Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Benny Goodman is remembered as one of the greatest clarinetists, but there is much more to his story. Lesser-known, but equally important, Mr. Goodman was the first to have an interracial band and promoted many African-American musicians throughout his career. Visit this official website to learn much more about Benny Goodman, including a biography, a list of achievements, quotes, and a timeline of his life events. This site also includes a gallery of historic images featuring Mr. Goodman.

tag(s): biographies (94), black history (133), music theory (46), musical instruments (52)

Ken Burns' historical films are iconic; this collection gathers forty years of film history into one easy-to-use resource. Use the keyword search to find specific resources or browse by era or film name to find primary sources, images, videos, and more. Each collection includes a correlation to state and national standards and support materials, including discussion questions and classroom activities.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), authors (107), blues (22), civil rights (209), civil war (139), history day (39), industrial revolution (22), jazz (16), sports (82), vietnam (38), westward expansion (39), womens suffrage (52)

This Carnegie Hall site provides free and low-cost educational programs that support music learning worldwide. Free offerings include recordings of live stream concerts from Carnegie Hall, family resources including activities and videos for all ages, and resources for music educators. Browse through the educator resources divided into three sections - grades K-5, grades 6-12, and professional development. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): black history (133), cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), music theory (46), musical instruments (52)

American Experience is a PBS documentary program featuring stories about important and interesting experiences in American history. This site provides films, videos, and feature articles to support and provide additional information to the series' documentary presentations. Titles of a few documentaries are: The Busing Battle Ground, Zoot Suit Riots, School Integration, and many more. Browse through the homepage to find images that include a link to the supporting information, including a link to the original documentary. Most of the original programming is not online; however, there is typically the option to view the trailer for the program along with a transcript of the full story.

tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), blues (22), civil rights (209), great depression (30), heroes (24), jazz (16), medicine (57), presidents (135), weather (160), womens suffrage (52)

Are you having trouble finding Blues sites with the music? Listen to handpicked classic, popular Blues sounds of the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s on this YouTube playlist. You'll find Leadbelly, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jelly Roll Morton, Joe Venuti, Bessie Smith and many, many more. The music is crystal clear with none of the scratchy sounds you hear with many old songs that were recorded from old technology. If your district blocks YouTube, you may not be able to enjoy this music.

tag(s): 1920s (6), 1930s (20), 1940s (14), 1950s (8), blues (22), harlem (9), jazz (16)

Teach or learn through high-quality online courses offered by the Open Learning Initiative. Choose from available courses in a variety of subjects with full course information including topics covered, estimated completion time, and software required. Classes are free for independent learning; Set up and teach your own course by registering for an instructor account. Instructor accounts allow members to access tools to assess student learning and provide credit for course completion.

tag(s): chinese (45), classroom management (120), design (79), engineering (129), french (75), logic (161), OER (43), Online Learning (36), probability (99), psychology (65), statistics (121), STEM (297)

See what the world was like at that time with Take Me Back To. Type in any date you want to visit. Results offer a short text passage about who was president and what music was popular (if available). See samples of movies, magazines, book charts, advertisements, and more. Unfortunately, the site doesn't go back beyond 1900, so any search before that time will default to that date in 1900. Searches can be done on dates up to the present. Note that clicking on some of the images offered takes you to paid services or current issues of the same magazine.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): 1900s (72), 1910s (6), 1920s (15), 1930s (20), 1940s (14), 1950s (8), 1960s (26), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (62), decades (7), timelines (56)

Presented by the Kennedy Center's Artsedge program, this site is a wonderful kaleidoscope of information about Harlem from 1917 through 1935. It explores the artists of that time, including writers, artists, actors, dancers, and musicians. Under Faces of the Harlem Renaissance there are categories for musicians, writers, actors, activists of the time such as W.E.B. DuBois and Charles Johnson, and more.

One of the nice things about this site is the easy access to the section they call "Classroom Activities." Scroll down to the bottom of any page to find it. Here they provide activities for grades 6-8 and 9-12 that are specific to grade level as well as links to lesson plans if you choose to use those. Under A Place Called Harlem, you will find the Media Player which still requires Flash, however there is so much information on this site that the media player will hardly be missed.

tag(s): 1910s (6), 1920s (15), 1930s (20), dance (31), harlem (9)

From the Ohio State University history department, this site includes resources related to the prohibition and temperance movement in the US. There is a good, straightforward summary of prohibition including hyperlinks, information about the Women's crusade against alcohol and the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and contemporary opinion pieces about prohibition. Of particular use is a series of political cartoons from the period which illustrate contemporary political viewpoints.

tag(s): 1920s (6), 1930s (20), drugs and alcohol (28)

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz offers Lesson Plans for grades 5-11 and a wealth of information. Click on the Jazz Resources and you'll discover a rich collection of biographies, background information, musicology, and other jazz-related information. The content includes some really in-depth analysis of different jazz musical styles. Both music and social studies teachers will find plenty of material here.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115), blues (22), harlem (9), jazz (16)

Designed to both inspire and teach, the Smithsonian's Jazz site offers several online instructional modules that do a nice job of introducing the history and structural elements of jazz. Students can learn about particular composers and performers, and how their work built on the experiences of other jazz musicians.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115), harlem (9), jazz (16)

The companion web site to the PBS Jazz series offers an interactive history of jazz and its evolution as part of the African American experience. Click "Classrooms" on the top menu and find lesson outlines included on the site. Searching YouTube for Learn About Jazz PBS will result in a list of free vdeos about the history of jazz. If your district blocks YouTube the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): jazz (16)