Lesson Plan Guide

Teacher Candidate: Kelsey Gray Date: Today

Grade and Topic: 5th grade Social Studies Length of Lesson: 60 minutes

Mentor Teacher: Annette Cornelius School: University of Memphis

UNIT/CHAPTER OBJECTIVE/GENERALIZATION/BIG IDEA:

● How has Tennessee influenced popular music in the United States?

LESSON OBJECTIVE:
● Given a list of different musical artists, their genres and historic and iconic locations, the students will
be able to identify how those artists have made an impact on popular music today with 90% accuracy.
● The student is expected to work with their group to research and create a graphic organizer
demonstrating Tennessee’s role in popular music.

STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

 5.64 Refer to details and examples about the significance of Tennessee in popular music, including Sun
Studios, Stax Records, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, and Memphis, Tennessee. (C, TN)
 ITSE 3. Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use
information.
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of
sources

MATERIALS:
 Musician and historic musical location checklist
 Print resources including the textbook
 Computer
 Kidspiration or Inspirations software
 Pencil and paper
 Internet Access to
-Sun Studios
https://www.sunstudio.com/
-Stax Records
https://www.staxrecords.com/
-The Grand Ole Opry
https://www.opry.com/
-Elvis
https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/elvis-presley
 -B.B.King
http://www.bbking.com/
-Learn about other various Tennessee Artists
https://www.google.com/

 Students will use the listed websites as resources for popular musicians that are either from or recorded
in Tennessee and access to images. Kidspiration/Inspiration will be used to create a graphic organizer
with information and images relating to Tennessee’s impact on popular music. Students will complete
and submit their graphic organizer via email as well as a printed hard copy.

BACKGROUND and RATIONALE:

● What different types of music has Tennessee produced or introduced to popular music?
● This lesson continues with the study of Tennessee and how it has impacted the United States.
● Subsequent lessons will focus on other major events that have taken place in Tennessee or performed by
Tennesseans.

PROCEDURES AND TIMELINE:

● Introduction:

Rockin’ Tennessee
Welcome to the Tennessee Music Time Machine! In this machine you listen, learn, and look at how
Tennessee has influenced music. To understand this, you first must travel to the beginning. While there
are many genres and sub-genres of music, most music we listen to today derived from roots of gospel,
folk, bluegrass, the blues and rock-n-roll. You and your team of researchers are going to travel back in
time about Tennessee’s impact on modern music.

For this assignment, you and your team will explore popular artists and historic locations to gain
understanding of how crucial Tennessee has been to modern music. First, your team will need to go over
the provided checklist and decide who is researching which topic. After assignments have been made,
your team will research the assigned topic. After this, your team will collaborate and determine what
information will be used in your presentation. Together, you will create a graphic organizer showing
Tennessee’s impact on modern music. You will need to do research on each topic and show the
significance of that topic. To gain bonus points or a classroom privilege of your choice, if time permits,
use Google to further explore Tennessee’s impact on modern music.
● Procedures:

ACTIVITY 1
Prior to the computer
1. The teacher will play segments of music historically connected to Tennessee.
2. The teacher will divide the class into groups of 4 and distribute the information checklist.
3. Students will meet with their group and divide up artists or historic musical locations on the
checklist to determine who will research what.
At the Computer
1. The teacher will have the above sites bookmarked on the computers.
2. Each student will research the bookmarked websites to complete their assigned musician or location
from the checklist.
After the computer
1. Student teams will meet together at a table.
 2. Each team member will report to their team what information they found for their assigned musician
or location.
3. Team members will decide together what information best tells about Tennessee’s influence on
modern popular music and what material should be used in their graphic organizer presentation. The
graphic organizer should include the following topics: Sun Studios, Stax Records, Elvis Presley,
B.B.King, and Memphis, Tennessee. Bonus points for exploring and exhibiting other Tennessee
influences of music!

