Goal:
To gain understanding of the middle passage
To express oneself through a color
Objective:
Students will listen to a sample of the blues reflective of the middle passage.
Students will discuss which colors describe the mood of the musical selection.
Students will create artwork to illustrate the music.
Materials:
a recording of “Move Over” and “You Don’t Hear No Drums” from
Blood on the Fields
by Wynton Marsalis various colored construction paper poetry from previous lesson crayons, markers, paint
Activity
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1. Play recordings of above mentioned selections.
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2. Have a brief discussion on the music.
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How do the singers sound?
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Are they happy, sad, angry, frightened?
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Why do you think so?
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How do the instruments sound—loud, soft, fast, slow?
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Does the music remind you of a ship rocking?
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3. Teacher will ask students to think of colors that would describe this kind of music. List colors on blackboard.
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4. Students will create an art piece(collage, drawings, etc.) using the colors that they chose to illustrate both the music and their writings from Lesson 1.
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5. Artwork will be displayed
Extension Activity
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1. Read
My Many Colored Days
by Dr. Suess. This story should help students realize that colors could be linked to moods and feelings.
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2. Use the aforementioned musical selections as well as “Work Song” from
Blood on the Fields
while students view illustrations by Tom Feelings in the book
The Middle Passage
. Tom Feelings has beautifully captured the slave trade in black and white drawings. Students will respond to pictures in creative written expression. Work will be displayed and recited. This book also gives way to rich, descriptive language within classroom discussion.
