Jumpstreet Humanities Project Learning Package. Curriculum Materials for Secondary School Teachers and Students in Language Arts, History and Humanities

These language arts, U.S. history, and humanities lessons for secondary school students are designed to be used with "From Jumpstreet-A Story of Black Music," a series of 13 half-hour television programs. The colorful and rhythmic series explores the black musical heritage from its African roots to its wide influence in modern American music. Each program of the series features performances and discussion by talented contemporary entertainers, plus film clips and still photo sequences of famous black performers of the past. This publication is divided into three sections: language arts, history, and the humanities. Each section begins with a scope and sequence outline. Examples of lesson activities follow. In the language arts lessons, students identify the point of view of the lyricist in selected songs by blacks, participate in debate, give speeches, view and write a brief summary of the key concepts in a given television program, and create a dramatic scene based on a song lyric. The history lessons involve students in identifying characteristics of West African culture reflected in the music of black people, examining slavery, analyzing the music of post-Civil War America, and comparing the manner in which musical styles reflect social and political forces. A multicultural unit on dance and poetry is provided for humanities courses. Students learn that dance and poetry document various forms of cultural expression. (Author/RM)