History of Rock n' Roll - 11th Grade U.S. History

Lesson Summary
The students working independently will listen to different Rock songs to determine the genre and why the song fits into the genre.


California Academic Standard(s) 

• 11.8.8 - 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.

Time Frame
One (50) minute class


Goal
The students will attain critical thinking skills while gaining a deeper understanding of popular culture during the second half of the twentieth century.

Lesson Plan
Anticipatory Set (10 min)

The instructor will write a question on the board that states: "Why do you think Rock n' Roll became so popular in the 1950s and 1960s?  The instructor will allow the students two minutes to think about the question.  The instructor will call on random students to answer the question and write the answers on the board.

Direct Instruction (10 min)

The instructor will briefly explain the history of Rock n' Roll and how it fit into the historical time period it arose. The instructor will write the following Rock genres on the board:

• Early Rock
• Bubble Gum Rock
• Psychedelic Rock
• Hard Rock
• Folk Rock
• Disco
• Rap
• Punk Rock
• New Wave
• Grunge
• Southern Rock

The instructor will provide the students with a graphic organizer that has the Song Title that will be played by the instructor.  Underneath the song the word Genre will be written and underneath Genre the words Reason Why will be written.

 Example: Song Title
               Genre:
               Reason Why:


The instructor can choose any songs that fit into the different genres. NOTE: To enhance the lesson, the instructor can provide the students the lyrics to the songs.  Here are examples:

• Early Rock - Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley & The Comments
  
• Bubble Gum Rock - Sugar Sugar, The Archies
  
• Psychedelic Rock - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, The Beatles
  
• Hard Rock - Iron Man, Black Sabbath
  
• Folk Rock - Blowin in the Wind, Bob Dylan
  
• Disco - Saturday Night Fever, BeeGees
  
• Rap - 911 is a Joke, Public Enemy (It is clean)
  
• Punk Rock - London's Burning, The Clash
  
• New Wave - Rock Lobster, B-52s
  
• Grunge - Today, Smashing Pumpkins 

Modeling (10 min) 
The instructor will play a modern jazz song or some other genre of music and tell the class what genre it is and why.

Guided Practice (35 min) 
The instructor will play a part of each song.  The instructor will allow the students a few minutes to think about the song and write what genre they think it is and why the song fits into the genre.

Checks for Understanding
The students will submit their graphic organizers to the instructor.