Curated OER
West Indies and The Caribbean: Sugar & Slavery
Students study the state of the world before the slave trade. They explain the geography and economics of the slave trade. They explore primary sources and how historians use these sources to create historical interpretations.
Curated OER
Finding and Gathering The News
Eighth graders discover what makes an event newsworthy. They research topics by using the five W questions. They examine the difference between facts and opinions and practice interviewing people for stories.
Curated OER
Reading and Writing About Boxing
Students analyze the life of Jack Johnson and his relationship with other boxers. They write about his life by using the same style as Muhammad Ali, his taunts and boasts using rhyming.
Curated OER
Birth and Early Childhood
Eighth graders read and compare creation stories of different cultures around the world. They identify and define the concept of the cycle of life and collect and analyze birth and childhood folk beliefs and stories in their families...
Curated OER
Music in South India-Kerala
Students identify various instruments and styles of music from South India-Kerala. In this music instructional activity, students discover main languages of South India and the Kathakali dance drama. Students discuss the types of singers...
Curated OER
Screening Coleridge’s Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy
Twelfth graders use music to aid them in interpreting poetry. In this poetry lesson, 12th graders analyze the lyrics, figurative language, and literary devices of selected music. Students compare the music to the poetry of Samuel...
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
American Music Styles: Blues - Lesson 2
Students describe some of the distinguishing characteristics of blues music. They compare and analyze two versions of the same 12-bar blues song. They read and identify notation symbols for rhythm and tempo.
Curated OER
Musical Chair Review
Learners play a simple game designed to reinforce letter names, sounds or sight words. They walk in a circle as music plays, and stop in front of a chair when the music stops. Each chair has a letter or sight word that the child must...
Curated OER
Performance into Art
Students explore two works of art of performance art. In this performance art lesson, students analyze performance art in the examples of Yves Klein and Joseph Beuys. Students complete image based discussion activities. Students research...
Curated OER
The Music and Message of Lauryn Hill
Students explore the music of artist Lauryn Hill and analyze the way she uses her music in a socially responsible manner. In this music artist lesson, students read the lyrics to Hill's songs and listen to some example songs. Students...
Curated OER
The History of Rock and Roll: Part 8 - The 70's Have a Nice Day - Lesson 2
Learners identify the characteristics and elements of large scale rock productions. They examine the similarities between the American Vaudeville shows and the large-scale rock theater productions of the 1970's.
Curated OER
Hip-Hop: A Journalist's View
Young scholars watch a CNN television news special about hip-hop and write a review. Using the internet, they investigate the pros and cons of the music while interviewing students on their opinions. They examine the growth of this type...
Curated OER
Clerihew Dances III, 4 and 5
Third graders relate dance movements to chants. They tap out the rhythm of poetry on different body parts.
Curated OER
Jazz's Beginnings
High schoolers examine jazz's roots and their hybridization in New Orleans in the early 20th century. They listen to ragtime and jazz recordings, then complete worksheets imbedded in this plan.
Curated OER
Leprechaun Legends
Explore the world of leprechauns. Learners do research on the folk tales, symbols, and characters found in Ireland's traditional stories, poetry, and music. They create a large, stand-up leprechaun to illustrate their knowledge about...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Comparing Cultural Dances
All cultures express similar thoughts, feelings, and ideas. But, often times those things are expressed differently. Learners compare and contrast traditional dances from two cultures. They watch videos of each performance, stop to...
EngageNY
Finding Evidence of Carl Hiaasen’s Perspective in Flush
Mix and mingle. Scholars travel around the room to music stopping to meet with a classmate when the music stops. They answer questions about Flush at each stop. Learners then work together to identify the evidence they used to determine...
Mississippi Whole School Initiative
Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Curated OER
Our Family and Age
Start by playing a song about numbers. "Sing, Dance, Laugh, and Eat Quiche" is suggested. Then, start counting things around the room. Introduce yourself, and have kids start to introduce themselves when they catch on to the vocabulary....
Curated OER
Sentence Structure: Avoiding Choppy, Run-on, and Stringy Sentences
Use this as a reference sheet for peer- or self-editing, or as a guide when teaching sentence structure. Defines and gives examples of choppy, run-on, and stringy sentences, and provides corrected versions of each. Check revised examples...
Curated OER
Studying The American Musical Theatre
Learners discover the group dynamics necessary to produce an American musical in this six day lesson. Themes and characterization techniques are explored during collaborative small group research projects.
Curated OER
Eckstine, Stayhorn, and the Dorseys: Masters of Swing
Learners explore the history of swing music. In this music history activity, students research the Dorsey Brothers, Billy Eckstine, and William Strayhorn to learn about swing music. Learners define swing, develop a timeline of events in...
Curated OER
Rap as a Modern Poetic Form
Learners write and listen to rap songs. They discover how common themes in rap are indicative of the problems, as well as the empowerments, that can be seen in our urban cultures today. They discover how rap is actually an evolution of...