Curated OER
Rhythmic Travel Around the World
Students explore and play rhythm sticks while listening to songs from around the world. They locate the countries of origin on a map, and tap their rhythm sticks to the beat of the music.
Curated OER
Wyclef Jean for VH1 Storytellers
Students use recordings of Wyclef Jean's music to study and explore different styles and techniques.
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Rock Around the Map
Students research the geographical histories of various musical genres and make maps that note important places in music history. They Write geographical biographies about one of their favorite musical artists.
Curated OER
Country: Jamaica
Students use the Internet to examine the land, customs and government of Jamaica. They also hear music from the island.
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Lady Sings the Blues
Students explore women and music in the 20th century. In this music lesson plan, students study the relationship between literature and music through The Color Purple and music by Ethel Waters, MA Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday,...
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America, A Home for Every Culture
Learners investigate the many cultures that are represented in America. In this American culture lesson, students look at the food, languages, music, and traditions that immigrants have contributed to the face of America. They complete...
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Spanish Influence in America
Middle schoolers try out instruments from South America. In this multiculturalism lesson, students discuss the attributes of Latin American music and play instruments from South America.
Association for Library Service to Children
Summer Reading List Grades 6-8
What better activity is there for summer than reading? Provide your pupils with 25 book ideas for their summer reading pursuits. A variety of different genres are represented on this list, and each book is paired with publication...
Curated OER
VH1 Driven: Shakira, Lesson 3
Students watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira and identify the elements that make her music unique. They explore Latin music and dance and research the music and dance of a specific Latin American country.
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200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Students define the term "exoticism" and identify musical elements used by 19th and 20th century composers and modern pop icons to convey exoticism.
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Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson - Lesson 1
Appeal to your music lovers with this lesson. Middle and high schoolers listen to and describe music from contrasting styles. They identify the common elements between gospel and bluegrass music and have a class discussion regarding the...
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Basic Waltz Steps
Learn the five basic waltz steps: box step, under arm turn, walt left box or waltz right box, hesitation step, and progressive waltz step. Teach a little about the history of the waltz and the countries from which it came: Germany and...
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Puerto Rico: The 51st State?
Students explore Puerto Rico. In this Puerto Rico current events lesson, students conduct a Webquest to answer questions about Puerto Rico's culture. Students discuss whether Puerto Rico is a country or a state, and defend...
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Dave Matthews Band - Lesson 3
Learners discuss the impact of cultural diversity in the world around us, how it shapes conflict and unity, and relate the music of Dave Matthews Band to these societal issues and their own experiences. The compare Dave Matthews music to...
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Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen
Students study rock and roll with the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Curated OER
Using Songs
Students explore songs in a variety of ways to practice the English language. They work in groups to build songs and sing them to the class. They prepare an oral presentation of a singer, group, or musical genre. They contrast two...
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Soundtrack to War
Students discuss the important role of music in lives of soldiers stationed in Iraq. They identify and demonstrate skills in creating compositions with limited resources, similar in concept to the soldiers viewed in the documentary.
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100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll - Lesson 4
Students analyze the genres of folk and country music and the importance of the singer/songwriter. They compose their own lyrics based on an inspiring event.
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Patriotic Songs
First graders recognize patriotic songs of America. In this historical music lesson plan, 1st graders discuss the historical background of the song "Yankee Doodle" and repeat the lyrics after the instructor. Students read the lyrics to...
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Babar's Travels
Students read the story The Story of Babar and have a class discussion about his travels, discuss their families, design a map, pick music, and more. In this cross curricular musical lesson plan, students create a music map for each of...
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Introduction to Poetry
Students are introduced to poetry and music. They discuss what the two have in common. They identify a song as their favorite and explain why.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Pupils study the life and music of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They practice listening for the downbeat of a musical selection. They participate in a physical exercise where they march around in a circle and clap to the...
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Jingle Bells
Second graders identify people of different ages, cultural backgrounds, traditions, and careers. They explain how they contribute to the community. Students sing a song to display the different Christmas traditions that are celebrated in...
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Keeping Time
Students compose lyrics to songs for a music festival to promote issues in their community. They write artists' statements explaining the issues they chose to write about.