Sounds of History
Music is key to identity. It offers a sense of self identity, and also ties us to a collective identity. Music is known for doing a lot of things, like having relaxing and healing powers, the ability to treat mental ailments such as anxiety, serve as a source for spiritual and emotional. Throughout human history music has played a big part in shaping society and culture. Here in the United States music played a big role in the spread of the ideals that make up the American Dream. It is this concept and these ideals that are the focal point of this unit.
Lesson Plan
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Essential Questions
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What is the American Dream - then and now?
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Who created it and who has access to it?
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Why does it matter to me?
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Learning Goals
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Students will understand the origins of the American Dream, as well as who had access to it and who did not.
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Students will understand how the American Dream has changed over time.
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Students will take time to explore their own identity, and think about what their American Dream will look like.
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Common Core Standards
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11.8 Students analyze the economic boom and social transformation of post–World War II America.
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8. Discuss forms of popular culture, with emphasis on their origins and geographic diffusion (e.g., jazz and other forms of popular music, professional sports, architectural and artistic styles).
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Activities
- Day 1
- Before getting into the thick of it students will engage in a Think-Pair-Share to define what the American Dream is. I will task students with creating a list of characteristics they believe are part of the American Dream. This will help us build a definition for the class to use for reference throughout the unit. Now that students have had a chance to access their funds of knowledge I will proceed with the lecture portion of the lesson. This will focus on the origins of the American Dream, going back to The Declaration of Independence and tracking the ideals that shaped it over the course of history.
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To help students with getting a full picture of how the American Dream developed over the course of history the students will read an article called "A Better Life: Creating the American Dream." Students will each read for 20 minutes independently, with the goal of getting through the first four sections. Students will fill in the accompanying document for each section that you are able to complete. We will finish with some time to share out what students think, wonder, and feel about what they read.
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To finish out the day I will leave students with an Exit Request asking them to talk with someone they know about their thoughts on the American Dream before coming to class the next day, and be ready to share out with the class.
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Day 2
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Before starting this portion of the unit I will give the students a warning, and an opportunity to step out of the classroom, as the videos contain depictions of violence. For this activity students will be shown two music videos and be asked to make note of what they notice, wonder, and feel watching Childish Gambino's "This is America" and Willie Jones's "American Dream." Both of these music videos provide a perspective on the modern American Dream from the perspective of the artist who made it, and for some of the members of the communities they are a part of. Following the videos we will take a second to unpack what we watched in small groups of 4-5. Students will also nominate one person from their group to serve as the spokesperson who shares the key points from their discussion with the class.
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After this discussion students will explore additional perspectives on the American Dream through participation in a World Café activity. Working in groups of 4-5 students will read about one perspective and work as a group to complete their World Café document. Each group will be assigned a different perspective of the American Dream to explore further. Students will listen to/read the assigned perspective, and answer the questions on their document individually.
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The host (the one who didn’t move) presents a summary of the conversation recorded from the former group to the new group. When you rotate to a new table, the note taker’s role is to record the major points of the conversation that takes place at the table. The group discusses the topic at hand until time is called by the time keeper. For the group discussion there will be 2 minutes for the host to summarize and 3 minutes for the group to discuss and for the inquisitors to ask questions.
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Day 3 and Day 4
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Students will have two days to work on their final product for this unit, with the potential for additional work time if needed. Students will begin by completing a guided journaling activity that is focused on students exploring their own identity and positionality. After completing this students will begin to curate a playlist of songs that represent their journey up to this point and the hopes they have for their future; 2 songs connected to their past, 2 songs connected to their present, and 3 songs that represent a piece of their dream for their future. Students will also be tasked with designing a custom album cover that represents something about who they are or the songs they chose. Several examples of students final products are included above.
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