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Music in the Civil War Context

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Music in the Civil War Context Lesson #2 – Art Criticism/Critical Thinking: Music in the Civil War Context: Intermediate (Grade 4), 1 hour lesson, whole group (18 students) Virginia Standards of Learning: VS.7 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War by a) identifying the events and differences between northern and southern states that divided Virginians and led to secession, war, and the creation of West Virginia; Music 4.4 The student will respond to music with movement. 1) Perform choreographed and non-choreographed movements. Music 4.7 The student will create music through a variety of experiences. 1. Improvise simple melodic and rhythmic accompaniments. Objectives: 1) Given different musical selections from the Civil War era, students will describe the instruments they hear as well as the implied emotions the songs express. 2) Given an assigned emotion and a set of “instruments”, students will create a beat that exhibits the emotion and play them for their classmates. Resources/Materials: Music selections, instruments made from household materials (kitchen items, books, pens, etc), tubs from baskin robbins, knowledge retrieval chart with associated handouts (one per student), summative assessment handout Music selections retrieved from http://pdmusic.org/civilwar.html and include: Battle Hymn of the Republic, Dixie’s Land, The Dying Volunteer, Can I Go Dearest Mother?, and Kingdom Coming Content and Instructional Strategies: Introduction: Explain that the Civil War was an important event in our nation’s history. The country was divided into two sides: the North and South, which were fighting each other. Explain that the people were feeling a range emotions and had many different attitudes. Given the short amount of time we have with students, explain that we will be sharing some of the music from that time period that corresponds to the emotions and attitudes of the people in the country. List the SOLs that will be covered that day. Content Focus: Model the whole group activity the class will do. One teacher plays a song, while another teacher begins moving to the music. Song stops and one teacher asks about the instruments the other heard and the mood expressed in the music. One teacher will write down the information on the poster. Once modeled, play another song and have students move to the music. Have students identify instruments and explain the feelings they think the music expressed. Explain what the song was about. Repeat for other songs. After the students have gotten some practice with music and emotions expressed through it, pair students into groups of two and assign each group and emotion and set of instruments. Tell them to work together to come up with a beat that exhibits that emotion. Walk around the room to actively listen and observe, writing down observations of student participation and work. Have students play their beat for another group and have the other group guess what emotion they were exhibiting. Closure: Ask if any students would like to play their beat for the whole class. Have class guess the emotion as a whole group. Discuss with students the effectiveness of exhibiting emotion through song and review how important music can be in their everyday lives. Distribute summative assessment. Assessment: Formative: Observation of student participation in the whole group activity, observation of students in the small group work. Summative!"Multiple Choice questions: 1) The song that sounded sad and longing was most likely a tribute to ___________ a. The Union Army b. The Confederate Army c. A soldier who died in battle d. A soldier’s family Background Information/Key Concepts: During the Civil War, there was a division among the states (Union army in the north, Confederate army in the south). The feelings, attitudes and lives of different groups of people (union army, confederate army, families at home, slaves, etc) varied. There are songs from this time period that express the emotions and attitudes of these people. Battle Hymn of the Republic, written by Julia Ward Howe, is a Union song meant to inspire patriotism and loyalty in the listener. Today, it’s a very popular and well known American patriotic song. Dixie’s Land was a popular tune during this time period, loosely adopted by the Confederacy as its anthem and as a way to commemorate the South’s past glory. The Dying Volunteer evokes remorse over the death of a devoted soldier through both its sound and its title. Can I Go Dearest Mother? creates the feeling, also through the sound and the title, of an individual who wants to go volunteer for the cause. Kingdom Coming is a song written by Henry C. Work about slaves being set free, and how wonderful this is. Extension Activities/Interdisciplinary Links: On another day, when time permits, have students write lyrics to the beats/songs they wrote. This would integrate language arts into the lesson. Differentiation Activities/Strategies: This lesson appeals to a few of Gardner’s multiple intelligences: musical (students listen to and create their own music) and kinesthetic (students move to the rhythm of the music) Music in the Civil War Song Instruments Mood/Theme ! Battle Hymn of the ! ! ! Republic ! ! ! ! Dixie’s Land ! ! ! ! ! The Dying Volunteer ! ! ! Can I Go Dearest ! ! ! Mother? ! ! ! ! Kingdom Coming ! ! BIOGRAPHY: ISABEL SOJOURNER TRUTH PREPARED BY: Katie Herring and Cate Shermer AUDIENCE: 4th Grade, Mrs. Geyer, Waller Mill Elementary; whole group setting, 20-25 students STANDARDS: VS1a, h: The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to a) identify and interpret artifacts and primary and secondary source documents to understand events in history; h) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing; VS7c: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War by c) describing the roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans, free African Americans, and American Indians. E4.1b: The student will use effective oral communication skills in a variety of settings to b) contribute to group discussions; 4.2a,b,c: The student will make and listen to oral presentations and reports, a) use subject-related information and vocabulary, b) listen to and record information, and c) organize information for clarity; 4.7a-c: The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations. a) focus on one aspect of a topic b) develop a plan for writing c) organize writing to convey a central idea. BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: 1. Given a timeline of major historical eras, students will correctly sort 12 key historical figures into their time periods 2. Given the reading of Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride, and background biographical information provided by the teacher, students will identify key aspects of Sojourner’s life as a suffragette and as an abolitionist 3. Given two examples of a speech, both read orally, students will write their own speeches – in the style of Sojourner Truth – about issues they feel strongly about MATERIALS AND TIME Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride, by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, Narrative of Sojourner Truth, by Olive Gilbert, historical figures cards and magnets, dry erase markers and board, speech formula sheet, copy of Truth’s Akron, OH speech, copy of NYC 1867 speech, sheet with pre-prepared vocabulary terms; one hour LESSON DESCRIPTION: Introduction: Begin by drawing a chart on the board, divided into 4 major historical eras: colonial history (1607- 1770s), Revolutionary War era, Civil War era, and Civil Rights era. Inform students they will be sorting historical figures into their time periods. Correctly place Sojourner Truth in the Civil War era column, and then have student volunteers place the 11 remaining historical figures (Grant, Lincoln, Lee, Tubman, Parks, Douglass, King, Cornwallis, Washington, Smith, and Jefferson). Once finished, discuss with the class any errors that have been made, and emphasize that the purpose for this activity was to gain an appreciation for the peers Sojourner interacted with and was influenced by. Afterwards, contextualize Truth by explaining that in the years leading up to the Civil War, some people fought to end slavery. Define the following vocabulary as it related to Truth and the era: abolitionist, women’s rights/suffrage, slavery, Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Civil War, orator, Stanton and Anthony. Finally, end the introduction by briefly explaining that we learn about the past – and people’s life stories – in many ways. Ask students for their input as to what types of sources are available, and then elaborate on what a primary source is and give examples: speeches, letters, diaries, etc. Caution students on the implications of bias when studying a person’s life history. Content Focus: Read aloud Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride. Before beginning, explain that you will pause at specific points to tie in what the author is saying to facts about Sojourner’s life. As you read, ask questions that both check students’ understanding of the information and help them connect to Sojourner’s life. Imagine if you were separated from your parents today – how would you feel? Why would it be a problem that Sojourner’s master spoke a different language than she did? Do you think Sojourner made the right decision when she ran away from her master? Why do you think the Quaker family took Sojourner in? Do you think women deserve equal rights? What do you think of Sojourner’s accomplishments, especially knowing she never could read or write? After reading the book, finish the story of Sojourner’s life by talking about her support of Union soldiers, her visit with President Lincoln, her work with freed blacks, and her suffrage efforts that continued until she died.
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