Team Lesson

Teacher Names: Robyn Allen and Robert McCullagh

Emails: rfmf47@mail.umkc.edu; rlakr7@mail.umkc.edu

Title/Topic: Historical Playlist

Grade Level: 8th

Subject: Cross-Curricular: History and English Language Arts

Essential/Guiding Questions:

-How does this lesson relate to History and English Language Arts?

-Are messages in music a good way to connect with history?

Materials per group of 2-4:

Computer with Internet access
Word processing software (i.e. Google Docs, Microsoft Word)
Headphones/earbuds
Personal music players, including cell phones

Time recommended for lesson:

Two 45-minute sessions

Brief lesson description:

The students will research a historical figure and find song lyrics to describe them, i.e. Martin Luther King Jr. They are to use facts that they find in research and defend their chosen song lyrics. They should cite from secondary sources (i.e. journal articles and reviews), as well as look at primary sources (i.e. newspapers, letters, etc.). Students will choose five songs and write a paragraph defending each, as well as provide the lyrics, song title and artist.

Missouri Course and Grade Level Expectations:

- Students will analyze a historical figure (through records, correspondence, cultural context, and public opinion then and now).

- Students will evaluate lyrics and music of popular songs for appropriate thematic connections with the character.

- Students will apply evidence from the research to support their selections.

The New Revised 2016-2017 Missouri Learning Standards:

History

8.T.7.G.1
Identify, research and defend a point of view/position.

8.T.7.A.1
Select, investigate, and present a topic using primary and secondary resources, such as oral interviews, artifacts, journals, documents, photos and letters.

English Language Arts

8.RI.1.A.1
Draw conclusions, infer and analyze by citing the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

8.RI.3.C.1
Explain how the central ideas of text reflect historical and/or cultural contexts.

8.RI.3.D.1
Read and comprehend informational text independently and proficiently.

8.W.1.A.1
Conduct research to answer a question (including a self-generated question); gather relevant, credible sources, print and digital; integrate information using a standard citation system.

8.W.3.A.1b
Choose precise language and make syntactical choices to reflect an understanding of how language contributes to meaning.

8.W.3.A.1c
Demonstrate a command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including spelling and punctuation.

8.W.3.A.1d
Use a variety of appropriate transitions to clarify relationships and connect ideas, claims and signal time shifts.

The ISTE 2016 Student Standards and Performance Indicators for Students

Digital Citizen: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.
2c
Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
2d
Students manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their navigation online.

Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
3a
Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
3b
Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
3c
Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

ISTE Standards Student Profiles:

All students should have opportunities to demonstrate the following performances. Prior to completion of Grade 8 students will:

3. Gather data, examine patterns, and apply information for decision making using digital tools and resources.

5. Evaluate digital resources to determine the credibility of the author and publisher and the timeliness and accuracy of the content.

7. Select and use the appropriate tools and digital resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and to solve problems.

Highest Bloom’s Level Objectives:

Students will analyze a historical figure (through records, correspondence, cultural context, and public opinion then and now).

Students will evaluate lyrics and music of popular songs for appropriate thematic connections with the character.

Analyze and evaluate are the two highest cognitive skill levels on Bloom’s Taxonomy for this lesson. First, as students research their historical figure using more finely tuned information—gathered from initial online research and small group brainstorming sessions—they apply new knowledge to execute a set of goals. Once students discover resources to support their claims, they examine these sources for accuracy and credibility. Finally, students evaluate their sources and song lyrics for thematic relevance to their chosen historical figure.

Accommodations:

Accommodations for this assignment will allow for students who are not adept with audio, i.e. students with hearing impairments or other learning disabilities, to provide a visual description such as a comic strip, etc.

Assistive technologies on computers will be available to aid in research and writing such as speech recognition software (i.e. text-to-speech programs), speech synthesizers/screen readers, zoom lens, large text, and proofreading programs (including talking spell checkers).

Procedures:

First Session:

In the first session, the students will be informed about the assignment. They will be instructed to pick a historical figure from the 20th century and research them. This will be to compile a playlist of five songs they feel have lyrics that can relate to the historical figure. They will collect a few sites that contain primary, i.e. newspaper articles and letters, and also secondary sources, such as online articles written by historians or historical organizations.
Students will be asked to consider the following questions as prompts for brainstorming: Is there someone that you think you might be able to connect with? Is there someone that you think you understand? Is there someone that you would like to understand better?

