Unit Titles:

· Unit 3: Colonization and Conflict

· Unit 4: The Fight For Independence

· Unit 5: Slavery and Emancipation.

Unit Overviews:

The units in this lesson identify the contributions and accomplishments of significant leaders during the colonial, revolutionary, and slavery periods.

Lesson Overview:
The students will identify important individuals from American History such as Thomas Jefferson, Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, John Hancock, Captain John Smith, Frederick Douglas, and Harriet Tubman who have showed courage and stood up for personal beliefs in situations that were not supported by their peers. The students will understand that songs have been used as a tool to teach lessons for generations. The students will also learn how songs were used to pass information from one person to another to aid those using the Underground Railroad. The students will analyze and interpret the lyrics from two songs. The students will use the interpretations from one of the songs, I Don’t Want To Be, and identify how peer pressure has impacted their lives. They will also identify pressures that were placed on the above-mentioned leaders from American History, and how they must have felt and reacted to the pressures.

Length:

3 45-minute periods

Grades:

5-8

Arts Subject:

Music, Grades 5-8

Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines

outside the arts.

Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Other Subject:

Social Studies (American History), Grade 5

Standard 4:

· Level II (Grades 5-6)

3. Understands Puritanism in colonial America (e.g., how Puritanism shaped New England communities, the changes in Puritanism during the 17th century, opposition to King James I, why Puritans came to America, the Puritan family structure)

· Level III (Grades 7-8)

1. Understands ideas that influenced religious and political aspects of colonial America (e.g., how the growth of individualism contributed to participatory government, challenged inherited ideas of hierarchy, and affected the ideal of community; whether political rights in colonial society reflected democratic ideas; how Benjamin Franklin's thirteen virtues in his Autobiography compare to Puritan ideas and values)

Standard 6:

· Level II (Grades 5-6)

2. Understands the events that contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolution and the earliest armed conflict of the Revolutionary War (e.g., opponents and defenders of England's new imperial policy, the idea of "taxation without representation," the battle at Lexington and Concord)

3. Understands the major ideas in the Declaration of Independence, their sources, and how they became unifying ideas of American democracy (e.g., major terms, why the document was written, what the signers risked)

4. Understands the major developments and chronology of the Revolutionary War and the roles of its political, military, and diplomatic leaders (e.g., George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Richard Henry Lee)

Standard 13:

· Level II (Grades 5-6)

1. Understands slavery prior to the Civil War (e.g., the importance of slavery as a principal cause of the Civil War, the growing influence of abolitionists, children’s roles and family life under slavery)

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

· identify important individuals from American History such as Thomas Jefferson, Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, John Hancock, Captain John Smith, Frederick Douglas, and Harriet Tubman who have showed courage and stood up for personal beliefs in situations that were not supported by their peers.

· understand that songs have been used as a tool to teach lessons for generations.

· learn how songs were used to pass information from one person to another to aid those using the Underground Railroad.

· analyze and interpret the lyrics from two songs.

· use the interpretations from one of the songs, I Don’t Want To Be, and identify how peer pressure has impacted their lives.

· identify pressures that were placed on the above-mentioned leaders from American History, and how they must have felt and reacted to the pressures.

Supplies:

· Gavin DeGraw’s I Don’t Want To Be music video

· Lyrics for I Don’t Want To Be

· Lyrics for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

· 8.5” x 11” card stock

· 2 index cards per student

· Important Leaders from American History Who Didn’t Give in to Peer Pressure

Student Materials:

· Lyrics for "I Don’t Want To Be"

Lyrics for "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
Important Leaders from American History Who Didn’t Give in to Peer Pressure

Instructional Plan:

Big Ideas: The students will identify important individuals from American History such as Thomas Jefferson, Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, John Hancock, Captain John Smith, Frederick Douglas, and Harriet Tubman who have showed courage and stood up for personal beliefs in situations that were not supported by their peers. The students will understand that songs have been used as a tool to teach lessons for generations. The students will also learn how songs were used to pass information from one person to another to aid those using the Underground Railroad. The students will analyze and interpret the lyrics from two songs. The students will use the interpretations from one of the songs, I Don’t Want To Be, and identify how peer pressure has impacted their lives. They will also identify pressures that were placed on the above-mentioned leaders from American History, and how they must have felt and reacted to the pressures.

Texas Standards:

5.1 B describe the accomplishments of significant colonial leaders such as Anne Hutchinson, William Penn, John Smith, and Roger Williams.

5.2 A identify the contributions of significant individuals during the revolutionary period, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington;

5.22 A identify significant examples of art, music, and literature from various periods in U.S. history;

Engage: As the students walk into the room, they will receive an index card. They will hear the lyrics and see the video of "I Don't Want To Be" by Gavin DeGraw. As the students observe their surroundings, they will see musical notes hanging around the room, pictures of Gavin DeGraw, a microphone, and a keyboard at the front of the room. On the board, the students will see the question, "How can we use songs in school?" The students will write their answers on the index card.

Explore: The students will share some of the answers that were written on their index cards. The teacher will record student answers on the chalkboard. The students will describe how the songs were used to augment an educational learning experience.

Explain: The teacher will pass out the first verse to "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". The teacher will give background information on the division of the United States, slavery, and the Underground Railroad. In guided practice, the students will analyze the meaning of the words in "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", and how the song was used to pass information about the Underground Railroad to slaves.

Extend: The teacher will hand out a copy of the lyrics to "I Don't Want To Be" by Gavin DeGraw. The students will work in small groups to interpret the meaning of selected lyrics. Each group will create a short paragraph summing up their interpretations. The paragraph will be completed on an index card. In a class discussion, the students will share their understanding of the lyrics

Evaluate: An informal assessment will take the form of a class discussion. The students will use the social concepts presented in "I Don't Want To Be" and relate them to historical figures in American History. The Students will discuss the contributions of Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, Thomas Jefferson, John Smith, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman. The students will assess whether peer pressure influenced the contributions of each figure or whether they were following their own belief systems. A formal assessment will take the form of an artistic expression of the student. Each student will create a “ME” poster on 8.5” x 11” cardstock paper. The poster should capture the individualism of the student in the absence of all peer pressure. The poster must be in color.

Extensions:

Invite the students to participate in a Gavin DeGraw dress alike and lip sync contest. The extra brave at heart can sing the song. Video the student performances and allow the students to watch the video at a later date.

Internet Resources:

Rock & Roll Library

www.RockLibrary.com

A&E Biography Page

http://www.biography.com/search/index.jsp

American Memory

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/

Learn About the Underground Railroad

http://209.10.16.21/TEMPLATE/FrontEnd/learn_b1.cfm

Essentials of Music

www.essentialsofmusic.com

EDSITEMENT