Curated OER
Sing a Song of Science
Using parodies of popular music to introduce and reinforce concepts in secondary classrooms.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Immigrant Discrimination
For a class learning about Chinese and Irish immigration in America, here's a great starting lesson plan. It has your critical thinkers examining song lyrics, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and a political cartoon, and finally...
Curated OER
Poetry in Music
Sixth graders look at poetry in music. In this language arts lesson, 6th graders listen to and read the lyrics of songs to find the poetic aspects of them. They focus on similes and metaphors and write their own songs lyrics.
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "In cold spring air" by Reginald Gibbons
Reginald Gibbons' poem "In cold spring air" provides learners with a chance to develop their noticing skills. As a warm-up, class members watch Paul McCartney's video singing "Blackbird" and note words and phrases that stand out. They...
Scholastic
Analyzing Media Messages
Telling young people to just say no can be difficult in a world that inundates them with messages to just say yes. A lesson on media messages encourages teenagers to analyze song lyrics and advertisements that mention drugs...
Curated OER
Ottoman Lyric Poetry
Young scholars explore the Ottoman style of poetry. They view a video, Suleyman the Magnificent, and view maps of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. They research the Ottoman Empire and keep a journal. They read various...
Curated OER
Our Town
With the songs "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen and "Allentown" by Billy Joel, learners examine external versus internal conflict. When they have finished the first part of the lesson, they create their own poem (or song) about the...
Curated OER
With Your Own Two Hands: Are You Changing the World or "Waiting for the World to Change"?
Can your pupils change the world? Explore this question with Ben Harper's song "With My Own Two Hands" and John Mayer's "Waiting for the World to Change." After listening to the songs, they discuss the tools at their disposal for...
Curated OER
Set a Poem to Music
Fun awaits both you and your class as you embark on a musical activity. After discussing different rhythmic meters they choose a poem to set to music. The poem must rhyme and be set to a melody in the key of C Major. Because the activity...
Pearson
Yellow Submarine
Here's a clever twist on a grammar lesson. Kids listen to the Beatles' happy children's song, "Yellow Submarine" and then identify the simple present and past tense verbs in the lyrics.
Curated OER
What is Poetry and Where Can You Find It?
Students examine different types of poetry in music, commercials and printed works. They identify themes of philanthropy in poetry as well. They finally share their findings with the class.
Scholastic
Dreidel Game and Song
The dreidel song, or "I Have a Little Dreidel," is a fun traditional song for the season of Hanukkah. Teach your class how to play the dreidel game with an activity that includes the lyrics to the classic song.
Curated OER
I See and I Think (It's A Wonderful World)
Pupils analyze song lyrics (by listening to the song) to pick-out descriptive vocabulary. They use this descriptive vocabulary to create a drawing of the images they "see" in the song. They compare their drawings to find similarities and...
Curated OER
Technology-Based Lesson Plan
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the development of music skills. They focus upon the mastering of a song known as "Come Follow, Follow Me". They recognize the musical notes and read the lyrics with accuracy while using...
Curated OER
Adjective Exercises: Song "Hot and Cold" by Katy Perry
In this interactive adjective exercise worksheet, students watch a video of Katy Perry's song, "Hot and Cold." They fill in the blanks in the lyrics, and find the opposite adjectives in a word search puzzle. They submit their...
Curated OER
The Use of Substitution As a Creative Thinking Tool
Students practice using substitution as a creative way of thinking about writing and try to substitute song lyrics, food items, rhythm movements and more. In this substitution lesson plan, students create a new candy, and create...
Curated OER
Using Cross-Genre Comparisons to Find the Message in Hip-Hop
Students analyze two cross -genre songs written in the early 1980s for lyrical content and social commentary. They consider the artistic merit of hip hop music in today's culture.
Curated OER
Conversation about Music: Find Someone Who
In this conversation about music worksheet, 6th graders find people who fit the descriptions given for 8 statements about music by asking conversational questions.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Michael Jackson Tribute
In this Michael Jackson tribute learning exercise, students listen to the song "Heal the World" and fill in the missing lyrics. There are 27 words to fill in.
Curated OER
Past Tense Verbs
In this interactive grammar worksheet, students listen to a musical clip of the Beatles song "No Reply" and fill in the missing words in the lyrics. Each word is a past tense verb. There are 20 fill-in's to complete.
Curated OER
Exploring the Irish in America Through Found Poetry
What was life like for Irish immigrants settling in America during the late 1800's? Learners examine primary source documents, such as lyrics, poems, and letters, to understand the immigrant experience. They then use those primary source...
Curated OER
Parrot in the Oven: Instructional Routine
After reading "The Bullet," a particularly intense chapter in Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida, class members listen to the Spanish and the English versions of "Dimelo" by Enrique Iglesias. They then discuss how the...
Curated OER
Air Traffic
How well does your class know the songs by Air Traffic? Use this worksheet to find out! It includes 10 multiple-choice questions about the popular band. Print out the quiz or have your pupils take it on line. Once you have submitted...