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Lesson Plan

Jazzy Bio Poems

Integrate reading, writing, and social studies in this lesson about famous jazz musicians! This lesson would fit perfectly in a unit about biographies or Black History Month.
Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Subject
Reading & Writing
View aligned standards
L.4.3.a
L.4.4.a
L.4.4.b
RF.4.4.a
RI.4.1
RI.4.2
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
RL.4.1
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
RL.4.4
RL.4.7
SL.4.1.a
SL.4.4
W.4.1.a
W.4.3.d
W.4.4

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to write a bio poem describing a famous jazz musician.

Introduction

(5 minutes)
Jazz Greats - Thelonious MonkJazz Greats: Charles MingusJazz Greats: Charlie ParkerJazz Greats: Etta JamesJazz Greats: John ColtraneBio Poem Template
  • Write the word "biography" on the board.
  • Ask students if they recognize any Greek roots in the word.
  • Circle the root word bio. Explain that bio means life.
  • Circle the root word graph. Explain that graph means to write.
  • Tell students the word biography means a written story about someone's life.
  • Tell students that today they will read a couple of biographies about some famous jazz musicians.
  • Ask students to share what they know about jazz music. What instruments are used in jazz? Where did jazz music become popular?
  • If desired, play a couple of samples of jazz music for students to listen to.