In support of the GREAT PERFORMANCES telecast, WNET.ORG is distributing 30,000 copies of a Macbeth poster & teachers’ guide to schools nationwide, which will assist educators in utilizing the PBS broadcast in the classroom. This activity-based analysis of the play is illustrated by various lesson plans and activities.  After the October 6 premiere PBS broadcast, the complete film will be available for viewing online at here on the Great Performances Web site and video.pbs.org.

Download the Education Guide

Download the poster

Download the full PDF of the guide here.

All the media referenced in the guide is posted here on the Great Performances Web site and can be accessed through the menu above.

Grade Levels: 4-6 (ages 9-11)

Time Allotment: One to two 45-minute class periods.

Subject Matter: Music

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will be able to:

1. Respond to the tempo and rhythm of music. Tap feet and clap hands to music.

2. Analyze and compare sounds and melodies.

3. Use appropriate terminology to explain music, including “meter”, “pitch” and “beat.”

4. Describe the basic principles of meter and rhythm.

5. Respond to music through movement.

6. Create a model of a 19th-century opera set, design a unique 19th-century costume, or create a concrete example of something related to their research.

STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT:

Music Standards

From the MCREL (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning) Benchmarks
(available online at http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=11&standardID=6)

Standard 6. Knows and applies appropriate criteria to music and music performances
Topics: 1. Musical awareness and appreciation; 2. Musical terminology Level II (grades 3-5)
Benchmark 2. Knows appropriate terminology used to explain music, music notation, music instruments and voices, and music performances

Level III [Grade 6-8]
Topic: Elements of music
Benchmark 3. Understands the basic principles of meter, rhythm, tonality, intervals, chords, and harmonic progressions

Media Components

Audio Clips

• Peter’s melody
• Duck’s melody
• Grandfather’s melody
• Bird’s melody
• Cat’s melody

Web Sites

How to Take a Pulse
http://life.familyeducation.com/cpr/first-aid/48241.html?for_printing=1&detoured=1
Tips on how to take a pulse from the Family Education Web site.

Materials

per class:
One large printout of each of the following (download .pdf here):

• graphic representation of grandfather’s melody
• graphic representation of Peter’s melody
• graphic representation of Duck’s melody
• graphic representation of Bird’s melody
• graphic representation of Cat’s melody

Tape or pins to affix the sheets of paper to a wall
Computer with internet access and speakers to play audio clips and/or an instrument to play melodies
(Optional) A variety of instruments for children to use for the extension activity (such as wind instruments, string instruments, percussion instruments, piano, etc.)

Per group of 2 students:

• one watch or stop watch to take a pulse

Per student:

• one sheet of tips on how to take a pulse
• paper and pencil

PREP FOR TEACHERS
Please listen to all of the audio clips (Peter’s melody, Duck’s melody, Grandfather’s melody, Bird’s melody and Cat’s melody) prior to the session.

Print out one copy of “How to Take a Pulse” per student.

Print out one copy of each of the graphic representations (for Peter’s melody, Duck’s melody, Grandfather’s melody, Bird’s melody and Cat’s melody) prior to the session or create your own graphic representations of each melody.

PBS Teachers is introducing a series of FREE monthly webinars featuring leading education technology experts, authors, or producers of PBS programs who will share ideas on using digital media to engage students in rich learning experiences.

March 2009

PBS Teachers and Classroom 2.0 are delighted to have representatives from the Folger Shakespeare Library as our guests for Remixing Shakespeare for 21st Century Students, the next webinar in the PBS Teachers LIVE! series. Mark your calendars for March 18 from 8-9:30 p.m. ET for this upcoming free webinar and join the discussion.

William Shakespeare’s plays offer invaluable lessons for students, but engaging the Net Generation in the Renaissance arts requires a new approach. In this webinar, the speakers will present and demonstrate methods for teaching Shakespeare using digital media. The educational activities to be presented were developed by trained workshop leaders and teachers during the Folger’s Teaching Shakespeare Institutes and sessions. Participants will learn practical and exciting ways they can incorporate Shakespeare’s King Lear and other literary works into history, social studies, English, and language arts instruction.

Great Performances: “King Lear” will air in late March 2009 on PBS (check your local listings).

