Curated OER
Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home
Students examine the music of Woody Guthrie and how the political and economic climate influenced his work. They read and discuss online articles, define key vocabulary words, take a Political Orientation Survey, and write a position...
Curated OER
Woody Guthrie and The Grapes of Wrath
Students examine American idealism. In this literature and music lesson, students analyze the lyrics of Woody Guthrie songs as well as the themes of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Students examine parallels between the characters in the...
Curated OER
Woody Guthrie: Life and Art
Woody Guthrie will capture the imagination of even your most reluctant learners. Using his work, your class will develop their skills in non-fiction reading comprehension, interpreting primary source material, and use of multiple forms...
Curated OER
Lyric Analysis: Reflection
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 answer...
Curated OER
American Music Styles - Lesson 1
Students describe some of the distinguishing characteristics of rock, folk, blues, and country music. They identify two main musical roots of today's American popular music.
Curated OER
Folk
Students read about Woody Guthrie and how folk music often tells of events of the time and can be effective protest music.
Curated OER
Bob Dylan: No Direction Home
Students hold panel discussions on selected topics about the 1960s and their impact on modern-day events. As visual reinforcement, they watch the film about Bob Dylan and research the music of the period as well as his musical...
Curated OER
Musical Expression During the Great Depression
Young scholars explore how people lived during the Great Depression by exploring music of that time. This is a three-part lesson.
Curated OER
The Poetry of Woody Guthrie
Students develop oral fluency through reading and singing. They sing "This Land is Your Land" and discuss what the pictures and words mean in the song. They connect the song and poem and previous learning and write a journal.
Curated OER
Demystifying Stereotypes and Understanding Contemporary Cultures
Fourth graders compare and contrast folk songs from different cultures. In this music lesson, 4th graders listen to and list the attributes of selected Japanese and American folk songs. Students discover the customs, foods, and culture...
Curated OER
Folk Art In Response to Folk Music
Students respond to the song, "This Land is Your Land" in writing and create an original painting in the style of folk art. They identify the characteristics of folk art and identify how the works of folk artists reflect the culture of...
Curated OER
Songs of Protest/Songs of Unity: 1865 to the Present
Students study song-poems from 1865 to the present. They explore the works of Woody Guthrie and the Almanac Singers (including Pete Seeger).
Curated OER
Lomax the Songhunter
Young scholars write in their journals about the role of music in their lives. They discuss the media's use of music and watch a video clip about someone who prohibited the use of music. They create an illustration to show the folklife...
Curated OER
Moving and Grooving with Tempo: Diversity of Learners Adaptation
Students with logical/mathematical intelligence keep count of the tempo of each song and of the number of different movements that they can create to go with the folk songs heard.
Curated OER
Sing a Tale
This activity allows students to explore the elements of traditional folktales in folk music.
Curated OER
Impervious Surfaces
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students compose personal mission statements that express their personal beliefs about their responsibility to the environment.
Curated OER
Simple Symbols and American Children
Students are introduced to a variety of symbols representing the United States. As a class, they identify places in which they have seen the various symbols and discuss what they mean. To end the lesson plan, they state the words from...
Curated OER
The Regions In Which I Live
Students investigate different regions. Beginning with the idea that a neighborhood is a region, students explore maps to discover that towns, states, and countries can also be considered regions. Students create a book, with...