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Unit Plan
Washington University in St. Louis

Teaching Jazz as American Culture

For Students 6th - 12th
Jazz and the City, Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement, Jazz and Gender, Jazz and Literature, Jazz and the Arts, Jazz and Film. Here's a packet of unit plans organized around themes that reflect American culture. Each unit examines how...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A reading of Walter Dean Myers' "Harlem" sets the stage for studying the literature, art, and music of the Harlem Renaissance. The lesson begins with a review of the social, political, and economic conditions of the 1920s and 1930s that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Epic Improvisation

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Really? Rapping The Odyssey? Really. A discussion of the oral tradition of story telling and its links to Epic poetry sets the stage for a series of activities that encourage improvisation to integrate music into other classrooms....
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Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

Music Evokes Memories and Emotions

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Dim the lights, take a deep breath, and press play to explore the emotions and memories that music elicits. Class members begin using relaxation techniques designed to create a positive listening experience. As music plays, learners...
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Activity
Education.com

Pablo Picasso

For Teachers 1st - 8th
Introduce your class to one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. After reading a brief biography of Pablo Picasso, pupils create their own collages on the next page on the theme of music.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Thanksgiving

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
Introduce the basics of Thanksgiving with a language arts instructional activity. As pupils practice observation skills, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, they design paper turkeys by outlining their hands and feet and by singing an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Movies That Rock": Moulin Rouge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders explore musical film and the Bohemian lifestyle common in Europe during the turn of the century through the musical Moulin Rouge. After listening to (or viewing) songs from the movie, they discuss the Bohemian era and how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Imagine Poetry & Mural Lesson

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Readers of all ages can work together in groups to create original poetry on the theme of "Imagine," inspired by John Lennon's classic song. They also create a mural to illustrate their poetry. A beautiful lesson, inspired by a beautiful...
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Lesson Plan
Film English

Mixtape

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A short film about music is the inspiration for a well-sequenced lesson that includes discussion, group work, and writing. After the whole class converses about music, small groups write narratives about a still from the film. Pupils...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Paul Chan: 1st Light and 5th Light

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Paul Chan's latest exhibit includes seven manifestations of light. Today, kids analyze the pieces 1st Light  and 5th Light. They consider the concept of opposed or dualistic realities found in literature, society, and Chan's work. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Blues, B.B. King, Muddy Waters

For Teachers 6th - 9th
B.B. King and Muddy Waters are two of the most famous blues performers of all time. In this music lesson, middle schoolers study the early careers and lasting musical contributions of both artists, each of whom carried the blues on to...
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Lesson Plan
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Creative Competitions, Inc.

Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Fantastic Fairy Tale

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Learning about literature can be so much fun; it can also be made more accessible through projects and dramatic play. As they explore theme, character, and setting, the class gets creative and makes a dramatic recreation of a classic...
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Unit Plan
University of Kansas

Newspaper in the Classroom

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Newspapers aren't only for reading—they're for learning skills, too! A journalism unit provides three lessons each for primary, intermediate, and secondary grades. Lessons include objectives, materials, vocabulary, and procedure, and...
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Unit Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

The Metamorphosis

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
How can something be true even if it didn't happen? Invite your classes to investigate the truths found in the world of magical realism as they analyze short stories, poems, informational texts, video, and art from this genre.
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Lesson Plan
Weston Wood

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

For Teachers Pre-K - 4th Standards
Create a cross-curricular learning experience based on the children's book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat with this collection of learning activities. Starting with a class reading of the story, children go on to learn about the sequence...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Did you know that the Harlem Renaissance was also known as the New Negro Movement? This presentation is fully of interesting facts and pictures to help your class understand the literary movement and how these changes also affected music...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Affirmation, Assimilation, and Acculturation: Middle School

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Latin American culture is deeply embedded in American culture as a whole. From the Latin rock scene in San Francisco to the hip-hop world of New York, Latin American artists have influenced every genre of modern music. Learn about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birch Bark Biting

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders create birch bark biting art pieces. In this aboriginal art lesson, 5th graders produce art using birch bark. Students present their art pieces and explain their designs.
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Unit Plan
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Family Time: Extra Support Lessons (Theme 5)

For Teachers 2nd Standards
Provide extra support with a unit that follows a teach, blend, guided practice, and practice/apply routine to reinforce reading, grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills. Reading and writing lessons include supporting details, story...
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Lesson Plan2:52
Bierbaum Elementary School

Practicing Patience

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
As teachers, we have a lot of patience. Our scholars, on the other hand, may need some support. Give your pupils the emotional intelligence instruction they desire with a lesson designed to teach patience through grand conversation,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classical Music Connection-Popular Music - Connecting Pachelbel, Beethoven, and Mussorgsky to Disco and Rap

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students examine classical music and the "Art Rock" of 1967. They review classical themes in their original genre and discuss/analyze how pop musicians incorporate theses themes into a variety of pop music genres.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Music Styles - Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students describe some of the distinguishing characteristics of rock, folk, blues, and country music. They identify two main musical roots of today's American popular music.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Individuality: India Arie Music Video

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine individuality.  In this music video lesson, students listen to music by India Arie to determine how music shapes our ideas of what normal is as well as how music is a form of poetry.  Activities are related to Stargirl.