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All Along the Watchtower Questions
In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students respond to 5 short answer and essay questions based on the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."
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Poetry of the City
Students explore Walt Whitman and about poetry. Most importantly, it teach them that poetry is something anyone can write and encourage them to tell the story of their own community in verse
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I See and I Think (It's A Wonderful World)
Students 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...
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Tupac Poem Lesson Plan
Students brainstorm what they know about Tupac. In groups, they divide the statements into good and bad and read "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" about Tupac's life. To end the activity, they answer questions about the meaning of the...
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I Hear Poetry
Learners practice analysis of poetry by analyzing song lyrics using a worksheet to guide the analysis process. They work in small groups to assess the stylistic and literary devices used in the song lyrics then they find a published...
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Poetry Sings
Students examine examples of literary terms in poetry. Then they choose two songs, write out the lyrics, and decipher what they think the artist is trying to say. Each student presents their song to the class and they cite examples of...
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Guantanamera: A Poem and a Song
Students compare revolutionary actions of Jose Marti and Pete Seeger. In this Cuban folk song lesson, students listen to the song "Guantanamera" and discuss the content. Students read articles on the poet and the songwriter and create a...
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What is the Character of Maine?
Pupils create an individual portfolio using assignments from a unit on the character of Maine. They choose two of the best assignments from each of four chapters studied and then write an essay or create a magazine which synthesizes the...
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A Call for Change
"Come gather round people, wherever you roam..." Bring the voice of Bob Dylan to your class with this lesson plan, which takes Dylan's song "The Times They Are A-Changing" and analyzes both the message and voice in the lyrics. Your class...
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The Quatrain
Learners analyze the quatrain structure and rhyming in the song, "Puddles". They use this format to create their own quatrain lyrics for a song then they share their song ang revise it.
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Screening Coleridge’s Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy
Twelfth graders use music to aid them in interpreting poetry. In this poetry instructional activity, 12th graders analyze the lyrics, figurative language, and literary devices of selected music. Students compare the music to the poetry...
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Cloud Haiku
Students listen as a haiku is read by the teacher, determining what season is being portrayed in the poem. Students work together as a class and create a model haiku, then complete a worksheet, completing their own poem. Students will...
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Up From the Streets: Hip Hop as a Recognized Art
Students discuss the historical roots of Hip-Hop to the present as an example of an art form that arose from the street into popular culture. Emphasis is placed on in-class discussion and written reflections in this introductory lesson.
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The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 21-23
After answering comprehension questions (good for a homework reading check), class members analyze "Comin' Thro the Rye," and using the included guidance questions, discuss Holden's misreading of Robert Burns' poem. The URL to text of...
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Repetitive Song Form
Eighth graders discover different concepts for identifying musical structure and song form. In this Music History lesson plan, 8th graders compare and contrast a Red Hot Chili Peppers song to an Andrea Bocelli's song.
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Hearts and Partners
Tenth graders explore, examine and study poetry within a variety of different strategies within this lesson. They review and discuss a diagram of the big picture of why it's importance to study, analyze and deconstruct poetry, so that...
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M.C. Bard: Hip Hop and Shakespeare
Young scholars compare lyrics from hip hop songs with monologues from Shakespeare's plays, and perform both for the class.
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Poetic Analysis
Students write a poetic analysis on a poem by Carl Sandburg. They take their previous knowledge of poetic devices and apply them to a piece of writing that displays their knowledge on a specific poem. They explain what they know about a...
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Simile Stories
Fourth graders view song lyrics and identify similes in the song text. For this similes lesson, 4th graders define and identify similes on a worksheet. Students write their own similes using various adjectives.
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Browning's "My Last Duchess" and Dramatic Monologue
Students read and analyze the poem, "My Last Duchess," by Robert Browning. They examine the use of dramatic monologue as a poetic device, and write a character profile of the Duke.
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Creative Writing
High schoolers determine what grammar is and how they have learned it. In this creative writing instructional activity, students read "Style' Gets New Elements," and respond to the discussion questions. High schoolers then present...
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You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone: The Changing American Landscape
Students examine the changing American landscape. In this cause and effect lesson, students listen to rock music that exemplifies urban growth in America and the interconnectedness of America today. Students write cause and effect essays...
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Weather Songs: Hurricane
In this hurricane worksheet, students read a poem about the sad aftermath of a hurricane. These appear to be song lyrics with an unknown tune. This is suitable for older students and adults.
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Jazz Talk
Middle schoolers analyze the origins of jazz music by examining work songs, spirituals, blues, and gospel songs as well as works of poetry from African American artists. They create their own poems from either the narrative, dramatic,...