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Humpty Dumpty
Learners practice submerging their faces and heads in the water and blow bubbles when learning to swim. They practice this to the song of Humpty Dumpty.
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The Freeze
Students perform a list of warm-up exercises, choosing from those they are already familiar with. They then choose one activity and exercise to music from Greg and Steve's The Freeze", until the song stops. Another student then selects...
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"Escuela" Debate
Students observe a documentary on "Escuela" to explore the life and education of migrant families. After discussing the related topics in the movie, students share their conclusions migrant farmworkers. Using the Internet and other...
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Rhythmic Dancing
Fourth graders practice expressing themselves through the art of dance. For this physical education lesson, 4th graders discuss choreography and how moving specific ways at certain times can be artistic. Students create and...
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Patriotic Music: Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue
Learners examine the patriotic songs of the 1940's and compare them to those of today. They identify elements that classify a song as patriotic, listen to several examples and complete Venn diagrams contrasting different examples.
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Respect, Cooperation
First graders listen to the Rainbow Fish and sing the song We Are Crayons and list. In this respect and cooperation lesson, 1st graders answer questions about things that make them special. Students write something that makes them...
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All Mixed Up
Learners explore the emergence of bootlegs, also known as 'mash-ups' (the combination of two songs into one), on the Internet. By researching the musical origins of songs and creating and performing their own bootlegs, students gain a...
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Tee-Hee T.V.
Young scholars examine the concept of satire by reading lyrics to a song and reading "Soap and the Campus: A Web-Site Spoof Succeeds." They create treatments for parodies based on current television shows.
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Harriet Tubman
Students sing the song "Harriet Tubman" by Walter Robinson. In this African-American history lesson, students review code words that were used during the slave trade and listen to the song "Harriet Tubman". Students create movements to...
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“Home on the Range”
Fourth graders analyze the song "Home on the Range" and identify its meaning and setting. In this timeline and retelling instructional activity, 4th graders use dictionaries to find definitions of unfamiliar words, create a...
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Define My Own Destiny: Using Arrested Development and Lauryn Hill to Teach Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun
Literary themes don't just belong to literature. High schoolers listen to the lyrics of modern songs by Arrested Development, Lauryn Hill, and others to enhance their study and to connect to characters, conflicts, and themes of...
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iRock
Learners explore, listen to and analyze songs that helped define rock and roll music. They read and discuss the article, "They're All Oldies, Dad Included." Research on contemporary artists is conducted and then the students choose who...
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Call and Response Singing
Learners investigate call and response singing. In this fine arts and U.S. history lesson, students listen to several call and response songs that were sung by African-American slaves during the period before the Civil War. ...
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Students explore the concept of self-respect. In this character education lesson, students listen to the original "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" story and listen to the song. Students discuss the meaning of the word underdog and the...
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Can You Compose?
Fourth graders investigate musical notes. In this music lesson, 4th graders compose a short song while clapping the rhythm and singing the syllables using the appropriate notes or rests.
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Mixed Blessings
Students investigate the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. They further investigate the notions of constitutionality and separation between church and state by analyzing a patriotic...
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Consumer Fraud
Students create consumer fraud reports from given topic list, including visuals and a song.
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Twinkle, Twinkle Traffic Light
Students practice traffic rules. In this traffic rules lesson, students gain knowledge about the colors of traffic lights and their meanings. Students sing a song about traffic lights.
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Transportation Unit
Students maintain a journal and write about various types of transportation. In this transportation lesson, students write using flash cards to describe vehicles. Students listen to stories and sing a song...
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History, African Americans, The Blues
This lesson plan 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...
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Student Composers with Music Ace
Students compose short compositions using Doodle Pad. In this Musical composition lesson, students a clef and note lines to prior knowledge of the treble clef and note lines to write short songs on the computer. Students use...
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A Quilt of Many Colors
First graders learn the "Quilt Song." They brainstorm items they could draw that would remind them of the person in the song. Students work in groups to complete a "Person Outline" page (included with the lesson). They draw one part of...
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Trip to a Nursing Home
Students participate in a field trip to a nursing home. In this character education lesson, students visit a local nursing home and bring the residents cards or crafts that they made.
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Class Activities for the Last Week of School
The last week of school can be a time to have students engage in some fun, and educational, activities.