Song Lessons

Available Lessons

Song Title Genre Link
Away, Rio shanties View Lesson
A-Working on the Railroad railroad View Lesson
Fight for Union Recognition dust-bowl View Lesson
Stone River civil war View Lesson

Introduction to Song Lessons

These lesson plans are intended for teachers of all subjects who are interested in including folk songs within their curriculum area.  They were created with a grant from the Library of Congress’s Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program, Midwest Region.  While some folk songs are just for listening, many can be sung by the students after listening.

 Most of these folk songs are part of the Archive of Folk Culture, within the Library’s American Folklife Center (AFC).  Other resources from the Library (photos, maps, blogs, field notes) are included in the lessons.  This provides an ideal way to incorporate primary materials into American classrooms.