Paige's+First+Page

"Heroes" (and how they are depicted in music and literature). This page provides reviews of texts and resources to aid in arts instruction, specifically in regards to "what is a hero?" and "how are heroes depicted in music?"

My Lesson Plan Rationale

__Text Reviews __

__Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People__ by Bonnie Christensen Summary: This adolescent's book is about Woody Guthrie and how his tunes reflect the struggles and celebrate the spirit of the American people from the Great Depression, up to today. Bonnie Christensen starts by writing about Woody Guthrie's childhood; how he lived in the dusty prairie town of Okemah in Oklahoma, what he spent his time doing as a child, and where he heard stories and tunes that he later used in his songs. Woody's mother Nora sang sad country ballads and his father sang tunes from cowboy days in Texas. A shoeshine man gave Woody a harmonica and showed him how to play it when he was 12. Tragedy struck the family when Woody's sister, Clara, died in a fire when Woody was only 6. His father lost job after job, and his mother was eventually diagnosed with a "nervous disorder". When Woody's father left for Texas to start a new life, Woody took care of his mother, moving into an abandoned shack and selling newspapers/dancing when she died. Through all of the hardship, he never closed his heart to others or to music. Woody Guthrie became the voice of the people suffering in the Depression, with songs as his way of speaking. Why This Book?: This book can be used for several different types of lessons. To tie into my "heroes" lesson plan, this book could be used to discuss an "American hero". Students may look into how this book depicts Woody Guthrie as a hero. What words define him as a hero? What character traits did he show that made him a hero? Another angle that can be taken with this book is a more literacy or musical approach. may analyze how Woody used his voice during the Depression and how used music to speak out during hard times. His songs may be analyzed for themes in the writing (taking a literary approach) and for expression (why did he set these words to these notes?, etc.).

__This Land Was Made for You and Me __ by Elizabeth Partridge

Summary: This biography tells the story of Woody Guthrie, who wrote over three thousand songs. Guthrie sang about what he saw happening with the Depression, Dust Bowl, and work conditions. He accompanied himself on the guitar. His career as a traveling musician popularized the term "folk-singer". He traveled all over the country, picking up mountain ballads, cowboy songs, blues, work songs, sea chanteys, etc. Elizabeth Partridge takes the reader through the country with the man who created a musical legacy for America. The biography include lyrics from Woody's songs, and several pictures from Guthrie's childhood and performances. Why This Book?: This book, similar to the previous, can be used to show an "American hero", but is better suited for a slightly older age group. Students can describe what they see in the photographs, talk about history in relation to the biography, etc. A supplemental book to be included could be __Out Of The Dust__ by Karen Hesse, where 14-year-old narrator Billie Jo writes about her life during the Dust Bowl.

Additional Text Reviews... These include:
 * __What I Had Was Singing: The Story of Marian Anderson__ by Jeri Ferris
 * __A Band of Angels__ by Deborah Hopkinson
 * __Aïda__ told by Leontyne Price

Web 2.0 Tools These include:
 * Spotify (music search engine)
 * Bubbl.us (visual map/chart creator)

Web Resources for Educators Lesson plans, reference lists of children's books, tools for teaching, and more for educators. Use this to find new ways of connecting music learning with literacy!