Remixing Shakespeare for 21st Century Students
During the PBS Teachers Live! Webinar on March 18th, Shakespeare scholars from the Folger Shakepeare Library and innovative teachers from across the country demonstrated methods for teaching Shakespeare’s King Lear using digital media. Participants learned practical and exciting ways to use Web 2.0 tools to help students grasp Shakespeare’s language, characters, and more. The webinar also featured a sneak preview of Great Performances: King Lear, which airs in late March 2009 (check local listings).
Access Recording: Full version

Folger Shakespeare Library

Home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, Folger Shakespeare Library is a world-class center for scholarship, learning, culture, and the arts. Folger Shakespeare Library is a leader in how Shakespeare is taught today. It provides resources to millions of teachers and students in grades K-12 each year and provides local outreach programs for families and the community. It also publishes Folger Editions, the leading Shakespeare texts used in secondary schools in the United States. Learn more at www.folger.edu/education. Also, check out the Folger abridged version of King Lear for middle school students here.

Lesson plans from Folger’s Shakespeare Library:

• Fools for Love in King Lear
• Multiple Texts, Multiple Editions
• O, Lear’s Many Reasons
• Reader’s Theater, King Lear, and the Language of Gesture
• “The World’s Asleep”: But Not Your Classroom
• To Love, Honor and Obey (One’s Parents!)
• “Who is it that can tell me who I am?”: Performances of Lear’s Speeches
• Who’s the Fool in King Lear
• King Lear: An Abridged Version for Middle School Students

More will be coming to this section soon (May or June 2009).  If you are a teacher and would like to make suggestions about what you would like in this section, please post comments below.

Overview:
“COMPANY” centers on the life of Bobby, a confirmed bachelor who is celebrating his 35th birthday with his 10 closest friends, who happen to be five couples. The musical examines marriage and relationships and the reasons people come together, divorce, and stay together. The culminating scene shows Bobby’s transformation from an unattached bachelor playing the field to one who is beginning to see the benefits of love, marriage, and monogamy.

Time Allotment:
Approximately four 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter:
Sociology, Music, Drama, and Language Arts

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

1. Form opinions about social attitudes and stereotypes and support these opinions with specific reasons.

2. View the musical “COMPANY” and analyze quotes and songs to determine character traits, themes, and conflicts within the story.

3. Discuss social attitudes and stereotypes presented in the musical and work in small groups to evaluate how these attitudes and stereotypes have changed and how they remain the same over time.

4. Analyze the specific events in the story that cause the main character to change his attitude and why this change is important in the overall message conveyed by the musical.

Materials:
A copy of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ “COMPANY”

Prep for Teachers:
Prior to teaching the lesson, record the broadcast of “COMPANY” (check local listings to determine if and when the program will air in your state), review the program for content (Note to teachers: The program contains some mature themes and language.), bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer, and download the necessary plug-ins. Print out and make copies of the related handouts: Anticipation Guide, Gathering Points of View, and lyrics to each song (two copies of each).

Bookmark the following sites:

All Musicals: “Company”
http://www.allmusicals.com/c/company.htm
Find lyrics to the songs from “Company.”

Sondheim.com: “Company”
http://www.sondheim.com/works/company/
Learn about Stephen Sondheim, his complete works, and the musical “Company.”

PBS.org: BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL: Memorable Musicals: “Company”
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/musicals/company.html
Hear song clips and learn about Sondheim’s “Company.”

Grove Music Online
http://www.grovemusic.com

STANDARDS:

Art Connections
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=9&standardID=1
Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines.

Theater
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=12&standardID=6
Understands the context in which theater, film, television, and electronic media are performed today as well as in the past.

Language Arts
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=7

Writing
Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

Reading
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.

Listening and Speaking
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Viewing
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

Working with Others

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=1
Contributes to the overall effort of a group.

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=4
Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.

Thinking and Reasoning

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=21&standardID=1
Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument.

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=21&standardID=3
Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences.

This lesson was prepared by Lisa Prososki, an independent educational consultant and instructional design specialist who taught middle school and high school social studies, English, reading, and technology courses for 12 years.

ERIC CLAPTON CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL CHICAGO brings together guitar legends from blues, country, rock, and pop music in the blues capital, Chicago, in a salute to this American musical tradition.

