I Hear My Classroom Singing

1
I Hear My Classroom Singing

• Poetry, Walt Whitman,
• Langston Hughes
• And Music

2
I Hear America Singing and I, Too, Sing
America Personal Playlist

• Since music plays such a crucial role in so many
  students' lives - and can closely relate to
  poetry - students will be asked to take an
  inventory of their musical tastes and produce a
  10-song personal playlist.

3
Goals

• The playlist will consist of 10 songs.
• The title, artist, album, and release date of
  each song should be included and will function as
  the entry's title.
• Students can decorate the page with the album's
  artwork or other image that further
• illustrates the point.
• Students will provide a half-page "rationale"
  for each song's inclusion.

4
Rationales

• Rationales should make connections to the self,
  to America, and/or to other themes in the poetry.
  A student can, for example, pick a song like
  "Dear Mama" by 2Pac, and, since the song deals
  with the problems of the inner city, discuss how
  it relates to the plight of the common American
  today. The student could also make connections to
  how the song's content about America differs from
  that of Whitman's.

5
Sample Text

• Artist TuPac Shakur
• Title "Dear Mama" (1995)
• Album Me Against the World

6
Lyrics

• Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair
• No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't
  there
• I hung around with the Thugs, and even though
  they sold drugs
• They showed a young brother love

7
Rationale

• The lines of "Dear Mama" show and represent a
  different America than Walt Whitman knew. As
  opposed to "I Hear America Singing", Tupac
  Shakur's "Dear Mama" talks about the problems of
  modern America, in which not everyone has a job
  and where poverty is rampant.

8
Rationale Continued

• There is a distinct contrast here because Tupac
  describes a world positively where there may not
  be much positivity, while Whitman, in "I Hear
  America Singing", describes positively the
  working class without acknowledging the downside.
  Tupac finds a way to connect to the world, even
  if it's with "thugs".

9
Page Layout

• Two rationales may be presented on a single sheet
  of paper.
• Two lines from each song should be presented
  with the rationale, either above or below it, and
  the lines should further illuminate song choice.
• Students are encouraged but not required to use
  lines from poetry to reinforce their points.
• Students can choose songs from different genres,
  artists, and use various topics.