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Folklife Resources for Educators

Materials Related to Ballads

There are 8 titles in this list.

 

Association for Cultural Equity - Teaching Resources
by Association for Cultural Equity
http://www.culturalequity.org/rc/ce_rc_teaching.php

Educational resources and activities for use in the Pre-K through 12 classroom, based on archival materials in the Alan Lomax Archive. Can be incorporated into the curriculum areas of history, geography, language arts, social studies, visual arts, music, and dance. Includes lesson plans and streaming video for four of Alan Lomax's films in the American Patchwork series: "Appalachian Journey;" "Dreams and Songs of the Noble Old;" "Jazz Parades;" and "The Land Where the Blues Began." The site also includes classroom activities with streaming audio, focused on a variety of musical genres and characteristics, with examples recorded by Lomax in Spain, Italy, the Bahamas, England, Scotland, Trinidad, and the American South.

Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English
Subjects: South Carolina--Social life and customs; North Carolina--Social life and customs; Georgia--Social life and customs; Louisiana--Social life and customs; Mississippi--Social life and customs; Musical instruments; Southern States--Social life and customs; Folk music; Blues (Music); Ballads; Games; Children's songs; African Americans; Folk songs; Lullabies; Dance; Music; Dixieland music; Appalachian Region--Social life and customs
Geographic locations: United States; Trinidad; Spain; Southern States; Scotland; Mississippi; Louisiana; Italy; England; Caribbean Area; Bahamas; Appalachian Region

Sponsoring Organization:
Association for Cultural Equity
450 West 41st Street, Suite 602-606
New York NY 10036
(212) 268-4623
http://www.culturalequity.org/


Bluegrass in the Schools
by International Bluegrass Music Association
http://www.ibma.org/events.programs/schools/lessonplans.asp

Lesson plans and activities for the K-12 curriculum introducing students to bluegrass music. Topics include the musical instruments and sounds of bluegrass, vocal harmonies, song lyrics, bluegrass festivals, the history of bluegrass, and in-depth study of individual bluegrass songs and ballads.

Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities Language: English
Subjects: Musicians; Music; Ballads; Musical instruments; Folk songs; Bluegrass music; Folk music; Festivals
Geographic locations: United States

Sponsoring Organization:
International Bluegrass Music Association
2 Music Circle South, Suite 100
Nashville TN 37203
(888) 438-4262
http://www.ibma.org/about.ibma/index.asp


The Colonia Mexicana of Bethlehem Steel
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=922

Lesson plan with activities related to the influx of Mexican immigrant workers employed by Bethlehem Steel during the early 20th century and history in Pennsylvania. The unit is geared to the middle and high school classroom for use in the curriculum areas of history, geography, and the arts and humanities. The unit focuses on Bethlehem Steel's recruitment of workers from Mexico, beginning in 1923, with student activities centering on the analysis of a Mexican corrido and newspaper articles from the time. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary source materials, including photographs and oral histories, drawn from the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and other materials. The lesson plan is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, History, Geography, and Arts and Humanities.

Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Geography; Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English; Spanish
Subjects: Industrialization; Cultural geography; Steel industry and trade; Immigrant labor; Iron and steel workers; Mexico--Social life and customs; Ballads; Labor history; Immigrants; Pennsylvania--Social life and customs; Mexican Americans; Music; Corridos
Geographic locations: Pennsylvania; Mexico

Sponsoring Organization:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1


Corridos sin Fronteras: A New World Ballad Tradition
by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
http://www.corridos.org/main2.asp?language=E

Bilingual (Spanish and English) interactive educational website for elementary, middle, and high school teachers and students. Site introduces students to the historical and cultural importance of the corrido, a popular narrative poem or ballad found in Spanish-speaking areas of the Americas. The site includes lesson plans and historical and contextual background on the development of the corrido, including its use in expressions of social justice and the telling of stories of oppression and history. Examples of corridos are presented through video and audio recordings on the site and students are encouraged to create their own corridos. Subject areas covered include music, the performing arts, history, language arts, and Spanish-language traditions of Mexico and the United States.

