Louis Armstrong Lesson Plan: Individuals’ Contributions and Identities

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Louis Armstrong, and supports the standard of analyzing an individual’s development over the course of a series of events.  Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students to share an experience that changed their lives.  

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read the description on the Louis Armstrong topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
  • Have students read one of the Related Reading articles. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the Louis Armstrong Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about Louis Armstrong 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: Create a documentary that explains how Armstrong’s early life experiences shaped his character and career.
  • Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying the causes and effects of major events in Armstrong’s life and career.
  • Creative Coding: Code a digital museum exhibit featuring artifacts and figures to represent Armstrong’s life and impact.

More to Explore

Famous Historical Figures Unit: Continue to build understanding around individuals’ contributions to society with more BrainPOP biography topics.

Teacher Support Resources:

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, BrainPOP, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4