Overview

The potent mix of musical, literary, scientific, and philosophic influences from which the Grateful Dead sprang made them, in some ways, the most American band. As such, the Grateful Dead’s story creates an exciting window through which students can explore key people, times, places, and issues of the U.S. throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

Created in partnership with Amazon Films, the seven lesson plans in the Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead collection create a pathway through which K-12 teachers of all disciplines can use clips from the film, historical documents, and other source material to guide students into important, engaging, and standards-aligned class periods.

Lessons

View Lesson

Beat Culture and the Grateful Dead

Grades: AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects: ELA
View Lesson

Counterculture in the 1960s

Grades: AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects: ELA, Social Studies/History
View Lesson

Deadheads and Reagan’s America in the 1980s

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Studies/History
View Lesson

The Birth of Hippie Culture in the 1960s

Grades: Elementary
Subjects: Social Studies/History
View Lesson

The Original “Going Viral”

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: CTE, General Music, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
View Lesson

Business with the Grateful Dead

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: CTE, General Music
View Lesson

Jerry Garcia, Addiction, and Intervention

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Emotional Learning
View Lesson

Feeling the Vibrations

Grades: Elementary, Middle
Subjects: Science, Social Emotional Learning, STEAM
View Lesson

Supporting Sobriety in a Musical Community

Grades: High
Subjects: CTE, Social Emotional Learning
View Lesson

Loudspeakers, PA Systems, and the “Wall of Sound”

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: CTE, General Music, Science, STEAM
View Lesson

Math With The Grateful Dead

Grades: Elementary
Subjects: Math