Music to Our Ears

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Grade Level: Fifth

Standards Addressed

5.3 - The student will demonstrate an understanding of major domestic and foreign developments that contributed to the United States' becoming a world power.

Purpose of Lesson

To allow students to visualize early musical influences of African-Americans in jazz and understand the impact of this music/dance. This lesson is based on the understanding that students have already been exposed to news reel as primary source documents in the Social Studies classroom (this can be done in succession with Lesson #1 and#2 or as a stand alone lesson during African-American History Month or during another teacher-chosen unit).

Activities

Teacher will read aloud God Bless the Child and play a recording of it, while students draw a visualization of the song. Share at the end.


Teacher and students will create a K (know)- W (want to know) - L (learn) chart on jazz and early 1900s music and dance.


Teacher will show MVTN 1 491: Hampton Institute Glee Club. (quicktime video)

  • What does this tell us about the early music? - Students will discuss.

Teacher will show MVTN 4 669 (A): Jack Johnson's Jazz Band (quicktime video)

  • What does this tell us about the early music, particularly jazz? - Students will discuss.

Teacher will show MVTN C 8059: Josephine Baker Visits Volendam (quicktime video)

  • What does this tell us about the early music, particularly jazz? - students will discuss?

Students will choose one topic to research from the following: Josephine Baker, the Charleston, Bessie Smith, history of jazz, Louis Armstrong. Culminating project (rubric graded) is student-choice from the following:

  1. Write and perform a jazz-style song.
  2. Learn and perform the Charleston and provide a brief background of the dance.
  3. Create a poster depicting the life of the person you researched.
  4. "Persona Performance" - pretend you are the person, dress up and visit the classroom.

Finish lesson by completing the "L" in the K-W-L chart from the beginning.

Jazz Project Rubric

Did I complete one of the project options?

20 points
Did my project demonstrate research?

20 points
Do I show subject matter knowledge?

20 points
Do I have a visual or performance aspect?

20 points
Performance/neatness?

 15 points
Was my project on time?

5 points
TOTAL 100 points


Author: Melanie Johnson, Carolina Center for Inquiry (Columbia, SC)