Before there was Beyonce, before there was Madonna, before there was Cher, there was Ella. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Jazz, with a reading comprehension exercise that presents a brief biography of her life and then asks readers to respond to questions about the passage.

Concepts

jazz music, african american history, african americans, african american culture, famous african americans, racism, discrimination, reading comprehension

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Play the audio of Duke Ellington's orchestra accompanying Ella singing "Take The A Train" to introduce class members to her scat-style singing

Classroom Considerations

• Requires multiple copies of the five-page reading passage, the three-page worksheet, and one-page puzzle

Pros

• The 16-page packet includes a crossword puzzle, lyrics from "Take the A Train," and an answer key

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.5.1 RI.5.3 RI.6.1 RI.6.3 RI.7.1 RI.7.3 RI.8.1 RI.8.3