PowerPoint, Research, and Music

Hmmmmm.....PowerPoint, Research, and Hip Hop have three things in common.  I know you are probably thinking there is no way.  But actually there is.....

When I began teaching years ago, I was young and my students were in middle grades.  They loved hip hop music so much and I wanted to create a lesson where I could incorporate what they love into a great teaching moment and learning experience.  I typed, printed, and cut slips of hip hop, r & b, and even some of my rock and country favorite artists names and placed them all in a bag.

When my students entered the room, they all had to choose a slip/artist out of the bag.  Of course by this point they were wondering what they had to do.  So here were there instructions:

• Research the artist on the Internet (find facts regarding birthdates, high school, inspiration for music etc.),
• Incorporate that into a creative and timed PowerPoint Presentation, and
• Attached a sound byte of their music in the presentation.

Boy did my students have fun with that assignment!  The students even enjoyed presenting their presentations in class.  Not to mentioned, not all student got an artist that they liked but because they has to learn about the music artist, they were able to gain a new level of respect for that genre of music.

Another topic was I did was Notable African Americans-but not just your typical Martin Luther King Jr. pieces, I had students learning about Clarence "Big House" Gaines (from Winston-Salem) and a host of others who many don’t know about. 

The students wrote me notes and letters appreciating what they learned and what I exposed them to.  Hey...you can’t go wrong with PowerPoint, animation, music, and the Internet....with this type of lesson, students become self-directed learners at an early age. 

Try these ideas!  I’m sure you will be pleased.