Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 AIDS: A Pop Culture History Lesson 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine messages in popular music, and observe the musical elements of the Rhythm and Blues and Rap genres.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Survivors

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explain their understanding of their strength and how it is helpful in a group situation. They also complete graphic organizers by writing at least four of their own personal strengths. Students write about their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice -T's Rap School

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research the history of rap and gain an understanding of the components of rap music. They experience the correlation between Shakespeare's poetry and rap music of today.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Jury's Still Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine the trials and executions of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. In groups, they use the internet to research the impact of the executions in the shape of political cartoons and writings. They discuss an article to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use the music of Bruce Springsteen to learn literature techniques.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Utopian Visions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine Sir Thomas More's Utopian vision. In this philosophy lesson, students read Utopia and determine the pros and cons of Utopian societies. Students then create and present monologues of residents of the Utopia.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition: Corridos

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. In this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition lesson plan, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In addition,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Coldplay

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students listen to the music of Coldplay to explore the band.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sharing Your Music - Lesson 5

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars observe that music can communicate positive social messages. They create a theme concert with a positive social message after watching a video of famous artists playing on Sesame Street.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Types of Popular Music

For Teachers K - 8th
Students listen to different types of music, such as bluegrass, rap and blues. They identify different styles of music and musical instruments. They discuss how the music reflects culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Movie Music

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students discover film making by participating in a music performance.  In this performance arts lesson, students perform music and physical acting to convey an already written script for their peers.  Students collaborate with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman: Dancing on the Freedom Trail

For Teachers K - 4th
Students observe a dance interpretation about Harriet Tubman. In this art/social studies instructional activity, students explore how their emotions can be expressed through movement and create their own dance or dramatic interpretation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rap Music and Hip-Hop

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore rap and hip hop music. In this music and culture lesson, students experience the music of Will Smith in order to work on language and communication skills such as rhyming words, writing, and public speaking.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing the Boston Massacre to the Kent State Shootings

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the Boston Massacre to the Kent State shootings. In this compare and contrast lesson plan, students review what happened in each case and compare them using a Venn Diagram.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wyclef Jean for VH1 Storytellers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use recordings of Wyclef Jean's music to study and explore different styles and techniques.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars discuss the role of the rapper in Hip Hop music and how the rapper promoted their group's DJ. They compose a short rap about a fellow student highlighting that student's accomplishments and good traits.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson - Lesson 2

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners use appropriate terminology to describe the instrumentation and style of a musical example. They identify common elements between musical styles and vocal styles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Eerie Canal

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners discover bodies of water in the United States by investigating the Eerie Canal.  In this U.S. Geography lesson plan, students discuss Lake Eerie and the canal that was built in order to transport goods.  Learners...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Shakira, Lesson 2

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira. They research various foreign music styles and discuss how they influence American pop music today.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking the Monster: Ashley Judd and Indie.Arie Confront AIDS in Africa - Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students see how music and theatre deals with contemporary problems and issues. The sight-read new music and examine the musical, 'RENT.'
Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Poetry Lesson: Poems vs Lyrics

For Teachers 9th - 10th
After listening and analyzing song lyrics and, subsequently, doing the same analysis with poems, students will discover how similar song writing and poetry writing can be. Students will get their own chance to write a small version of...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: American Roots Music: Lesson One: Finding the Story in the Song

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students will identify and discuss themes expressed in song lyrics, analyze the social use and historical meaning of a song, and write a verse of a song drawing on contemporary events.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Poetry and Music Fun With Chris Daughtry

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This language arts lesson grabs students' attention by incorporating a popular musician. The lyrics to "Over You" include vivid language that makes identifying figures of speech intriguing. The students will identify similes, metaphors,...
Lesson Plan
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Hey, I Known That Song: Literary Analysis of Popular Music

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This PDF lesson plan uses the Lyrics to "I Was a Kaleidoscope" by Ben Gibbard and the song "I Was a Kaleidoscope" by Death Cab for Cutie to analyze the poem and determine its meaning.