Jazz's Beginnings

As Nick wanders the grounds of Gatsby's mansion, he observes the behaviors of the rowdy guests and listens to the music pouring over the lawn. Bring the music of the jazz age into the classroom with Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues,"...

Readers are introduced to biographical criticism in the opening lesson of a unit on The Great Gatsby. Class members listen to a 15-minute audio and read two articles that draw parallels between F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and the events...

Students examine the beginnings of jazz in New Orleans. They relate the music to the history and culture of the region. They also perform the music for their classmates.

Class members examine a series of primary and secondary source materials to try and ascertain the role films played in forming “a new generation of youth after World War I.” Individuals are assigned one of three documents to examine,...

Students compare and contrast the rhythms of marches and jazz. They watch an excerpt about Buddy Bolden from the PBS Ken Burns Jazz documentary, compare/contrast march and jazz rhythms, complete a worksheet, and notate and perform jazz...

Learners analyze the impact of jazz on the novel, "Invisible Man," by Ralph Ellison. They read and discuss excerpts of the novel, write an essay on the influence of jazz on Ralph Ellison as a writer, and view video excerpts on jazz...

In this online interactive literature activity, learners respond to 8 short answer and essay questions about Toni Morrison's Jazz. Students may check some of their answers online.

Students identify and connect themes of selected nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz. They compare and contrast historical and fictionalized versions of the jazz scenes of the Harlem Renaissance. They...

For this International Jazz Day worksheet, students complete activities such as reading a passage, phrase matching, fill in the blanks, correct words, multiple choice, spelling, sequencing, scrambled sentences, writing questions, survey,...

Students watch a segment of the PBS Ken Burns JAZZ documentary about Buddy Bolden creating the "Big Four." They compare and contrast the rhythms of marches and jazz based on the examples in the film, and explore notation, subdivision of...