Emerald Isle with a interactive and inspiring music activity.

A six-week unit takes high schoolers through various works of African-American literature, including poems, plays, and short stories. The lesson plan format includes a week-by-week description of activities, goals, materials, and...

Eleventh graders examine political, cultural, and social movements through music. In this 1960s American history instructional activity, 11th graders explore the music of the decade in order to better understand the complexity of the...

Students compose song as a classroom effort. They write a one-paragraph essay about "message" songs in 100 years and include three ideas for topics along with the style of music (such as folk, rock, blues, rap, etc.) that would match.

Students practice singing a traditional Oneida song. They discuss the meaning in both the English and Oneida languages and how the words to this song demonstrate important feelings for the Oneida people.

Students listen to the song, Get Together, and discuss the theme. They list topics that bring people together, write the lyrics to and sing a class song, and write a paragraph about message songs.

Young scholars perform "Fifty States in Rhyme" with correct posture, correct rhythms, and accurate pitches. They also identify and perform such musical terms as tone color, tempo, dynamics, phrases, and accents. Emphasis is placed on the...

This is a site devoted to the life and times of the African American poet Margaret Walker. Among the numerous links found on the page are links to full texts of 16 poems, questions from an audience, a panel's discussion of her poetry, a...