Young scholars practice playing and improvising while playing the 12 bar blues. They practice compositional skills, evaluate and perform musical pieces focused on the blues.

Students research the Depression Era and how it contributed to the formation of the Works Progress Administration. After research, they create a skit to illustrate life during the Depression and the role of the Works Progress...

Students examine what were preconceived perceptions of the areas Lewis and Clark explored. They compare and contrast past and modern maps of North America. They accurately place route and site information on the map.

Students examine the physical obstacles that the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered on its journey. They report what challenges these physical obstacles might have posed. They review a modern-day map and explain if the obstacles...

Students conduct Internet research on the history of ancient Ireland. They create a rubric for evaluating information sources. Students synthesize information from varied sources to create a research-based presentation. They explore...

Students critically examine the life and contributions of Lawrence of Arabia to the modern Middle East. They view a video on Laurence of Arabia. Students discuss the movie. Students create a propaganda posters or stories identifying...

Learners investigate podcasting. They read an article related to podcasting. Students access a podcast and using various features such as pausing, rewinding, and fast-forwarding. They work in small groups to produce an original...

Students listen to a statement about the role the Internet plays in the political process and respond by placing a card under the appropriate agree/disagree sign at the front of the room. Students brainstorm reasons to select their...

Middle schoolers construct a model giant kelp and kelp forest inhabitants based on field-guide photographs. Students also place animal cutouts in appropriate positions on or near the plant.

Young scholars conduct discussions on current threats to coral reefs around the world and write letters to conservation organizations urging support for coral reef protection.

Students experience musical imagery. They link this musical concept to literary imagery to gain an understanding of the use of imagery in both genres. After listening to a varriety of sounds, students will compose and perform a melody.

Students use information from a variety of media to evaluate different artists' views on the human relationship to nature. From these sources, class discussion, and personal experience, students will synthesize a thoughtful,...

Students discover how to summarize content knowledge from varied resources in creating a presentation. They learn about the relationships between human beings and their environment as they reflect upon the challenges of big-wave surfing.

Students read and comprehend a piece of fictional writing, analyze how setting, characterization, and plot affect the theme of a story and work in a group to create a new writing assignment. This 5-day plan culminates in students writing...

This lesson enables students to explore and measure the distance between blacks and whites in the past and present United States. By thinking about the intersections of whites, blacks, and others around the blues, students will deepen...

Click here to download a PDF of this lesson. (2.8 MB) Overview This lesson will enable teachers to use the blues to explore selected topics in African American folklore. Students will learn about some of the African American cultural...

This lesson shows how the blues can be used to enable students to explore gender divisions in the United States, both in the past and the present. Most blues songs are about the relationships between men and women, as are many songs in...

This lesson examines both the content and form of lyrics in blues songs. In addition to highlighting the basic musical form of a blues song, it also addresses the use of floating verses in blues music, both within the context of the...

African American history during the Jim Crow era includes encounters with poverty, racism, disrespect, and protest. Harper Lee develops all four of these themes in her famous 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To help students understand...

In this activity students will learn about finding the blues in a variety of musical styles. They will investigate instances of the blues form heard in mainstream pop music, along with exploring the musical styles of two new artists who...

What ultimately influences a musician's creations? Is it the time in which he/she lives, his/her personal experiences, the music of the time and previous times, or the image the artist hopes to convey? This lesson explores these...

The crossroads, and the decisions made and entities met there, are a common theme in literature, pushing readers to examine the choices and encounters that shape life experience. The theme has also been explored in blues music, most...

Enable young scholars to use the blues to explore urbanization, technology, and their effects on everyday life in the 20th century. Musicians were among the large number of people who, between 1914 and 1945, participated in the Great...

When slavery took Africans from their land, they were separated from the rich musical and oral traditions native to each country and region. While working as slaves, Africans found they had two places where they could use these musical...