Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Teacher Tools: African Arts and Music Lesson Plans

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Explore the world of African Art and Music when you check out this lesson plan. This site features learning objectives, activities and more.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian: National Museum of African Art

For Students 9th - 10th
A fabulous resource for students and teachers interested in African art! Click any of the icons to search for a specific artifact, or just browse their collection.
Unit Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of African Art: Activity Room

For Students 3rd - 8th
Come discover Madagascar--its geography, animals, music and language. Test your current knowledge and learn new things too.
Website
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Arts and Humanities: Art of Africa

For Students 9th - 10th
A landing page for a course on African art found in regions and in individual countries.
Activity
Other

Dayton Art Institute an African Slit Gong

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Art and music are very much related. In fact, the African culture often times designed fun looking instruments like the gong on this website. Includes directions on how to make your own gong.
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Gullah Music

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video segment from EGG: the arts show, visit Sapelo Island, an island in Georgia inhabited by descendants of African slaves.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Nm Af A: Audible Artworks: Selected African Musical Instruments

For Students 9th - 10th
Five traditional African musical instruments are highlighted at this Smithsonian site: two types of drums, the thumb piano (mucapata), harp, and whistles. Includes historical facts about the instruments.
Website
Other

African Cultural Center: Culture

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Look closely at the foods, music, folktales and art work of the African culture.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of African Art: Music of Madagascar

For Students 9th - 10th
Listen to a contemporary style of music from Madagascar, called "salegy," which blends the musical traditions of Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Indonesia.
Handout
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.

New Georgia Encyclopedia: Blues Music: Overview

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview and definition of blues music that developed in the southern United States in the early nineteenth century. Performers from Georgia include Ray Charles, Ma Rainey, Little Richard, and the Allman Brothers.
Website
PBS

Pbs: Sweet Old Song (The Music of Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong)

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about and listen to jazz, blues, folk, and country musician Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong and his roots in America's musical past. "Sweet Old Song" tells the story of the music and art partnership between Armstrong and his...
Graphic
Other

Rhapsodies in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance

For Students 9th - 10th
An online exhibit of representative art from the Harlem Renaissance.
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Understanding Poetry of Maya Angelou Through Rap Lyric

For Teachers 9th - 10th
By examining the lives and lyrics of popular, positive black female rappers such as Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill, students can trace a direct line back to the inspirational writer and poet, Maya Angelou. Rap lyrics will help explicate...
Website
Other

Black History Canada : The Arts

For Students 9th - 10th
An informative look at the influence of African music in Canada.
Article
Other

Brand South Africa: The a to Z of South African Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
Presented as an ABC list of cultural features of South Africa. Each letter links to a topic, and each topic has a paragraph with a link to more in-depth, and often fascinating, information about that topic, and about the history of South...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: A New African American Culture

For Students 5th - 8th
All immigrants to America bring a part of their homeland with them. The same was true of slaves. See how vocabulary, arts, and music were knit into American culture.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Math + Arts: Drum Beating & Foot Stomping

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
In this lesson, students watch African dance and calculate tempo. Students also calculate heart beats at rest and after exercise and convert beats per second to beats per minute. Media resources and teacher materials are included.
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Anacostia Museum: The Renaissance: Black Art of the Twenties

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides an informative description of the "Black Arts of the Twenties," which was better known as the Harlem Renaissance. Learn about the culture, art, music, and writings of this period.
Website
Other

The History Makers

For Students 9th - 10th
Thehistorymakers.com features the stories of African Americans who have succeeded and made achievements in the areas of art, business, education, law, politics, science, religion, and sports. There is a great timeline of African American...
Lesson Plan
Lin and Don Donn

Lin and Don Donn: Africa Lesson Plans

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A large collection of lesson plan links, including links to video clips, stories and folk tales, games, PowerPoints, and clip art.
Graphic
Curated OER

African Video Clips

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Several videos which show the processes of how adinkra cloth and glass beads are made. Also includes a few videos on African dance and music.
Graphic
Curated OER

African Video Clips

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Several videos which show the processes of how adinkra cloth and glass beads are made. Also includes a few videos on African dance and music.
Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Mahalia Jackson

For Students 9th - 10th
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1998 to commemorate Mahalia Jackson, known as the "Queen of Gospel Music". With a short biographical passage.
Handout
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: Duke Ellington

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource features a brief biography about big band leader Duke Ellington. It includes some audio and video clips of his music.