Worksheet
Curated OER

Lyric Analysis: Reflection

For Students 9th - 12th
The Woody Guthrie song,"I Ain’t Got No Home in This World Anymore" invites upper graders to engage in lyric analysis. They use the lyrics to answer five analysis questions to determine a social meaning to the song. A suggested...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching Peace through Literature and Song

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Negative effects of bullying come to light through listening to the book Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco. Class members identify philanthropic acts portrayed in the story and make illustrations to connect them to their own...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Uncle Sam's Got Himself in a Terrible Jam": Protest Music and the Vietnam War

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
"And it's one, two, three...what are we fighting for?" Use music to assess the climate of protest during the Vietnam War, listening to and analyzing Country Joe MacDonald's "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" (lyrics included)....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Fought for the Union?

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Learners read New York Times articles, letters, and listen to songs written from a soldier's perspective during the Civil War in order to understand who was fighting in the Union Army. This is a great lesson, complete with weblinks,...
Activity
National Constitution Center

Born in the U.S.A: Music as Political Protest

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
Though often used in shows of patriotism, Bruce Springsteen's 1985 song "Born in the U.S.A." is critical of America's role in the Vietnam war and its treatment of American veterans. High schoolers analyze the song's lyrics in an activity...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Hopi Traditional Dance and Song

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Very few outsiders get to see the Hopi "Butterfly Dance." However, using approved footage from the tribe, class members consider the importance of symbols in Hopi culture by watching the dance and analyzing lyrics from its songs....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Anonymous Patriots: Songs of the Revolution

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Give your class a deeper understanding of the context and meaning behind early American song lyrics. By reading the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle" and  "Revolutionary Tea," high schoolers will practice analysis by examining the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

25 Greatest Protest Songs - Lesson 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the lyrics of protest songs as a catalyst for social change. They discuss the influence of music on behavior and explain the use of music as a means of self-expression.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Hidden Messages in Spirituals

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...
Lesson Plan
Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Protesting Violence without Violence

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
The ultimate legacy of Emmett Till's violent death is its role in the non-violent roots of the Civil Rights Movement. A lesson compares contemporaneous articles with the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "The Death of Emmett Till" and prompts...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Watch Your Tone: Tone Analysis Through Music And Nonfiction

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Identifying the tone of a piece of writing or the author's attitude toward the subject matter can be difficult for learners. Simplify the process with a lesson that begins with skits, moves to songs and their lyrics, and then to passages...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Campaign Songs as Propaganda:Free Trade vs. Protectionism - In Whose Interest?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners analyze campaign messages about tariffs in a 19th-century campaign song. They read and discuss the lyrics, complete an analysis worksheet, and identify the intended audience of the song's message.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression: A Study Guide Through Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students take a closer look at the political and social outlook during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression instructional activity, students analyze selected songs from the time period. Students use the provided lyric...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The National Anthem

For Students 5th - 6th
In this National Anthem worksheet, students read the lyrics to the National Anthem and describe them in their own words. They draw a picture to match their explanation. 
Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

A Teacher's Guide to 1776 by David McCullough

For Teachers 9th - 12th
David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 1776, is the focus of a 28-page teacher's guide. The guide includes pre-reading questions, background information about key British and American figures, and chapter-by-chapter lessons.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s marched to its own beat—literally. Using songs from the era, as well as other primary sources such as King's "I Have a Dream" speech, class members analyze lyrics to discover how music and protest...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"I Hear America Singing": Controversy and Music in the Mexican War

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the Mexican War and its outcome through music. In this primary source analysis lesson, 8th graders analyze the lyrics of selected songs to consider the 2 perspectives regarding U.S. involvement in the war. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop, Episode 2, Lesson 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss Public Enemy's lyrics and compare and contrast them with songs popular during the Civil Rights Movement. They write their own rap song that expresses feelings of oppression or freedom from oppression.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
"People Everyday" offers class members an opportunity to develop their literacy analysis skills and to develop media literacy. Guided by an included list of discussion questions, groups examaine the word choice, literary devices used,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting Inside The Outsiders Through Music

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners listen to popular music of the 50's and 60's to make literature connections to The Outsiders. In this popular culture instructional activity, students evaluate and analyze various songs and connect them with the themes in the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Corrido of the Uprooted Ones

For Students 8th - 12th
In this primary source analysis worksheet, students analyze the song "Corrido of the Uprooted Ones." Students respond to 3 short answer questions about the lyrics of the song.
Lesson Plan
Tune Into English

America – West Side Story

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Anita's iconic rooftop ode to American life in West Side Story is the focus of a lesson on immigration. As class members listen to "America," they follow along with printed lyrics, and discuss whether they agree with Anita's...
Activity
Pleasanton Unified School District

AP Psychology Final Project Choices

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Looking for a way to keep AP learners engaged after the exam? AP Psychology class members engage in self-analysis and present themselves to their colleagues by choosing one of two interesting project choices. Individuals may prepare a CD...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Wanted, a Substitute

For Students 8th - 12th
In this primary source analysis worksheet, learners analyze an American Civil War song. Students respond to 5 short answer questions about the song and its lyrics.

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