ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (6) 15 :

15) Select music to listen to and explain the connections to interests or experiences for a specific purpose.

[ARTS] MUS (7) 15 :

15) Select contrasting music to listen to and compare the connections to interests or experiences for a specific purpose.

[ARTS] MUS (8) 15 :

15) Select programs of music and demonstrate the connections to an interest or experience for a specific purpose.

[ELA2021] (7) 15 :

15. Utilize digital tools and/or products to enhance meaning.

Examples: hashtags, videos, slide presentations, audio clips, GIFS, memes; social media platforms

[ELA2021] (8) 14 :

14. Utilize digital tools and/or products to enhance meaning.

Examples: hashtags, videos, slide presentations, audio clips, GIFS, memes, clips from social media

No matter where you teach, students are likely to listen to music. Their tastes may vary widely—pop, rap, country, classical, jazz, R & B. Regardless of their preferences, they each bring a rich knowledge of musical tunes and lyrics to the classroom. This lesson takes advantage of that interest by asking students to create a soundtrack for a novel that they have read. Students begin by analyzing how specific songs might fit with a familiar story. Students then create their own soundtracks for the movie version of a novel they have read. They select songs that match the text and fit specific events in the story. Finally, students share their projects with the class and assess their work using a rubric. Examples in this lesson focus on The Beast by Walter Dean Myers, but any piece of literature can be used as the basis of students' soundtracks.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (6) -6 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[ELA2021] (6) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (6) 13 :

13. Create and edit digital products that are appropriate in subject and purpose for a particular audience or occasion.

Examples: social media posts, blog posts, podcast episodes, infographics

[ELA2021] (6) 29 :

29. Use academic vocabulary in writing to communicate effectively.

[ELA2021] (7) -6 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[ELA2021] (7) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (7) 15 :

15. Utilize digital tools and/or products to enhance meaning.

Examples: hashtags, videos, slide presentations, audio clips, GIFS, memes; social media platforms

[ELA2021] (7) 32 :

32. Apply vocabulary in writing to convey and enhance meaning.

[ELA2021] (8) -6 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[ELA2021] (8) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (8) 14 :

14. Utilize digital tools and/or products to enhance meaning.

Examples: hashtags, videos, slide presentations, audio clips, GIFS, memes, clips from social media

[ELA2021] (8) 32 :

32. Utilize appropriate vocabulary in various classroom, digital, and real-world situations to facilitate effective communication.

In this lesson, the traditional autobiography writing project is given a twist as students write alphabiographies—recording an event, person, object, or feeling associated with each letter of the alphabet. Students are introduced to the idea of the alphabiography through passages from James Howe's Totally Joe. Students then work with the teacher to create guidelines for writing their own alphabiographies. Students create an entry for each letter of the alphabet, writing about an important event from their lives. After the entry for each letter, students sum up the stories and vignettes by recording the life lessons they learned from the events. Since this type of autobiography breaks out of chronological order, students can choose what has been important in their lives. And since the writing pieces are short, even reluctant writers are eager to write!

See this updated link for the online Alphabet Organizer from ReadWriteThink.org.