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Teacher Resources by Grade
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Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan
The History Behind Song Lyrics
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| Grades | 6 – 8 |
| Lesson Plan Type | Unit |
| Estimated Time | Seven 50-minute sessions |
| Lesson Author |
Urbana, Illinois |
| Publisher |
LESSON PLANS
Grades 5 – 10 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Songs of Our Lives: Using Lyrics to Write Stories
Students learn about the life and music of John Lennon, write a short story from their lives integrating lyrics from some of their favorite songs, and create a class book of stories.
Grades 7 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Minilesson
Playlist for Holden: Character Analysis With Music and Lyrics
Students compile a playlist of 10 songs representing a literary character and explain their choices based on the book’s dialogue, plot, conflict, and resolution.
Grades 6 – 10 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Blending the Past with Today’s Technology: Using Prezi to Prepare for Historical Fiction
To prepare for literature circles featuring historical novels, students research the decades of the 1930s to the 1990s and share their information using Prezi, a web application for creating multimedia presentations.
CALENDAR ACTIVITIES
Grades 3 – 12 | Calendar Activity |  June 3
Jesse James robs the Obocock Bank in 1871.
Students listen to folksongs and related information about Jesse James, and then research James' life and write new folk songs about James or another famous outlaw.
Grades 3 – 12 | Calendar Activity |  January 8
On this day in 1935, Elvis Presley was born.
Students visit the National Archives to read a letter written by Elvis Presley to President Nixon. The Letter Generator is used to write a letter to a current artist suggesting a meeting with the President.
PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY
Grades 7 – 12 | Professional Library | Journal
From Sheryl Crow to Homer Simpson: Literature and Composition through Pop Culture
High school teacher Jerome Evans makes popular culture an integral part of his courses. Through analyzing themes in song lyrics, rhetorical devices in essays and advertisements, and psychology in contemporary film, students improve their skills in critical thinking and writing.