Time Allotment:
Approximately two 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter:
Music, History, and Language Arts

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will:

1. Brainstorm as a group and record what they know about blues music.

2. Research information about the blues and its origins.

3. View excerpts of various blues performances and compare and contrast them in
terms of style and artistry.

4. Discuss or write about how the blues has influenced modern music and how
the electric guitar and guitarists have changed the sound of the blues over time.

Materials:
A copy of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ ERIC CLAPTON CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL CHICAGO

Prep for Teachers:
Prior to teaching the lesson, record the broadcast of ERIC CLAPTON CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL CHICAGO (check local listings to determine if and when the program will air in your state), review the program for content, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer, and download the necessary plug-ins. Print out and make copies of the related handouts: “What Is the Blues?” essay, “Chicago Blues” essay, “Guitar Evolution” essay, and the Viewing Guide.

Bookmark the following sites:

PBS.org: THE BLUES: Blues Classroom: Background Essays: What Is the Blues?
http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/essaysblues.html

PBS.org: THE BLUES: Blues Road Trip: Chicago and Detroit: History and Highlights
http://www.pbs.org/theblues/roadtrip/chi-dethist.html

Grove Music Online
http://www.grovemusic.com

STANDARDS:

Art Connections

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=9&standardID=1

Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines.

Music

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=11&standardID=7

Understands the relationship between music and history and culture.

Historical Understanding

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=3&standardID=2

Understands the historical perspective.

Language Arts

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=7

Writing
Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

Reading
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.

Listening and Speaking
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Viewing
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

Working with Others

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=4
Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.

Thinking and Reasoning

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=21&standardID=3
Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences.

This lesson was prepared by Lisa Prososki, an independent educational consultant and instructional design specialist who taught middle school and high school social studies, English, reading, and technology courses for 12 years.

Time Allotment:
Approximately five to seven 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter:
History and Language Arts

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will:

1. Utilize their imagination to envision life in a communist country as they listen to a description read by the teacher.

2. Learn the definition of various social studies terms including “communism,” “capitalism,” “democracy,” “totalitarian,” “Cold War,” “defect,” and “asylum.”

3. Participate in large and small group discussions related to the terminology they have learned and the relevant information presented in the film.

4. Work as a class to construct a graphic organizer comparing and contrasting the rights of U.S. citizens to those of people who lived in communist Russia.

5. Utilize critical viewing and note-taking skills as they watch the film and complete the related viewing guide.

6. Participate in large and small group discussions related to the historical aspects of the film.

7. Complete an individual research project related to the Cold War period of history.

8. Present their individual projects to classmates and provide constructive feedback to one another regarding project content.
Materials:
A copy of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ NUREYEV: THE RUSSIAN YEARS
Access to Internet and/or library resource materials
Access to various art supplies (optional)
Access to various computer software (optional)

Prep for Teachers:
Prior to teaching the lesson, record the broadcast of NUREYEV: THE RUSSIAN YEARS (check local listings to determine if and when the program will air in your state), review the program for content, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer, and download the necessary plug-ins. Print out and make copies of the related handouts: A Day in the Life, Viewing Guide, and Project Guidelines.

Bookmark the following sites:

Rudolf Nureyev Foundation
http://www.nureyev.org/
Find biographical information and a catalogue of Nureyev’s main roles, works he choreographed, and dance partners along with a photo gallery and memories of the dancer from those who knew and worked with him.

Ballet.co: Rudolph Nureyev
http://www.ballet.co.uk/nureyev/index.htm
Features a biography, photos, video clips, and related information about Nureyev and his career.

BBC Four: Interviews: Rudolph Nureyev
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/nureyevr1.shtml
Listen to interviews with Nureyev from 1969 and 1971.

CNN Interactive: Cold War
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/
Provides an in-depth look at the history, key events, and people associated with the Cold War.

Cold War International History Project: The Cold War Files
http://www.coldwarfiles.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.flash
Find documents from the Cold War and profiles of crucial events and individuals from the era.

PBS: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: “The Nuremberg Trials”: The Start of the Cold War
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nuremberg/peopleevents/e_coldwar.html
A page about the key people and events related to the beginning of the Cold War.

