Slave Code Songs

Students consider slave culture during the time of Andrew Jackson. In this lesson on slavery, students watch a PowerPoint presentation, take notes, then analyze an extensive list of primary sources in order to understand what and how...

Should a teacher be allowed to "secede" from a school with his/her class and start a new program within the school? This question will guide your young historians as they learn about the road to secession prior to the Civil War in the...

Young historians discover how slaves brought to America were active in their resistance to their enslavement, and work to dispel the typical stereotype of slaves as docile and passive peoples through discussion, notes, and a role-playing...

Music and culture are intimately linked. Ask your learners to find connections between jazz and the culture of the 1920s though a jigsaw activity and writing assignment. All pupils read one of three articles and get together in mixed...

Use best-teaching practices to discuss the practices and implications of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here you'll find a detailed lesson plan involving a variety of collaborative and engaging components, including image analysis,...

"Follow the Drinking Gourd," "Clementine," "Over There," "Dust Bowl Blues." The Underground Railroad, the California Gold Rush, World War I, the Great Depression. Groups examine the lyrics of these and other songs to find reflections of...

Students examine resources on slave spirituals. They answer questions that connect the text to song. They read exerpts from the "Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass.

Learners identify, summarize and present facts about cultural, educational and political inequalities of Reconstruction, explain hidden codes of slave spirituals and their importance in slaves' communication, and create poetry based on...

Students are introduced to African-American music history through this lesson. They begin their study by taking a look at the slave work song and work their way through to modern rap and hip-hop. Students also take a closer look at...

Students investigate communication by analyzing lyrics from a song. In this music arts lesson, students discuss slavery, the Underground Railroad and African American traditions while listening to a song called "This Train." Students...