Curated OER
Hard Rock - Lesson 1
Students perform any part of a four-part keyboard ensemble with musical sensibility in a "hard rock" style. They improvise a melody over student accompaniment.
Curated OER
Expository Journal Prompts
Stuck for a journal topic? Download CAHSEE’s 21 “Expository Journal Prompts” as a pdf handout for yourself or class. A great resource for your writing program, print it up and add it your curriculum library.
Curated OER
The Civil War
Young scholars examine the events of the Civil War. Using the internet, they research one aspect of the war of interest to them. In groups, they create a hyperstudio stack which they present to their classmates showing the information...
Curated OER
"Open Mic" - Giving Creative Expression To The Connection Between The Japanese American Internment, September 11, And Our Rights Today
Learners explore the similarities of the Japanese-American experience in WWII and Arab-American experience in post-September 11 US policy. They create presentations on their reflections and express themselves through poetry, dance,...
Curated OER
"You Gotta Believe"
Students identify the steps involved in starting a band and promoting an album. They work in small groups to create a band and market it to their designated audience.
Curated OER
VH1 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons Lesson 2
Young scholars discuss pop culture, pop culture icons, and female composers.
Curated OER
Being in the Noh: An Introduction to Japanese Noh Plays
Learners read a Japanese Noh play and discuss its structure and traditional characters. They choose a short myth and write a Noh play based on it.
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Live Earth Rocks 2 Billion Worldwide
In this English worksheet, students read "Live Earth Rocks 2 Billion Worldwide," and then respond to 1 essay, 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
PBS
Pbs: American Roots Music
If teaching a unit about the history of popular music in America, this PBS web site supporting their four-part TV broadcast of a few years ago would make a great resource. Includes lesson plans and oral histories too.
Other
Parlor Songs Academy: Music as Propaganda in World War I
Scroll through the history of the use of popular music as propaganda until reaching the lengthy section about how music was used, not just in the United States, but throughout the world as propaganda in World War I. Find the lyrics and...
Other
History of Rock 'N' Roll: Roy Orbison
Biographical summary of the life of Roy Orbison, a legend in popular music in the 1960s.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 42: The Bill of Rights Is a Rockin
Students are aware of most their personal rights and freedoms. However, many have not critically evaluated the significance of the Bill of Rights and are unaware that the Bill of Rights only applied to the federal government from 1791...
Other
3rd Ear Music: The Music of South Africa
3rd Ear Music is a comprehensive resource of South African music, past and present. The organization started its collection in 1964 and it now offers links to several South African artists, history of SA music and recordings.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 20: The 1960s Through Music
By listening to and analyzing the lyrics of selected examples of popular music from the 1960s era, students will develop a greater understanding of the historical and political forces as well as the emotional climate of the decade. This...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Lesson 50: Using Music to Teach Personal Narrative
The personal narrative, apart from appearing as an option in the writing component of many state assessment tests, is a form of writing which allows students the chance to reflect seriously and honestly on important events in their own...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 33: 8 Rap
Rap music and hip-hop were the pop music of the nineties. Students of all ages liked to mimic the rappers they listened to on CD's, tapes, and the radio. This lesson builds on students' interest in rap music as well as their enjoyment of...
Other
Unstrung History of American Guitar: The Guitar and the Birth of American Music
The guitar in America began as an instrument used in popular music in the city and then branched out to minstrel shows, ragtime, and even jazz. Read about the history of this ubiquitous instrument and how it took on its American character.
Other
Museum of Making Music: The Ukulele and You
Exhibition of the origin and history of the ukulele and its significance to American popular music.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Freedom Riders and Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement
In this lesson plan, young scholars will consider "The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Techno Pop
Feature series on "The Secret History of Technology and Pop Music," traced partly through the story of an Indiana company that stopped making pianos and started cutting 78 rpm records using the talents of famous jazz musicians and others.
Library of Congress
Loc: Music and u.s. Reform History: Stand Up and Sing
Throughout American history, popular music has reflected the mood and opinions of the times. By exploring sheet music, students analyze issues related to industrialization and reform to answer the essential question, "How does society...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Earth, Wind, and Fire
Read background information and the history of the music of the popular Grammy award winning band of the 1970s, Earth, Wind, & Fire.
Other
Roughstock Productions: History of Country Music
A short history of the Nashville Sound, "A blend of pop and country." Find brief biographies of Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, and Eddy Arnold.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 35: The Melting of the Cold War
As the Cold War evolved over four decades, the end of the world seemed imminent as the nuclear arms race continued to escalate. Popular music, especially in the 1980s, reflected this growing pessimism. By 1989 and 1990, as the Berlin...