The Cold War Museum
http://www.coldwar.org/museum/museum_features.html
Offers time lines, exhibits, and activities related to the Cold War period.

PBS: RED FILES: “Soviet Sports Wars”: Soviet Athletes Who Defected
http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/sports/defectors.htm
Profiles of Soviet athletes who defected to the West.

Connection Newspapers: “An Orchestrated Defection”
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?archive=true&article=59842&paper=69&cat=115
An article about the defection of bassoonist Arnold Irchai from the Soviet Union.

Constitutional Rights Foundation: “Life Under Communism in Eastern Europe”
http://www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria19_1a.htm
A description of the economic and social conditions and the status of human rights under communist governments in Eastern Europe.

Geographia: Asia: Russia: History of Russia: The Soviet Era
http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis07.htm
Provides a brief history of the Soviet Union from the 1930s through 1991.

Grove Music Online
http://www.grovemusic.com

STANDARDS:

Art Connections
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=9&standardID=1
Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines.

Historical Understanding
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=3&standardID=2
Understands the historical perspective.

World History
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=6&standardID=43
Understands how post-World War II reconstruction occurred, new international power relationships took shape, and colonial empires broke up.

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=6&standardID=44
Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world.

Language Arts
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=7

Writing
Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
Gathers and uses information for research purposes.

Reading
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.

Listening and Speaking
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Viewing
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

Working with Others
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=1
Contributes to the overall effort of a group.

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=4
Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.

Thinking and Reasoning
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=21&standardID=3
Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences.

This lesson was prepared by Lisa Prososki, an independent educational consultant and instructional design specialist who taught middle school and high school social studies, English, reading, and technology courses for 12 years.

Time Allotment:
Approximately five to six 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter:
Music, History, and Language Arts

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will:

1. Listen to and analyze various musical clips to determine the attributes that make them blues, gospel, country, jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, or soul tunes.

2. Participate in class discussion activities about their impressions of soul music and the content of the program RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY.

3. Utilize critical viewing skills to analyze program content and complete the related viewing guide.

4. Conduct research using the Internet and primary sources to learn about the lives, careers, musical contributions, and social contributions of Stax recording artists.

5. Create multimedia presentations that illustrate what was learned from researching a selected Stax artist and provide a musical analysis of a sample of the artist’s performance.

6. Make a class presentation of their research and musical analysis.

Materials:
A copy of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY
Access to Internet and/or library resource materials
Access to multimedia software

Prep for Teachers:
Prior to teaching the lesson, record the broadcast of RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY (check local listings to determine if and when the program will air in your state), review the program for content, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer, and download the necessary plug-ins. Print out and make copies of the related student handouts: Study Guide and Viewing Guide.

Bookmark the following sites:

Stax Museum of American Soul Music
http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/

Stax Museum of American Soul Music: Soul Learning
http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/eduweb

Otis Redding
http://www.otisredding.com/

Isaac Hayes
http://www.isaachayes.com/

Rufus Thomas
http://www.seguerecords.com/rufusthomas/

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: The Staple Singers
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-staple-singers

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Booker T. & the MG’s
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/booker-t-and-the-mgs

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Wilson Pickett
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/wilson-pickett

Luther Ingram
http://www.lutheringrammusic.net/index.htm

Johnnie Taylor
http://www.johnnietaylor.net/

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: Inductees: Sam & Dave
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/sam-and-dave

Grove Music Online
http://www.grovemusic.com

STANDARDS:

Art Connections
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=9&standardID=1
Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines.

Music
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=11&standardID=7
Understands the relationship between music and history and culture.

Historical Understanding
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=3&standardID=2
Understands the historical perspective.

United States History
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=5&standardID=29 Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.

Language Arts
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/SubjectTopics.asp?SubjectID=7

Writing
Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Gathers and uses information for research purposes.

Reading
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.

Listening and Speaking
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Viewing
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

Working with Others
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=1
Contributes to the overall effort of a group.

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=22&standardID=4
Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.

Thinking and Reasoning
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/standardDetails.asp?subjectID=21&standardID=3
Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences.

This lesson was prepared by Lisa Prososki, an independent educational consultant and instructional design specialist who taught middle school and high school social studies, English, reading, and technology courses for 12 years.