The students will then go to computers and commence with their research while the instructor walks around checking in on them, assisting with any questions or struggles. Students will be encouraged to utilize resources that have been exploited throughout the class to date as well as knowledge gained in class such as discussions and lectures.

The students will then get together in small groups of two or three to discuss what they have found and get feedback from others. Instructor will walk around and check in with the small groups as well.

Second Session:

In the second session, the students will be informed that their time will be used to compile their playlists (students can work with a partner). The teacher will model an effective song rationale and provide verbal instructions for the playlist assignment and assessment in class as well as written instructions via class management software. They will look up song lyrics and develop a rationale for each song. They will write a paragraph per song and cite information from their research for their reasoning for choosing the lyrics in the songs. The students will also list the lyrics, artist, and title of the song. The instructor will go around and assist and give feedback where needed.

The students have until the end of the week to finish their rationales.

Assessment:

Students will be evaluated based on three criteria: number of songs, which should include a full paragraph rationale for each of the five songs—song title, artist, and lyrics must be listed; clarity of argument, which should reflect conventional English grammar and usage and use precise language and clear transitions to demonstrate understanding of concepts; and integration of research into rationale, which should show a correlation between the lyrics and the cited facts about the historical figure.

References:

Baines, L., & Kunkel, A. (2011). Playlist for Holden: Character Analysis With Music and Lyrics. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/playlist-holden-character-analysis-30768.html?tab=1#tabs

Student Lesson Guide

First Session

⦁ You will pick a historical figure from the 20th century and research them.

⦁ To help with brainstorming, consider the following questions: Is there someone you think you might be able to connect with? Is there someone you think you understand? Is there someone you would like to understand better?

⦁ You will research your historical figure for 15 minutes, gathering evidence to support your choice. When researching, think about what makes your person unique. Why did you select him or her? Practice keeping track of your sources using citation management tools (e.g. Zotero, EndNote).

⦁ For the remaining 15 minutes of class, you will discuss your findings in small groups (2-3 people). You will practice active listening and accountable speaking by giving each group member an affirmative comment or constructive suggestion. For example, if you like or dislike someone’s reason for choosing a historical figure, provide an informed and thoughtful response.
Second Session

⦁ Using the historical figure you have selected, you will be creating a playlist of five songs with lyrics that relate to your chosen figure based on records, correspondence, cultural context, and public opinion then and now.

⦁ You will be writing a paragraph per song to defend your choice, citing information from your research for your reasoning. These five paragraphs, called rationales, must also include the artist name, title of the song, and complete lyrics.

⦁ Your research will include primary sources (i.e. newspaper articles, letters, speeches, etc.) and secondary sources (i.e. online articles written by historians or historical organizations) to support your song choices.

⦁ Your assignment will be assessed for clarity of argument including precise language, grammar, spelling, and punctuation as well as integration of research into rationales. In-text citations and Works Cited page must be formatted accorded to MLA style guidelines. See Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for assistance.

⦁ You will have until the end of the week to finish your playlist.

Example

Queen

“One Vision”

God works in mysterious ways, mysterious ways.
One man, one goal,
One mission.
One heart, one soul,
Just one solution.
One flash of light, yeah,
One god, one vision.

One flesh, one bone,
One true religion.
One voice, one hope,
One real decision.
Wowowowo, gimme one vision, yeah.

No wrong, no right.
I'm gonna tell you there's no black and no white.
No blood, no stain.
All we need is one worldwide vision.

One flesh, one bone,
One true religion.
One voice, one hope,
One real decision.
Wowowowowo, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah!

I had a dream when I was young,
A dream of sweet illusion,
A glimpse of hope and unity,
And visions of one sweet union.

But a cold wind blows,
And a dark rain falls,
And in my heart it shows.
Look what they've done to my dream, yeah.

One vision!

So give me your hands,
Give me your hearts.
I'm ready.
There's only one direction.
One world, one nation,
Yeah, one vision.

No hate, no fight,
Just excitation,
All through the night,
It's a celebration, wowowowo, yeah.

One

(One vision)

One flesh, one bone,
One true religion.
One voice, one hope,
One real decision.

Gimme one night, yeah.
Gimme one hope, hey.
Just gimme, ah.
One man, one man,
One bar, one night,
One day, hey, hey.
Just gimme gimme, gimme, gimme
Fried chicken.
Vision

Rationale:

This song by Queen in 1985 correlates very closely to Martin Luther King Jr. He had a vison of a society where race would not be an issue (Bibliography.com, 2016). Martin Luther King Jr. preached non-violence during a time of great unrest. He believed in unity and peace, though peace. Martin Luther King Jr. also was a very religious man, being a Baptist minister and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (King, 1963). Being a devout Christian man with the dream of a united and peaceful society, one can quickly see how this song can be attached to Martin Luther King Jr.

