Cultural LESSON PLAN and Materials

Jennifer Jordan

Unit: Call and Response Communication

* As a music teacher, I tend to see individual classes only once a week. This lesson plan is
number six of an eight-week unit, broken down into 40-minute weekly lessons, carried out
between January-February.

Goal: To develop an understanding and appreciation of current African-American communication

narratives by tracing their musical call and response origins back to pre Civil War American
history, as well as through music history.

Lesson Topic: Understanding how social justice can be communicated through the arts

Grade Level: Fifth Grade

Lesson Objectives:

 Students will develop a historical timeline that connects important milestones between
music and American history between 1700 – present.
 Students will be able to trace the origins of modern jazz, blues, gospel, and R&B back to
slavery work songs.
 Students will correctly identify, model, and create call and response melodies and
rhythm ostinatos.
 Students will be able to recognize, define, and give examples of call and response
through each of the following lenses: public gatherings in the discussion of civic affairs,
in religious rituals, and in vocal and instrumental musical expression.
 Students will be able to make connections where call and response is used to
communicate African-American stories and struggles today.
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of how racism affects African-Americans
today.
 Students will be able to identify current social justice artists using call and response in
their artistic expression.
 Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation for the connection
between the arts and social justice.

Procedures:

Time Activities / Task Materials

40 Introduction (previous unit lessons) Butcher

minutes paper;
Lesson #1 – Introduce the term call and response and the criteria applied. markers;
per Play 5-7 musical examples of this featuring various styles and genres. sound
lesson Observe and discuss instruments, voicing, call and response style and system;
purpose. pens;
Lesson #2 – Create and perform rhythmic and melodic call and response paper;
musical
 examples, first as a class, then in pairs. Use body percussion, percussion selections;
instruments, chant, and song. rhythm
instruments
Lesson # 3 - As a class, create a butcher paper timeline noting important
American history milestone events (ex. Civil War, Industrial Age, WWI,
Great Depression, WWII, Civil Rights movement) and then link these to the
musical style and trends prevalent during that era.

Lesson #4 – Review the timeline created during the previous week and
focus in on slavery work songs. Play 3-5 examples. Observe and discuss the
call and response used. Break down the double entendre happening in the
call and response communication, relate it to the adversity African
Americans faced as slaves, and discuss why this form of communication
was necessary.

Lesson #5 – Refresh historical timeline created previously. Using this tool,

trace the origins of slavery work songs to their influence on blues, ragtime,
jazz, gospel, funk, R&B, hip hop, and rap (in that order). Play an example for
each style and discuss similarities, differences, and evolving trends as a
class.

Teaching the Content of Lesson #6

2 The teacher will lead the class in a call and response warm-up using body KPL sheets;
minutes rhythm and melody. sound
system;
song
The teacher will introduce the term social justice, define it, and give 2-3 selection
5
examples of where it can be applied. Glory by
minutes
Social Justice – The belief and practice that all people are treated equally John
and receive the same opportunities regardless of external factors. Legend and
Application examples include: Common;
lyrics
- Poverty sheets
- Race
- Gender

The teacher will lead students in creating their own KWL sheet, and
5
ask them to fill in everything they know right now about the
minutes
connection between art and social justice, along with what they want
to know, so that 2 of the 3 columns have content.

10
The teacher will introduce the song Glory by John Legend and rapper
minutes
Common released in 2014. Lyric sheets will be handed out to each
student (lyrics have previously been checked by teacher for
 appropriateness).

The teacher will play the song and ask students to follow along with their
lyric sheets, observing the following:

- What is this song about? What evidence supports your theory?

- Is the tone positive or negative? How can you tell?

- Where is call and response used?

- What is the musical style/genre of this piece?

- What elements of past styles are influential to this piece?

- What social justice cause is being described?

- How is the music helpful in communicating this point? How is it not?

- Does anything you hear feel similar to or different than your experience?

Students will be encouraged to take notes directly on their lyric sheets as

they listen.

15 Reflection and Discussion

minutes
The teacher will lead students through a group dialogue answering the
above questions, writing answers in chart form on the board. Students will
be asked to site their answers using lyrical examples, and draw upon their
previous learning about work songs, style evolution, and current events
today. Answers that reflect understanding should include the following:

The song is about racism, sung by two famous African-American musicians.

Supporting evidence includes lyrics like The movement is a rhythm to us /

Freedom is like religion to us, Justice is juxtapositionin' us / Justice for all
just ain't specific enough, Every day women and men become legends / Sins
that go against our skin become blessings.

The song’s tone is positive even though it discusses hard issues. The title
Gloria is a good indicator of this.

Call and response is noted in the chorus with the call Oh Glory, and the
response Glory, Glory!

Style is R&B, with significant influence from gospel and rap.

The musicians are looking ahead to the day that racism no longer exists and
that all people are treated equally, despite the color of their skin. Song was
written in 2014.
 Music allows a safe space for expression and sharing ideas in a creative
way. It is emotionally charged, and catchy, so certain messages become
more memorable. Music allows diverse voices and experiences to be
shared to a large audience.

Personal experience answers will vary.

3 Conclusion
minutes
The teacher will lead students in the KWL wrap-up, asking students to fill in
the L section for what they’ve just learned through the activity. KWL sheets
will be collected for assessment.

Homework /Assignment / Extension (Optional)

Students will be asked to generate a list of questions they’d like to ask John
Legend or Common about their personal life, values, cultural association,
song inspiration, what it means to them, and what they hope to achieve in
the future. Minimum of 10 questions required. Questions will be
submitted, reviewed and shared next class.

Additional Follow-up Lessons to complete the 8 week unit include:

Lesson #7 – Using 3-4 diverse musical examples, demonstrate call and

response communication examples used by other races and genders.
Identify and discuss connections between art and connected social
movements. What is the message? Who are the people using call and
response? Why are they using this form of communication? What was
happening around them? Is this form of art and communication effective?
How do we see this today? Discuss as a group.

Lesson #8 – Partner with Artivist Entertainment

(http://artivistentertainment.com) to host a guest performer at the school.
Artists represented are minority groups who focus on inspiring positive
social change through their music. Listen, observe, and host Q&A with
guest artist after performance. Note any call and response used, and
discuss artist’s feelings about the communication tool. Apply any relevant
student generated questions from Lesson #6 to the Q&A time.