Sistah LaLa

Workshop:  3-5 days

 

Unit Title: I Can Identify and Create Spirituals

 

Grades: 4,5(6)

 

Content Areas: Music, Social Studies, English Language Arts, ESL

 

Big Picture Questions:

• What is the connection between my experience and the world?

• How can my story and my song help others?

• How does music connect me to others, and to the past?

• How does telling my story make me strong?

• How does sharing my story connect me to others?

 

Unit Overview: Students will learn the origin of Negro Spirituals, their function throughout history, and their relevance to student’s lives today.

 

Learning Targets:

• Students will identify key historical facts in the development of negro spirituals.

• Students will identify how spirituals were used throughout history.

• Students will connect historical use of spirituals to their own lives.

• Students will apply collaborative learning skills to create an original spiritual.

 

Time Required: 3-5 days

 

Day 1: I Can Tell the Story of Negro Spirituals (Historical Background)

• Enslaved Africans, slavery and indentured servitude

• Conditions of living, working and spirituality

• Coded message songs

• Civil Rights Movement and use of Spirituals

• How Spirituals are still being used today

• Do we have reasons to write Spirituals today? 

• Parallel the conditions of life 400 years ago to life today. What do we celebrate? What are our concerns? How can we use Spirituals in our lives today?

Day 2: I Can Tell My Own Story in a Spiritual (Linking History to Students’ Lives Today)

• What kinds of topics would you choose to write about?

• What elements of music would you use to express your voice

• Begin brainstorming and crafting songs using 1 of 3 templates. Work song, Play Song, Hope Song

Day 3: Celebration of Learning

 Prepare for Presentation

• Rehearse and record