Hodge

Unit: Harlem Renaissance Subject: Language Arts (Writing) Grade: 5th Goal: For students to have a beginning understanding of Duke Ellington and his musical works. Hopefully adding a famous classical Black musician to their repertoire of academic knowledge will begin to lay the foundation of responsibility and accountability in students scholastic education. Objective: Students will be able to identify at least 2 songs by famed musician Duke Ellington and at least 2 songs by modern Rap artist Tupac Shakur Students will be able to interpret, analyse and compare & contrast selected songs by these 2 musicians Standard(s): CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1a Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writers purpose CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1b Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3d Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely Materials and Preparation: Laptop Computer (to play music) w/speakers Exercise book Writing utensil Audio of the following songs by Duke Ellington: East St. Louis Toodle-oo The Mooche Mood Indigo Audio of the following songs by Tupac Shakur: I wonder if Heaven got a Ghetto California Love Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues: I would love to arrange the classroom into a circle with the students desk, however the necessary behavioural expectations have not been established and I fear that establishing routine will take longer than a 45 minute class and a 2
1

Hodge

week curriculum will allow. So I will keep with the current class arrangement that takes into account: eyesight, disrupted behaviour, and personality clashes in place. As for possible management issues, there is a behavioural management system in place to rectify and redirect negative and unproductive behaviour; for example, the Give me 5,4,3,2,1 technique where I raise my open palm to the class and ask them to give me 5 as I work my way to 1. Students are given 5 chances to correct behaviour and give me their full attention. I plan to continue to use this wonderful technique during my unit instruction. Plan: (60 minutes) Introduction (9 minutes) - I will open the lesson by discussing cultural. On the board I will begin a cognitive map with culture being at the centre. I will say, Class what is culture? How would you define itgive me some examples. As hands are raised I will call on students to share their responses. All responses will be written on the board. After a few moments I will close the floor and say, Culture includes every aspect of a person's life that influences who that person is. It may include such elements as music, art, media, traditions, beliefs, or societal systems. Continue saying, Earlier today we began talking about Black culture in the 1920s right after WWI, a period called the Harlem Renaissance. When I say Black culture I mean specifically the music, art and writings created by Black people for Black people and all others to enjoy. Today we are going to continue to learn about influential Black artists and we will start this lesson by listening to a very famous Jazz musician from the Harlem Renaissance, Duke Ellington. Begin playing music: Listening to East ST. Louis Toodle-oo (2minutes) Short Discussion (5 minutes) - Ask students to describe the mood that each of the musical selections evokes. Brainstorming (5 minutes) Write any feelings or something to share about the songs on the board. Music will be continuously playing (lightly in the background) Begin playing The Mooche (2 minutes) Short Discussion (5 minutes) - Ask students to describe the mood that each of the musical selections evokes. Brainstorming (5 minutes) Write any feelings or something to share about the songs on the board. Music will be continuously playing (lightly in the background) Begin listening to Mood Indigo (2 minutes) Think, Pair, Share (5minutes) (I choose to do think pair share for the last song only, because I feel as though students need practice doing this. I didnt want them to do it for every song but instead just the last song) Here, I say, We are now going to move into the modern era. Where music sounds are a little different. However many of the sounds we here in modern rap and hip hop are reminiscent and influenced by the musicians and jazz players of the Harlem Renaissance. One very good example of this is Tupac Shakur whose lyrics tell poignant stories about Black life and Black struggle.

Hodge

Segue into playing songs by Tupac Shakur: Listening to I wonder if Heaven got a Ghetto (2) Short Discussion (5 minutes) Listening to California Love (2) Think, Pair, Share (3) Independent Work (20 minutes) Segue in to Independent work. Students will be responsible for composing a written essay outlining the similarities and differences between the songs of the 2 artists. They will be asked to plan out their essay by first creating a Venn diagram representing the similarities that the songs share and the differences. As students are quite familiar with composing essay pieces bases on this format I feel as though it will be a smooth transition between the music and the independent work. In the background as students write I will be playing the songs of Duke Ellington in their entirety. Assessment of Goals/Objectives Listed Above: Students will be assessed on the ideas they share with the class during our discussion times as well as during our brainstorming times. I will take note of on-topic responses. In addition, I will collect classwork (written responses) to check for understanding and analysis ability. I hope the discussion we will have as a class and then the discussions they will have with their partners will elicit new ideas and creative ways to interpret songs and music. I hope students will cultivate a respect for jazz music and the musicians of old. Anticipating students responses and your possible responses: I hope students will be engaged. Rarely do students get the opportunity to analyse music in class. Hopefully, getting this opportunity to do this in todays class will act as a hook and get students engaged and interested in what we are learning. My students are usually easily engaged in new and exciting topics and are usually eager to share their ideas, responses or answers. Accommodations: For my student who speaks English as a second language and for my students who are several grade levels below in reading and writing I will differentiate instruction for them in terms of writing requirements. They will take part in the discussions and brainstorming activities however they will only be responsible for writing 1 paragraph instead of a full 3 paragraph essay. Resources: Read write think: International reading association (A Harlem Renaissance Retrospective: Connecting Art, Music, Dance, and poetry) Readwritethink.org