English &
Language Arts
Featured Lesson: Debating Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize
"The Swedish Academy awarded Bob Dylan the Nobel Prize in Literature for 'having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.' In this lesson, students consider the role Dylan has played in both literature and the American song tradition, and debate whether his work indeed constitutes 'new poetic expressions' worthy of the prestigious award."
Kendrick Lamar Visits Mr. Mooney's Class
" 'The main character that my students spoke about, Pecola Breedlove, she's experiencing internalized oppression,' Mooney explains. 'And so Kendrick is speaking to that same concept with the song 'Complexion.' He's speaking to that same idea of pushing back against the dominant narrative that there's this mythological norm that is considered good and beautiful and valuable.'
The lesson caught on with his students. They wrote essays, poetry and rap lyrics inspired by the book and album. Around Mooney's classroom, posters of Morrison quotes and Lamar's lyrics are paired with images of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Mooney was encouraged, so he wrote a blog post about the lesson.
Featured Lesson: Kendrick Lamar & Storytelling
"In April 2018, rapper Kendrick Lamar made history when he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his 2017 album DAMN. Not only was Lamar the first non-jazz or classical musician to receive a Pulitzer, but DAMN. was the first hip-hop album to win the prestigious award. After already being widely celebrated by critics and fans and appearing on numerous end-of-the-year 'Best Album' lists in 2017, the Pulitzer jury recognized the album as 'a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.'"
Afrofuturism mixes sci-fi and social justice
Afrofuturism Vox Video
Typatone, Make Music While You Write
"The act of writing has always been an art. Now, it can also be an act of music. Each letter you type corresponds to a specific musical note putting a new spin to your composition. Make music while you write."
Broadway Book Musicals: Crash Course Theater
"This is it! We're going out with a singing, dancing look at the Broadway Book Musical. Oklahoma! On the Town! Annie Get Your Gun! Also, just Annie! Today you'll learn about the development of the Broadway Book Musical in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and get a sense of how the form developed through the Golden Age of Broadway."