Curated OER
"Uncle Sam's Got Himself in a Terrible Jam": Protest Music and the Vietnam War
"And it's one, two, three...what are we fighting for?" Use music to assess the climate of protest during the Vietnam War, listening to and analyzing Country Joe MacDonald's "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" (lyrics included)....
Curated OER
Protest Music of the 60's
Students demonstrate their knowlege about protest music of the late sixties by creating miniature protest signs.
Curated OER
Understanding the Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Students examine protest music and songs from the Civil Rights movement. In this music of the Civil Rights era activity, students listen to selected music before working in groups to determine who the music was directed at, what social...
Curated OER
Man in Conflict - Vietnam and Literature
Eleventh graders analyze the lyrics of protest music. In this Vietnam War lesson, 11th graders examine conflict as they consider the controversial nature of the war as evidenced in song lyrics. Students also consider the Iraq War and its...
PBS
Pbs: Independent Lens: Strange Fruit: Protest Music Past and Present
Listen to audio clips of songs of protest from eight eras of U.S. history. Explore the lyrics, learn about the songwriters, and gather background information on the music that served and continues to serve as a catalyst for thought,...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: The Making of Dead Man Walking (Classroom Content)
Go directly to two lesson plans developed by the producers of the PBS documentary "The Making of Dead Man Walking" about an opera based on the work of Helen Prejean. Use the lessons to help students examine how art and music can define...
PBS
Pbs: American Roots Music
If teaching a unit about the history of popular music in America, this PBS web site supporting their four-part TV broadcast of a few years ago would make a great resource. Includes lesson plans and oral histories too.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Collaboration of Sites, Sounds: Wikis to Catalog Protest Songs
This lesson makes a connection to popular culture by asking young scholars to research and analyze contemporary and historic protest songs and to catalogue them in a class wiki.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Students "Sit" for Civil Rights
Read the book, "Freedom on the Menu" about the Greensboro Sit-Ins and use the background information and follow up activities provided to enhance the story.
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Pete Seeger Lesson Plans: Abiyoyo
Use this resource to learn more about Pete Seeger who sings about struggle and courage. This site provides links to lesson plans, resources and more.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Music: A Vehicle for Wartime Protest
In this lesson, young scholars will examine music during wartime protests. Students will analyze a wartime protest song and present it to the class. Includes a PowerPoint presentation discussing music as a primary source and links to...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: February One (Lessons on the Greensboro Sit in of 1960)
Find two lesson plans developed for a PBS documentary about the Greensboro Four, whose sit-in at a whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter was a key event in the unfolding history of the civil rights movement. The lessons ask students to...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: "You Better Leave Segregation Alone" (Audio Clip)
Review this audio clip of a civil rights protest song that had a big impact on public opinion and that turned the tables on pro-segregationist whites.
Other
Pop and Rock Music in the 60s: A Brief History
This site has an web-article of the origins of 60s rock. Sections include "The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll," "The 1960's Begin," "The British Invade," and "1968 & 1969: The Unraveling." Also includes a bibliography section called...
PBS
Pbs: Frontline: The Ira and Sinn Fein: Poetry: "The Foggy Dew"
A favorite of Irish nationalists from the time that it was written (1919), "The Foggy Dew" is an example of a traditional ballad inspired by one of the most significant events in Ireland's long struggle with Britain: the 1916 Easter Rising.