Overview

Soundtracks: Songs that Defined History, from executive producer Dwayne Johnson, Show of Force and CNN Original Series explores the music tied to pivotal moments in history. From the March on Washington to the riots at Stonewall – every episode illuminates how music has played an integral role in celebrating, criticizing, and amplifying these seismic events in our collective history.

TeachRock has partnered with CNN and Show of Force to offer a collection of standards-aligned contemporary history lessons to accompany this eight-part CNN series.

See a CNN Soundtracks lesson in action at East Side Community High in New York, NY here!

Lessons

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“Alright” and the History of Black Protest Songs

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
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#BlackLivesMatter: Music in a Movement

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Studies/History
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How a Bill Becomes a Law: Legislating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Civics, Social Studies/History
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How Dr. King’s Birthday Became A National Holiday

Grades: Elementary
Subjects: Civics, Social Studies/History
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Kanye and Katrina: Environmental Racism in New Orleans

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Studies/History
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9/11: Country Music Responds

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
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Toby Keith & The Chicks: Songs and Words During the War on Terror

Grades: AP/Honors/101, High, Middle
Subjects: Social Studies/History
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Music and the Berlin Wall during the Cold War

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: ELA, Social Studies/History
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Musical Reactions to the Vietnam War

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Studies/History
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A Veteran’s Soundtrack to the Vietnam War

Grades: AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects: Social Studies/History
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Debating the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Social Studies/History
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Swing Down: Afrofuturism & Flight in the Black Imagination

Grades: High
Subjects: Art/Design, ELA, General Music
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Third Wave: Women’s Rights and Music in the 1990s

Grades: AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects: Civics, General Music, Social Studies/History
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Women’s Perspectives in Country and Tejano Music

Grades: AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects: Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
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Second Wave: Women’s Rights and Music in the 1960s

Grades: High
Subjects: Social Studies/History
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Art, Music, and the AIDS Epidemic

Grades: AP/Honors/101, High
Subjects: Art/Design, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies/History
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The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States

Grades: High, Middle
Subjects: Civics, Social Studies/History
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“Y’all Better Quiet Down”: Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ Pioneers

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