War Music
Content Area: Social Studies Teacher: Heather Sternitzky
Topic: Reading Music Date Created: October 1, 2009
Grade Level: 7th-8Th grade Time: 45-50 minutes
Standards:
National Standards (Music):
After listening to each song and discussing in their small groups, students will be able to answer all five questions for each of the three songs on their “War Songs Organizer” sheet.
After listening to all three songs and discussing them in small groups, students will be able to compare elements of “protest” songs and “support” songs based on the musical mood and lyrics that the artists use.
Using the “War Songs Organizer” and the students’ background knowledge, students will be able to identify which time/war period each song is from.
Why is it important that my students learn my lesson?
Students will be learning about different wars in history in their social studies class. It is important for students to understand that there are multiple perspectives in any debate. This lesson focuses on the debate between pro-war and anti-war. The songs chosen reference both WWII and Vietnam War, although, other songs could be substituted to include other wars. From the interpretation and discussion around the songs, the students will learn to make inferences of the artists’ opinion toward these wars based on musical and lyric elements while still understanding that there are multiple points of view.
What academic subject will I link it to?
History/Social Studies: The students are learning about historical wars in Social Studies. This lesson will help them understand different opinions of WWII and the Vietnam War through music. It will also help students understand elements of music and lyrics that can affect the mood of the listener.
Materials:
· Computer to play music
· Songs
o Caroline’s Spine: “Mrs. Sullivan” Running time: 4:07
o Red Foley: “Smoke on the Water” Running time: 2:56
o Edwin Starr: “War” Running time: 3:25
· Lyric sheets (one per student)
· “War Songs” worksheet (one per student)
Background for teachers:
In Social Studies, the students are learning about different wars the US has been involved in. They have read the history based on their textbook as well as articles that were written at those time periods. This has given them a general understanding of how the majority felt about those wars. This lesson is designed to broaden their understanding of multiple perspectives in relation to war and how musical elements can help make a social statement.
Steps in the lesson:
As an informal assessment, I plan to monitor student participation during small and large group discussion. As a formal assessment, I will collect the students’ “War Song Organizer” sheets to determine whether the students were able to meet all of the objectives.
Adaptations/Extensions (for students with special needs):
If students have difficulty explaining what they learned on paper, they can come and talk to me face-to-face and I will write down what they said as their formal assessment.
Next steps/Connections with other subjects:
Students will be learning about the Iraq war soon. This lesson can be re-done using modern music about war. The students will also be writing the lyrics for their own song about their opinion of a political debate, using the songs from this lesson as examples.
Content Area: Social Studies Teacher: Heather Sternitzky
Topic: Reading Music Date Created: October 1, 2009
Grade Level: 7th-8Th grade Time: 45-50 minutes
Standards:
National Standards (Music):
- 6.b: Analyze the uses of elements of music in aural examples representing diverse genres and cultures
- 8.b: Describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with those of music.
- F.8.3 Analyze and compare the use of the elements of music upon listening to examples representing diverse genres and cultures
- F.8.10 Analyze and describe uses of the elements of music in a given work that make it unique, interesting, and expressive
- H.8.3 Describe how the principles and subject matter of other school disciplines interrelate with those of music
- I.8.3 Compare, in several cultures of the world including their own, functions music serves, roles of musicians, and conditions under which music is typically created and performed
- B.8.3 Describe the relationships between and among significant events, such as the causes and consequences of wars in United States and world history
- B.8.4 Explain how and why events may be interpreted differently depending upon the perspectives of participants, witnesses, reporters, and historians
After listening to each song and discussing in their small groups, students will be able to answer all five questions for each of the three songs on their “War Songs Organizer” sheet.
After listening to all three songs and discussing them in small groups, students will be able to compare elements of “protest” songs and “support” songs based on the musical mood and lyrics that the artists use.
Using the “War Songs Organizer” and the students’ background knowledge, students will be able to identify which time/war period each song is from.
Why is it important that my students learn my lesson?
Students will be learning about different wars in history in their social studies class. It is important for students to understand that there are multiple perspectives in any debate. This lesson focuses on the debate between pro-war and anti-war. The songs chosen reference both WWII and Vietnam War, although, other songs could be substituted to include other wars. From the interpretation and discussion around the songs, the students will learn to make inferences of the artists’ opinion toward these wars based on musical and lyric elements while still understanding that there are multiple points of view.
What academic subject will I link it to?
History/Social Studies: The students are learning about historical wars in Social Studies. This lesson will help them understand different opinions of WWII and the Vietnam War through music. It will also help students understand elements of music and lyrics that can affect the mood of the listener.
Materials:
· Computer to play music
· Songs
o Caroline’s Spine: “Mrs. Sullivan” Running time: 4:07
o Red Foley: “Smoke on the Water” Running time: 2:56
o Edwin Starr: “War” Running time: 3:25
· Lyric sheets (one per student)
· “War Songs” worksheet (one per student)
Background for teachers:
In Social Studies, the students are learning about different wars the US has been involved in. They have read the history based on their textbook as well as articles that were written at those time periods. This has given them a general understanding of how the majority felt about those wars. This lesson is designed to broaden their understanding of multiple perspectives in relation to war and how musical elements can help make a social statement.
Steps in the lesson:
- Introduction/Building background knowledge:
- Remind students that they have been discussing war in social studies.
- Explain to students that, as with other topics we have covered, there are multiple perspectives about war.
- Ask students what they think the multiple perspectives of war are. Write these on the board.
- Tell students that today, we will be exploring multiple war perspectives using music about different wars.
- Body:
- Hand a copy of the lyric sheet and “War Songs Organizer” worksheet to the students.
- Instruct students to write any ideas that come to mind regarding the changes in mood and music while listening to the songs:
- How the music changes
- What the lyrics or instrumental remind you of
- What references to specific wars you find
- Play Red Foley’s “Smoke on the Water” for the students.
- Have students discuss the song in groups of three based on the ideas that the students wrote on their organizer sheet.
- Now, play Caroline’s Spine: “Mrs. Sullivan” for the students and ask them to write on their sheets as ideas come to mind like they did with the last song.
- After playing the song, explain the history of the song so students can further understand the point of view in the song.
- Discuss this song in the same terms as above but adding, “How is this song different or similar to the last song we heard?
- Finally, play Edwin Starr’s “War” for the students, again asking them to write ideas on their sheet.
- Discuss the song using the same terms as used for “Mrs. Sullivan”.
- Closure:
- Discuss with students the differences between a “protest” song and a “support” song based on the three songs listened to in class.
- How does the music change?
- What kind of words does the artist use to get their opinion across?
- Have students hand in their “War Songs Organizer” worksheet for formal assessment.
As an informal assessment, I plan to monitor student participation during small and large group discussion. As a formal assessment, I will collect the students’ “War Song Organizer” sheets to determine whether the students were able to meet all of the objectives.
Adaptations/Extensions (for students with special needs):
If students have difficulty explaining what they learned on paper, they can come and talk to me face-to-face and I will write down what they said as their formal assessment.
Next steps/Connections with other subjects:
Students will be learning about the Iraq war soon. This lesson can be re-done using modern music about war. The students will also be writing the lyrics for their own song about their opinion of a political debate, using the songs from this lesson as examples.
