In 7th grade music, we take the quarter to study popular music in America, starting with Jazz, working our way through Rock, and ending talking about Hip Hop and sampling. Its a really logical progression, but finding a quality curriculum is difficult and writing one is time-consuming.
Enter TeachRock!
I discovered this website in the final weeks of summer vacation and it really gave me a boost of excitement going into the new school year. The development, growth, and fragmentation of Rock music is presented chronologically with loads of primary sources (interviews, rock concert footage, music reviews from the 1950's, etc...). Each lesson includes:
- Objectives
- Motivational (Warm-Up) Activity
- Procedure
- Summary Activity
- Homework/Assessment
- Writing Prompts
- Extension Activities
There is way too much information to use in just one class period (at least with my 7th grade students), but that's the beauty of it. Because there is such a wealth of information and lesson ideas, its easy to create a lesson that encourages students to really examine the different styles of rock, their roots, and the effect of musicians and albums on the wider world of pop music.
PROS
- Quality primary sources
- Multiple levels of thinking (critical thinking, recall, reflection)
- Clearly stated objectives
- Adaptable to many levels, interests, time constraints
CONS
- The music footage is mostly partial, not full performances (but this is easily remedied by finding the same footage or similar footage on YouTube)
- It is not all school appropriate (but it is Rock music, after all...) so you will need to take the time to look at each resource and video.
Want an example of the materials?
Here you go!
Over the last three days, my 7th graders have been looking at Punk Rock as a reaction against what was going on in the music world and the world around them (cultural context). To see how I adapted the materials for my students, take a look at the original materials on teachrock.org, and now take a look at what I distributed to my students:
They're still working on their group paragraphs, so I'll have to update that at a later date.
But how great is it that my students are talking about the economic crisis in England during the 1970's and The Clash's emergence as a force of Punk Rock... and its all from their own critical thinking and analysis!
But how great is it that my students are talking about the economic crisis in England during the 1970's and The Clash's emergence as a force of Punk Rock... and its all from their own critical thinking and analysis!
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