Lesson Plan
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Louis Armstrong

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
In this reading comprehension worksheet students read a biography of jazz musician Louis Armstrong. Students answer 6 questions.
Lesson Plan
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Ray Charles

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners read the book Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis. For this biography lesson, students read about the life of Ray Charles. Learners answer pre-reading questions about senses, strengths, and weaknesses they have. The lesson...
Lesson Plan
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Metaphors in Literature

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders analyze literature and the use of metaphors. In this metaphors lesson, 8th graders view and discuss the examples of metaphors. Students complete the phrases by writing in a metaphor.
Lesson Plan
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Morning Activity

For Teachers 1st
First graders show appropriate ASL hand signs to answer questions for the morning meeting. They show the day of the week, the weather, and mode of transportation to school using signs. They copy the sign of the day and use name cards to...
Lesson Plan
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Portraiture

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students analyze portraiture for their symbolic aspects. For this portraiture analysis lesson, students explore the conventions of portraiture such as costume, gesture, expression, pose, and background. Students analyze how symbols add...
Lesson Plan
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Concert Program Notes

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students write program notes of composers. They discuss music, composers, themes and style and movements in music. They select a composer from a target language culture and write two paragraphs int eh form of concert program notes. ...
Lesson Plan
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VH1 Presents the 1980s - Lesson 4

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss development of music videos. They identify elements that make a successful music video. Groups are assigned to do a research project on the development of music videos.
Lesson Plan
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Audience-Smash Hits case study

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners become familiar with the term audience after examining a story about the magazine Smash Hits and its decision to quit publication. After students study the magazine and methods currently used to receive music news, they design...
Lesson Plan
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Play Me a Story - Sorcerer's Apprentice

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners explore the story taht accompanies the musical composition, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Using the 5W-how questions, they explain what is happening in the story as they listen to the musical.
Lesson Plan
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Sam Cooke - Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify the impact of the social injustices and Civil Rights movement on Cooke's life and career. They create lyrics to a familiar song that express a personal struggle or concern.
Lesson Plan
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Creating a Commercial

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the world of advertising and video production by creating their own commercial.  In this advertising lesson, students discuss a fictitious product which they create an advertising campaign for.  Students...
Lesson Plan
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The Rhythm of R & B - Lesson 8

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students describe some of the distinguishing characteristics background rhythms used in R&B. They perform typical R&B accompaniment patterns and develop their own horn section to play background rhythms.
Lesson Plan
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Freedom, Power and the People

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.
Lesson Plan
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Strike Up the Band

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create song lyrics celebrating the history of labor unions serving the entertainment industry, then create posters illustrating the importance of each union to the industry they represent.
Lesson Plan
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The Tabloid Ballad

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the poetic ballad. They examine the rhythm of a typical ballad and listen to recitations of sample ballads. They choose an article from a supermarket tabloid and write a comical ballad using rhythms and...
Lesson Plan
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Journalism 101

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students understand the writing style in a newspaper. In this journalism lesson, students recognize that a newspaper has a catchy headline and objective writing. Students interview someone in an area of interest and write a news article.
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2002: The Year In Review

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research and create a book highlighting significant events and trends throughout the world in the year 2002. Then, through creative writing, they respond to the events or trends themselves and how they affected our world.
Lesson Plan
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Teams in the Field

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students conduct team interviews outside the classroom, either within the school or beyond, as part of a fieldwork project. They use reasoning skills as they formulate questions, plan, predict, hypothesize, and speculate about the...
Lesson Plan
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The Story of an Old Piano

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read excerpts from The Story of an Old Piano. They choose a personal object and write paragraphs from the object's point of view. Their stories can be bound for the class library.
Lesson Plan
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African American Poetry: Family and Traditions

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

We're off to see the Wizard!

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore the process of play and movie making from books. They study the basic elements of drama and write and produce a play based on a chosen theme. Students explain the basic elements of a play by looking at "The Wonderful...
Lesson Plan
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Comparing Cultural Holidays

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. In this compare and contrast lesson, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Students create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...
Lesson Plan
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Oceans: A Sensory Haiku

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students create an ocean haiku. In this haiku instructional activity, students use their five senses to write a haiku. Students watch videos about the ocean, make a sensory portrait, and create a class haiku.
Lesson Plan
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Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Do the Animal Dance!

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Learners create a dance based on animal movements. In this kinesthetic lesson plan, the students will read and imitate animals in a creative way and share their dances with the group. The lesson includes a take-home activity and a math...