There are a variety of ways that songs may be used in the classroom. There are suggestions on this page, but the limits are your imagination. Figure out what works best for you.

Social Studies teachers may choose to integrate the songs into their daily lessons, and they may also wish to confer with a Music teacher to have the Music teacher work with the students on singing the songs. Teachers may wish to distribute the lyrics to the songs so that students can read along as they listen.

When to Play the Songs
Try playing a song before reading the corresponding section of the textbook. Ask students the following questions:

• What type of person do you think wrote or sung the song?
• Why do you think it was written or sung?
• What event, situation, or feeling is the song describing?
• Based on what you observed in the song, what do you think will occur next in our reading?

Try playing a song after reading the corresponding section of the textbook. Ask students the following questions:

• How does the song relate to what we read in the text book?
• What can you learn from the song that you didn't get from the reading?
• What do you know from the reading that you didn't hear in the song?

Songs as Historical Artifacts
Songs may be examined in a similar manner as any historical artifact might be studied. Discussions questions might include:

Looking at the Song:

• What people, places, and events are mentioned?
• What do you notice about the music (fast, slow, catchy, dull)?

Responding to the Song:

• What are your personal reactions to the lyrics?
• What emotions might this song produce when sung or played?

Thinking about History:

• Why do you think the person/people wrote this song? What clues do you find to suggest this?
• For what audience was the song written?
• Why is the music important to this song?
• What does the song tell you about what life was like during this period in history?
• What more do you want to know and how can you find out?

Language Arts Activities
Most any Language Arts question or activity can be applied to a song lyric as it would be to a standard reading passage. Give these a try:

Author's Purpose
Design a question that requires students to identify the author's purpose and support it by returning to the text for details and information. (explain, inform, persuade, entertain).

• What does the author mean when he/she writes ___________?
• Why did the author write the song?
• What is the author's purpose in writing this song?
• Would the author agree with this statement? ___________

Similarities/Differences in Text
Design a question that requires students to find similarities and differences in characters, settings, and events presented in various texts.

• How are ____ and _____ alike?
• How is ___________ different from ______?
• How is _______ both similar to and different from _______?
• What is the difference between ____________ and __________?
• How is ________ dissimilar to ___________?
• How did the character change from the beginning of the story until the end?

Compare and Contrast
Design a question that requires students to recognize the use of comparison and contrast in a text. Support your answer with facts and details from the story/article.

• How are _________ and __________ alike?
• How is __________ different from ___________?
• How is ____________ both similar and different from __________?
• What is one difference between ________ and __________?
• How is ____________ dissimilar to _____________?

Multiple Representations of Information
Design a question that requires students to use a variety of reference materials, including multiple representations of information such as maps, charts, captions, and photos to gather information.

• Read/refer to the information in the song (including captions, maps, charts, and footnotes) to answer the question.

Plot Development/Resolution
Design a question that requires students to identify plot development and/or problem resolution in the story.

• What problem did the character face?
• What happens that causes the character to change from the beginning to the end of the story?
• How is the problem solved in the story?
• What events lead to the resolution of the problem in the story?

Facts and Detail
Design a question for which students must identify relevant facts and details in order to form an answer. Encourage higher order thinking by asking questions which require students to infer.

Bloom's Taxonomy

• Lower level questions: Who? What? Where? When?
• Higher level questions: Why? How?

Cause and Effect
Design a question that requires students to describe the cause or effect of an action or event in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.

• What caused ________ to ___________?
• What effect did ___________ have on _____________?
• What are the events that caused ______________?
• What might happen if _____________?
• What is the effect of ___________?
• Why does a character take a particular action?
• What were the results of an event or action?

Vocabulary
Design a question that requires students to determine the meaning of a word in context, including the use of prefixes, suffixes, root words, multiple meanings, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and word relationships.

• Read this sentence from the song. __________
• What does the word _________ mean?
• Choose the word that means the same as __________.
• Choose the word that means the opposite of ___________.
• What two words best describe the word ____________?
• Which two words mean the same/opposite?

Main Idea
Design a question that requires students to find the main idea of the passage. Support answers with details and information from the passage.

• What is the main idea of this song?
• Write a summary of __________.
• Why do you think this song has the title _____________?
• Retell a portion of the story.
• What would be another good title for this song?

Chronological Order
Design a question for which students must use sequencing in order to form an answer.

• What happened just before/after __________?
• What happened firs, last, etc?
• What happened between __________ and ___________?
• What is the first step in _____________?
• Retell the events leading up to/following _____________.