The Message Behind the Music Unit Overview

Alyia's Reflection explores the power of Rap music and it's affect on youth, society, and even politics. She discusses how Rap has brightened her life in a way that's empowering and motivational. She provokes the reader to not only listen to the beats but also to hear the messages.

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Reflection: The Message Behind the Music by Alyia Hicks

Alyia's Reflection explores the power of Rap music and it's affect on youth, society, and even politics. She discusses how Rap has brightened her life in a way that's empowering and motivational. She provokes the reader to not only listen to the beats but also to hear the messages.

application/pdf icon The Message Behind the Music

Learning Activity: English/Language Arts- Lessons in the Lyrics

English/Language Arts / 

9th 10th 11th 12th

 / 2-4 Class Periods (90-180 min)

In this Learning Activity, students will combine their pre-existing ideas of music with those expressed in the One World Reflection in order to evaluate how music, of all genres, offer message through the lyrics. Students will explore positive and negative aspects of the rap genre, and practice identification of theme in popular and powerful song lyrics.

application/pdf icon ELA Learning Activity application/pdf icon Worksheet One application/pdf icon Worksheet Two

Learning Activity: Social Studies-Music Tells Our History

Social Studies / 

9th 10th 11th 12th

 / 3-4 class periods (135-180 min)

Students will use the One World Reflection to analyze how music reflects current and past events.

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Unit Resources
Previewing the Reflection: 

A series of open-ended pre-reading questions designed to engage students, assess prior knowledge, and expose any pre-conceived ideas about the person or culture explored in the Reflection.  Previewing the Experience questions are intended to be non-threatening and accessible to a range of students.  Students are encouraged to answer honestly, and to discuss their answers with their classmates.

Previewing the Reflection PDF: 
application/pdf iconPreviewing the Reflection
Understanding the Reflection: 

This resource is to be used during and after students read the Reflection.  Included in it are a series of reading comprehension questions designed to check for student understanding of the Reflection.  These questions formats include multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, short response, or other effective questioning strategies.

Understanding the Reflection PDF: 
application/pdf iconUnderstanding the Reflection
Reviewing the Reflection: 

This resource is to be used after students read the Reflection.  It includes a series of post-reading questions designed to encourage student reflection and assess changes in students' perception and understanding of the cultural issues addressed in the unit through some deliberately repeated questions in the "Previewing the Experience" activity.

Reviewing the Reflection PDF: 
application/pdf iconReviewing the Reflection
Reflection Response: 

This resource should be used after the students read the Reflection. Students are presented with a list of questions intended to illicit a more personal response about the Reflection they have just read. After considering those questions, students compose a letter to the author of the Reflection with their thoughts, observations, questions and comments.

Reflection Response PDF: 
application/pdf iconReflection Response