Hip-Hop and Rap Lesson Plan: Change, Continuity, and Context

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Hip-Hop and Rap, and supports the standard of analyzing connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students:

  • What hip-hop or rap musicians do you know about or listen to? 
  • What do you want to know about hip-hop and rap?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS

Assign Hip-Hop & Rap Challenge and Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about hip-hop and rap while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Produce a mini-documentary explaining the origins of hip-hop and rap. 
  • Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying key features of hip-hop and rap music. 
  • Creative Coding: Code a digital museum exhibit featuring artifacts to represent the history and impact of hip-hop and rap. 

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of musical genres and their surrounding cultures with these topics: Dance, Jazz, and Motown.

Teacher Support Resources

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, 9-12, BrainPOP, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3