Students encounter and study "Mambo" from "West Side Story," by Leonard Bernstein. They practice utilizing musical elements (instrumentation, tempo, and dynamics) to create a certain mood for a scene with music. Each student interprets...

Young scholars study the Beatles and the contributions their music made to much of the pop music that came afterward. They synthesize complex information and the skills of "compare and contrast" in writing. They research some aspect of...

Students survey how the Internet has changed the way we listen to music. Research the powerful new music browser called SIMAC. Test the music field and see if this new concept helps to put in words on a sound track what couldn't be...

Way before the digital age radio was the medium of popular culture. After listening to excerpts from radio programs (easily available on the Internet), participants return to the radio age by creating a two-minute sketch based on a...

Students explore Broadway musicals and decode the titles of popular shows. They study the aspects of a Broadway show and use word attack skills to match descriptions with the actual titles of Broadway shows.

Students analyze art and decide if the images are an attempt to celebrate or criticize American Popular Culture of the fifties and sixties and discuss how successful "Pop Art" mirrored society. Students also discuss the difference...

Eleventh graders analyze the lyrics of protest music. In this Vietnam War activity, 11th graders examine conflict as they consider the controversial nature of the war as evidenced in song lyrics. Students also consider the Iraq War and...

Eighth graders gather information on fifteen of their favorite songs, create database with fields representing different attributes, explore and sort their databases, and create charts and graphs showing amount of play time vs. popularity.

Eukaryotic cells go through a cycle of creation, reproduction, and death. The video choreographs the cell cycle to music from a popular movie. This prepares scholars to answer the questions in the online interactive.

Young scholars explore Free Jazz and Fusion by answering questions and listening to music.

Students explore the Jazz Era in America not only by answering questions but listening to music as well.

Fifth graders are given the questions, "What type of music would you suggest the manager place in front of the store?". Students collect data by talking with 20 adults and create a bar graph on the computer to present the data.

Young scholars explore Bebop in America by listening to music and answering questions.

Hit all the basics with this lesson, focusing on weather, greetings, and dates! Start by singing a weather related song ("Quel temps fait-il by Barbara MacArthur is suggested), and then read a story about getting ready for school. The...

Froggy wants to know: what are you wearing? Lead young Spanish learners through a review of weather-related terms before reading the popular children's book Froggy Gets Dressed. Then, using a froggy puppet, discuss what you're...

What is figurative language? Introduce your young learners to the most popular forms of figurative language: the simile and the metaphor. Start by reading "Willow and Ginkgo" by Eve Merriam, and identify where similes are used. Then look...

Useful as a blast from the past, this current events activity is outdated (Fall 2001). Many global events are part of these fifty questions, but quite a few of them are very specific to pop culture and sports. This could be helpful in a...

Learners read the book Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis. For this biography lesson plan, young scholars read about the life of Ray Charles. Learners answer pre-reading questions about senses, strengths, and weaknesses they have. The...

Students explore jazz's primary elements. They identify the basic definitions of terms associated with jazz. In addition, they listen to Song for My Father.

Students explore the present and juture of jazz. They identify terms associated with jazz and listen to contemporary recordings. They participate in a class discussion regarding jazz's contribution to and reflection of American culture...

Students survey bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop. They explore how bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop reflected American culture and society in the 1940s and 1950s.

Students survey free jazz and fusion. They explore how free jazz and fusion reflected American culture and society in the 1960s and 1970s.

Students investigate aspects of Broadway shows. They apply word attack skills to decide what the titles of actual Broadway shows mean. They discuss the history of Broadway shows and why they become successful before completing the...

Pages and pages of engaging activities, worksheets, and writing projects on teaching folktales and fables await you! You don't want to miss this incredible resource that not only includes a wide range of topics and graphic...