ACTIVITY 2
Prior to the computer
1. Teacher will distribute an example of a graphic organizer and review the parts that should be
included on Biomes assignment.
2. Students will sketch out how they will create their organizer using the information they gathered in
the Activity 1. Students will identify who will be the reader. who will be the typist, and who will be
the proofreader. Roles may be rotated during the assignment.
At the computer
1. Teacher will have Kidspiration/Inspiration opened on each team’s computer.
2. Teams (using the student roles identified previously) will create their graphic organizer using
Kidspiration/Inspiration and include the required information from the Musician and Historic
Musical Location checklist. The graphic organizer should include the following technical
requirements in addition to the Biome information:
Title, a concept shape that identifies the location or musician, appropriately used color, either
Times New Roman or Arial font, in easy to read contrasting color, no grammatical errors.
3. Students will then submit a copy to the teacher via email and also print off a hard copy.
After the computer
1. The teacher will supply a ½ size poster board and markers for each team.
2. Each team will mount their graphic organizer on the poster board and label with a title and each team
members’ names. The team members will prepare their presentation of the information to the class.
Each team member must participate in the presentation.
3. Each team will present their information to the class.
4. Team will also submit their team’s hard copy to the teacher.

● Closure: After the presentations, each student will write a short essay (3 paragraphs) about their favorite
musician and how Tennessee’s impact on modern music may have influenced them. Questions to
answer would be: Who is my favorite musician? What roots did their genre originate from? How did
Tennessee have an impact on that genre?

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE:
Students will submit and present their Graphic organizers as well as write a short essay exhibiting their
knowledge of iconic Tennessee music and how that may have influenced their favorite musician’s genre.

Each team member will receive the same score for the graphic organizer using the following rubric.
Students will receive individual scores for the assessment of their participation in the presentations and
of their reflective essay.
 Criteria Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Graphic Organizer - At least 3 correct At least 2 correct At least 2 correct
Information provided examples for first examples for 3 of examples for 1-2 of
about topics: Elvis 4 listed topics; the first 4 listed first 4 listed topics
Presley, B.B. King, Additional topics
Sun Studios, Stax Historic
Records and Tennessee
Memphis, TN locations or artists
are listed
Graphic Organizer - Graphic organizer Graphic organizer is Graphic organizer is
Organization is well well constructed and not well organized
constructed and easy to understand and is difficult to
easy to but may have understand.
understand with missing some Connecting lines may
appropriate connecting lines, etc. or may not be
connecting lines. present.
Graphic Organizer - Organizer has a Organizer lacks 1 of Organizer lacks 2 or
Appearance title, identifying the following: at more of the
concept shape, least one graphic per following: at least
required font, at topic, a title, one graphic per topic,
least one graphic required font, a title, required font,
for each topic, colorful, identifying colorful, identifying
and is colorful concept shape concept shape
Participation Student Student Student lacked
(Presentation) demonstrated demonstrated knowledge of at least
. knowledge of knowledge but did 2 topics
each topic and not speak clearly
spoke clearly, and distinctly.
distinctly
Reflection paragraph Reflection Reflection presented Reflection did not
presented facts facts that supported present facts that
that supported their choice of supported their
their choice of musician. More than choice of musician.
musician. Used 2 grammar and May or may not have
correct grammar punctuation errors. used correct grammar
and punctuation and punctuation.
(less than 2
errors)
MODIFICATIONS:
I am aware that modifications will be made for students who did not master the objectives and for those ready
for enrichment. However, modifications are not covered in this course and are not part of this particular lesson
STUDENT SAMPLE
Musical Artist and Historic Musical Checklist (Handout that supports Lesson Plan)

Team members

1. 3.

2. 4.

This is a checklist of the topics that are required to be included in your graphic organizer. Divide up topics
among your group to research. Each team member must be responsible for researching something.

 Elvis Presley

 B.B. King

 Sun Studios

 Stax Records

 Memphis, Tennessee

For a bonus opportunity, here are some other things to consider.

 What famous musicians recorded at these historic locations?

 Who are some other musical artist from Tennessee?

 What other contributions has Tennessee made to modern music?

 What musical events are held in Tennessee?

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