Every Day Music

Students in this class study various aspects of Rock and Roll history.

We take a journey through eight American cities, discussing artists from each of these cities while listening to and evaluating music of these artists.

While learning about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we participate in online voting for this year’s inductees. Students also prepare powerpoint presentations defending the induction of an artist who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We discuss the importance of the Grammy awards to musicians and music professionals. In addition to evaluating this year’s nominees and participating in in-class voting, we look at the history of the Grammy’s by reviewing and analyzing statistical data of past winners and nominees.

For the Spring concert, students will research information about songs on the Beatles, helping to prepare the script used that evening.

Students also discuss possible careers in music, movie and TV show theme songs and cover versions of popular songs.

Common Core Standards:

Anchor Standard RL.CCR.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual

evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Grade Level Standard RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as

inferences drawn from the text.

Anchor Standard RL.CCR.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details

and ideas.

Grade Level Standard RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its

relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

Grade Level Standard RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a

character, or provoke a decision.

Craft and Structure

Anchor Standard RI.CCR.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop

and interact over the course of a text.

Grade Level Standard RL.8.6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters

and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects

as suspense or humor.

Grade Level Standard W.8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,

organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.8.3.b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to

develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Grade Level Standard W.8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and

strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach,

focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

Anchor Standard W.CCR.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and

to interact and collaborate with others.

Grade Level Standard W.8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated

question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple

avenues of exploration.

Grade Level Standard W.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital

sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each

source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding

plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Anchor Standard SL.CCR.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of

conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and

expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including

figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices

on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. (See grade 8

Language standards 4-6 on page 44 for additional expectations.)