Eminem

“Like Toy Soldiers”

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down,
Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart
We never win but the battle wages on for toy soldiers

I'm suppose to be the soldier, who never blows his composure
Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders
I ain't never suppose to show it, my crew ain't suppose to know it
Even if it means going toe to toe with the Benzino, it don't matter
I never drag 'em in battles that I can handle less I absolutely have to
I'm suppose to set an example, I need to be the leader
My crew looks for me to guide 'em
If some  ever just pop off I'm suppose to be beside 'em
That Ja , I tried to squashed it, it was too late to stop it
There's a certain line, you just don't cross it, and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it
It was crazy, this  went way beyond some Jay Z and Nas 
And even though the battle was won, I feel like we lost it
I spent so much energy on it, honestly I'm exhausted
I'm so caught it I almost feel like I'm the one who caused it
This ain't what I'm in Hip Hop for, it's not why I got in it
That was never my object for someone to get killed
Why would I want to destroy something I helped build
It wasn't my intentions, my intentions were good
I went through my whole career with out ever mentioning
And that's just outta respect, for not running my mouth
And talking about something that I knew nothing about
Plus Dre told me stay out, just wasn't my beef, So I did
I just fell back, watched and gritted my teeth while he's all over TV
Now I'm talking a man who literally saved my life, like  it
I understand, this is business and this  just isn't none of my business
But still knowing this  could pop off at any minute cause

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down, like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart
We never win but the battle wages on for toy soldiers

It used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme
And wouldn't have to worry about one of your people dying
But now it's elevated cause once you put someone's kids in it
 gets escalated, it ain't just words no more, is it
It's a different ball game, call names and you ain't just rapping
We actually tried to stop the 50 and Ja beef from happening
Me and Dre had sat with him, kicked it and had a chat with him
And asked him not to start it, he wasn't gonna go after him
Until Ja' start yappin' in magazines how he stabbed him
 'em 50, smash him, mash him, and let him have it
Meanwhile my intentions pulled me in other directions
Some receptionist said the source who answers phones at his desk
Has an erection for me and thinks
That I'll be his resurrection
Tries to blow the dust of his mic and make a new record
But now he's  the game up cause one of the ways I came up
Was through that publication, the same one that made me famous
Now the owner of it got a grudge against me for nothing but  it
That  can get it too,  'em then
But I'm so busy being pissed off, I don't stop to think
That we just inherited 50's beef with Murder Inc
And he's inherited mine, which is fine, ain't like either of us mind
We still have soldiers that's on the front line that's willing to die for us
As soon as we give the orders, never to extort us
Strictly to show they support us
Maybe shout 'em out in a rap or up in a chorus to show we love 'em back
And to let 'em know how important it is to have Runyon Avenue soldiers up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more then any award is
But I ain't trying to have none of my people hurt or murdered
It ain't worth it, I can't think of a perfecter way to word it
Then to just say that I love y'all too much to see the verdict
I'll walk away from it all before I'll let it go any further
But don't get it twisted, it's not a plea that I'm coping
I'm just willing to be the bigger man
If y'all can quit popping off at the jaws with the knocking
'Cause frankly I'm sick of talking
I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscience 'cause

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down, like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart
We never win but the battle wages on for toy soldiers

Rationale:

This Song by Eminem in 2004 has some pretty strong lyrics. Some of these do relate to Martin Luther King Jr. Where is says in the song “I'm suppose to set an example, I need to be the leader, My crew looks for me to guide 'em” can be related to Martin Luther King’s role as a leader not only with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (King, 1963), but also his role as a leader in the Civil Rights movement. Another part of the song jumps out where the lyrics discuss it was not his intention to get someone killed etc. This can be related to the early relationship between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X (Ushistory.org, 2016). Martin Luther King preached peace, while an early Malcolm X preached a show of strength and violence.

References:

King, M. (1963). Letter from Birmingham jail. Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project. Retrieved from https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/letter-birmingham-jail
Biography.com. (2016). Martin Luther King Jr. Biography. Bibliography.com. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086
Ushistory.org. (2016). Malcolm X and the nation of Islam. U.S. History Online Textbook. Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/us/54h.asp