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English; Spanish
Subjects: Music; Storytelling; Texas--Social life and customs; Mexico--Social life and customs; Corridos; Ballads; Songwriting; Mexican Americans
Geographic locations: United States; Texas; Mexico

Sponsoring Organization:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington DC 20024
(202) 633-3168
http://www.sites.si.edu/


Immigrants in Coal Country: Anthracite Mining in Pennsylvania
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=89

Lesson plan with activities related to issues of work and immigration among ethnic workers in the hard coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania. The unit is geared to the middle and high school classroom for use in the curriculum areas of history, civics and government, geography, performing arts, and reading and writing. The unit focuses on the link between labor and ethnicity in a coal mining region, changes in the mining industry over time, and the culture of anthracite coal miners, including their music, working conditions, and life experiences. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary and secondary source materials, drawn from the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and other materials. The lesson plan is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, History, Geography, and Arts and Humanities.

Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Geography; Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English
Subjects: Ethnic groups; Coal miners; Industrialization; Immigrant labor; Ethnicity; Community life; Music; History; Labor history; Cultural geography; Pennsylvania--Social life and customs; Ballads; Folk songs; Coal mines and mining; Immigrants; Civics
Geographic locations: Pennsylvania

Sponsoring Organization:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1


Poor Pat Must Emigrate: 19th Century Irish Immigration
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=79

Lesson plan with activities related to the topic of nineteenth century Irish immigration to Pennsylvania, geared to the high school classroom, for use in the curriculum areas of history, the performing arts, reading and writing. The lesson plan focuses on the reasons why Irish immigrated to Pennsylvania and examines their patterns of immigration, including who came to the United States and who stayed in Ireland, plus community dynamics and discrimination faced in nineteenth century America. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary source materials such as ballads and correspondence, drawn from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and History.

Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Art and Culture; History and Social Studies; Language Arts; Performing Arts; Music
Resource Type: Activities; Lesson plans; Primary sources Language: English
Subjects: Immigrant labor; Music; Pennsylvania--Social life and customs; Ballads; Immigrants; History; Emigration and immigration; Irish Americans
Geographic locations: Pennsylvania

Sponsoring Organization:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1


W is for Woods: Traditional Adirondack Music & Music Making
by TAUNY-Traditional Arts in Upstate New York
http://woods.tauny.org/index.php

Educational resource for the study and history of traditional Adirondack music in New York State. Includes lesson plans for middle and high school music, history, and language arts curricula. The resource focuses on dance music, ballads, fiddle tunes, folk singers, collectors of folk music, and indigenous and ethnic traditional music found in the Adirondack region. The site has accompanying audio and video recordings, musical transcriptions, and background resources for the study of Adirondack traditional music. The educational content correlates to New York State Learning Standards.

Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English
Subjects: Irish Americans; Mohawk Indians; Musicians; Fiddle tunes; Ballads; New York (State)--Social life and customs; Adirondack Mountains Region (N.Y.)--Social life and customs; Dance music; Folk music; Folk music--Collectors and collecting; Folk songs; French-Canadians
Geographic locations: New York (State); Adirondack Mountains Region (N.Y.)

Sponsoring Organization:
TAUNY- Traditional Arts in Upstate New York
53 Main Street
Canton NY 13617
(315) 386-4289
http://tauny.org/


Work and Travel on the Rails
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=850

Educational unit with lesson plans and activities designed to introduce students to the role and experiences of immigrant labor on the railroads in American history and the evolution of railroad travel from the perspective of the traveler. The materials in this guide are geared to the middle and high school classroom for use in the curriculum areas of history, geography, reading, writing, and the arts. The unit has two major areas of focus—Working on the Rails; and Public Space on the Rails. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary source materials, such as railroad ballads, travel accounts, and railroad reports, drawn from the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and other materials. The lesson plan is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading and Writing, History, and Geography.

Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English
Subjects: United States--History; United States--Social life and customs; Railroad construction workers; Railroads; Labor history; Industrialization; Immigrants; Irish Americans; Italian Americans; Immigrant labor; Music; Ballads; Travel; Geography
Geographic locations: United States

Sponsoring Organization:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1


 

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