Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Signin' the Blues with Rock, Rap 'n Roll

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders listen to recordings and study jazz and the blues music. They identify the instrumentation and explore the 12-bar blues progression. After experimenting with different sound, 6th graders create their own arrangement, with...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Ragtime: The First "American" Music?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners investigate the concept of ragtime music and the times associated with it in American history. They conduct research using a variety of resources and listen to a sample before writing down some of the results of the information...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Gospel Music

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine gospel music including the lyrics and instrumentation. They explain the meaning of the lyrics and how they are related to the cultural values associated with the music. They differentiate between gospel and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In My Dream

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students listen to recordings of early jazz and identify examples of ostinato and syncopation. They discuss important personalities from jazz cultures and take a quiz on aspects of jazz.
Interactive
Curated OER

Bessie Smith

For Students 8th - 12th
For this jazz history worksheet, students respond to 7 essay and short answer questions about the life and accomplishments of Bessie Smith.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music Strikes a Soothing Chord

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore music therapy. In this health journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Music Strikes a Soothing Cord", respond to discussion questions regarding the article, and complete an activity based on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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
Curated OER

Listen Up! Swinging with some Big Band Music

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read about the music and life of Glenn Miller. They listen to Miller's "Jeep Jockey Jump" and analyze the piece for instrumentation, formal structure and stylistic characteristics.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inter-City Jazz Songbook Project

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Students choose a city with famous musical highlights and create a tourist brochure.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interactive Timeline

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the development of ragtime music and its relation to jazz. They participate in an online Interactive timeline and read about the history of ragtime music, listen to examples of music, and in small groups create short...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eckstine, Stayhorn, and the Dorseys: Masters of Swing

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students explore the history of swing music. In this music history lesson plan, students research the Dorsey Brothers, Billy Eckstine, and William Strayhorn to learn about swing music. Students define swing, develop a timeline of events...
Worksheet
Curated OER

William Walton [1902-1983] LAM 102

For Students 9th - 12th
In this music learning exercise, high schoolers answer the questions that are based upon the influences upon the composition of the piece of music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music in West Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore power and the symbols of power in West African music. They discuss the music of West Africa and compare it to African American music of today. In addition, they investigate musical instruments of Africa, identify the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Romare Bearden

For Teachers K - 12th
Students examine and discuss a collage by the artist Romare Bearden. They analyze the impact of jazz on art, listen to jazz, and create an original collage.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sing the Blues

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore examples of this musical form, then write their own lyrics for a blues song.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All That is Irish and More - Activity 1

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Students listen to examples of fiddle music and violin music to determine the similarities and differences between the two musical forms. A video link is included in this introductory lesson to fiddle music (Part One of Two).
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Looking Closer: The Artwork of Shinique Smith

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A critical discussion regarding the nature of Shinique Smith's second-hand clothing art is the foundation for the activity. Critical thinkers fully analyze the meaning behind her work, taking close consideration of where the clothing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study rock and roll with the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Coldplay

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students listen to the music of Coldplay to explore the band.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A World of Taste--Louisiana Gumbo

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discover the multicultural contributions to New Orleans gumbo through participation in cross curriculum activities. In this multicultural diversity and New Orleans history instructional activity, students shade regions of a map...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition: Corridos

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. In this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition lesson, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In addition, students...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Phrasal Verbs of To Be

For Students 4th - 6th
In this recognizing the meanings of phrasal verbs worksheet, students match the meanings of to be about, to be down, to be into, to be off, and to be over, and fill in the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs. Students write 15...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Past Events

For Students 3rd - 5th
In this recognizing past events worksheet, students change present tense verbs to the past simple of regular verbs, write a simple narrative of past events, and turn interrogative sentences into past tense statements Students write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1 Driven: Jamie Foxx, Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the blues, poetry, the Harlem Renaissance, and the 12-bar blues form. They watch a segment from the video, "VH1 Driven: Jamie Foxx," participate in a class discussion, and listen to songs by Ray Charles and a poem by...