Curated OER
Jazz Music and the Crisis Over School Desegregation
High schoolers will learn to appreciate the civil rights movement with a focus on Little Rock, Arkansas. They will also acknowledge Louis Armstrong's unparalleled contributions to American music.
Curated OER
What Is the Attraction of the 1950s?
Fifth graders, using HyperStudio or PowerPoint, select the ten most important events that happened in the 1950s.
Curated OER
1950's Scavenger Hunt
Young scholars encounter how to work together as a group to accomplish a common goal. They gain more experience in doing research using library reference materials as well as internet sources. Each group is responsible for making a...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America - Lesson 2
High schoolers identify general business terms such as entrepreneur, corporation, marketing, demographic, promotion and distribution. They identify many Black music industry leaders and their contributions.
Curated OER
1950's Rock and Roll
High schoolers complete an Individual Artist Information Sheet on famous 1950's Rock and Roll musician. They read one of the chapeters on "Elvis Pressley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Rockabilly, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Everly Brothers,...
Curated OER
1950’s American Culture: Television, Fashion, and Music
Sixth graders investigate the impact of popular culture on Americans. In this 1950's America lesson, 6th graders view television clips, listen to audio clips, and look over fashion photographs from the decade. Students then discuss...
Curated OER
Levittown, Automobiles, and Cultures of the 1950's
Young scholars investigate the impact of the automobile on Americans. In this 1950's America lesson, students listen to audio clips, read about Levittown, and explore the Interstate Highway Act from the decade. Young scholars then...
Curated OER
Jazz and Math: Rhythmic Innovations
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...
Curated OER
Sondheim: Voice of Cultural Change
Students explore Stephen Sondheim's contributions to musical theatre in the context of the dramatic cultural shift that occurred in American life in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
Curated OER
Jazz in America Lesson Plan 6
Students survey bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop. They explore how bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop reflected American culture and society in the 1940s and 1950s.
Curated OER
Baby Boom and the Culture of the 1950's
Students study the ripple effect of the baby boom generation on history and on their lives today. They discover how the rules and conformity of the 1950's set the stage for the rebellious, anti-establishment sixties. They study the...
Curated OER
Moog's Musical Revolution
Students explore history of technological advances in making, recording, and listening to music that have intrigued and inspired musicians and scientists for decades.
Curated OER
Rock n' Rollin in the '50s
High schoolers explore the culture of the United States in the 1950's. In this history lesson, students research culture in the 1950's, with a focus on fashion, music, television, automobiles, etc., then work in groups to create a...
Curated OER
The History of Rock and Roll: Part 10 - Up From the Underground - Lesson 1
Students discuss the effect music videos have had on the role of the music. They examine how developments in technology have effected the music industry.
Curated OER
Visual Art and Music
Young scholars examine how pop art compliments music. For this arts lesson, students explore the elements of pop art and replicate those elements in their own piece of art.
Curated OER
True Music
Eleventh graders research a given decade in US History. In this American History instructional activity, 11th graders interview a person who lived during the decade to gain a personal perspective on it. Students rehearse and...
Curated OER
Expressions of Anti-Racism through Painting: The Puerto Rican Community from West Side Story to Connecticut
Learners create a graffiti wall using their own name or personal symbol. They examine their own understanding of the film as a source of inspiration and listen to the music from the soundtrack as an effective motivation. They make...
Curated OER
Jazz In America - Lesson Plan 6
Fifth graders explore cool jazz and how it reflected American culture in the 1940's and 1950's.
Curated OER
American Pop Icons
Learners analyze art and decide if the images are an attempt to celebrate or criticize American Popular Culture of the fifties and sixties and discuss how successful "Pop Art" mirrored society. Students also discuss the difference...
Curated OER
Baby Boom and the Culture of the 1950's
Eleventh graders explain the causes, course, and consequences of the United States' role in World War II.
Curated OER
The Cold War in Popular Music
Students analyze pop culture songs to identify cold war themes and chart. They comprehend and explain why the Cold War took place and ended and assess its significance as a 20th century event. Students conduct a song analysis of the...
Curated OER
A New Twist on Race Relations
Learners analyze the impact of American Bandstand on race relations. In this race relations instructional activity, learners use the music and dance show American Bandstand to learn about race relations. Learners categorize pivotal...
Curated OER
Romare Bearden's The Dove - A Meeting of Vision and Sound
High schoolers explore African american culture of the late 1950's and 60's through various primary sources including literature, music, art and others. They then prepare and conduct a mock interview and present with the class.
Curated OER
History, African Americans, The Blues
This lesson enables teachers to use blues music to explore the history of African Americans in the 20th century. By studying the content of blues songs, students can learn about the experiences and struggles of the working-class...