Even if you've never picked up a musical instrument, chances are that music has directly impacted your mental and emotional development. Sixth graders engage in a reading activity in which they read two articles on the impact of music on the brain, compare and contrast the main ideas and supporting details in each, and complete a writing assignment on what they have read.

Concepts

informational texts, music appreciation, nonfiction texts, text structure, main ideas, supporting details, explanatory writing

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Conduct an in-class experiment in which class members attempt to complete a task with different types of music playing in the background
• Couple with a humanities lesson in music appreciation, or use in a school music class
• Have class members write a short reflection on their own musical lives, including famous musical heroes and their experience playing instruments or singing, before beginning the lesson
• Use as a final exam to assess informational reading skills

Classroom Considerations

• The third page of the booklet is an advertisement for the rest of the publisher's curriculum
• Student version ends on page 15 of the packet, which is page 18 of the PDF
• Be sure to clarify the difference between incorporating evidence from the text and plagiarizing work, as the resource does not make it clear

Pros

• Includes rubrics, possible responses, and discussion guides for teachers 
• Covers a multitude of writing, reading, and speaking and listening skills

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.6.2 RI.6.3 RI.6.6 W.6.2.a W.6.9.a SL.6.1.a