Considering a unit study of American Musical Theatre? What better way to start than at the very beginning. Eight pairs of cards provide class members with background information about the genre from 1893 through 2004. The cards are queued to the videos in the Broadway: The American Musical Playlist.

Concepts

musical theater, vaudeville, the 1920s, the great depression

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Additional Tags

visual and performing arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the cards and first video in the playlist to launch a unit study of American Musical Theatre

Classroom Considerations

• The A card in each of the eight sets focuses on how the social issues of that time period are reflected in the musicals, while the B Card includes lyrics that show that focus
• Laminate the cards to permit reuse
• The average time for the videos in the playlist is 20 minutes

Pros

• The cards include discussion question and activities that direct attention to how social concerns are reflected in the lyrics of the songs

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2