Introduction

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Stories Behind the Songs; Introduction

"We must prepare young people for living in a world of powerful images, words and sounds"

~ UNESCO 1982

This interdisciplinary reference guide will interest and engage both teachers and students as it examines the origins and inspiration for contemporary song lyrics. This media literacy resource will facilitate meaningful classroom discussions, promote critical thinking, and stimulate further inquiry. The variety of primary and secondary sources referenced in this multimedia guide will enable teachers to differentiate instruction while preparing students for constructed response and document based questions.

Popular songs can be used in a classroom setting to illuminate a particular theme or topic leading students to new insights and understandings. Songs create an emotional hook in the classroom environment and may be used as a means to introduce visual art, poetry, literature, historic documents, film, photographs, and other primary sources.

In each song entry you will find information including artists' commentary, discussion of corresponding songs, referenced and related works for study and comparison, music and lyric resources, discography, examples of student work and sample constructed response classroom activities.

"We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school"

~ Bruce Springsteen, No Surrender

Enter the song guide by clicking on each song title below:

One

Julia*

Let It Be *

Something*

In My Life* (ESL learning activity)

Biko / Sun City

Fragile / Superman

American Triangle

Each Small Candle