Hip-Hop in Hartford

1. Hip-Hop in Hartford By Molly Bernstein & Stephanie Rucker

2. Context 7th grade Hartford Magnet Middle School Five 80-minute lessons

3. Overall Goal: • By the end of this unit, we hope that our 7th grade students will gain a greater understanding of the hip-hop culture, how it serves as a form of personal expression and a means to promote change in one’s community. • We hope to encourage a cross-generational dialogue between teachers and students about how hip-hop culture affects the Hartford community and the HMMS student body

4. Objectives: • Students will interpret, analyze, and evaluate hip-hop lyrics • Students will describe graffiti art found in Hartford, and analyze specific aspects of each piece • Students will use their previous knowledge about hip-hop lyrics to create a rap which summarizes an aspect of the HMMS community • Students will create a poster-board presentation describing what they have learned about hip-hop culture using the written work completed throughout the week and display them for HMMS community • Students and teachers will recall information they’ve learned about hip-hop culture in order to answer questions in a game of jeopardy; both students and teachers will examine how their perception of hip-hop culture in Hartford has changed

5. CT Frameworks • Objectives for The Arts (Music) • Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend understanding and appreciation • Students will read and notate music • Students will listen to, describe and analyze music • Students will evaluate music and music performances • Understand the importance of the arts in expressing and illuminating human experiences, beliefs and values • Objectives for Language Arts • Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend understanding and appreciation • Students recognize that reads and authors are influences by individual, social, cultural and historical contexts • Students communicate with others to create interpretations of written, oral and visual texts

6. Theoretical Justification • Lynn A Vogt et. al. • “Cultural compatibility is a credible explanation for school success, while, conversely, cultural incompatibility is one credible explanation for school failure.” • Paulo Freire • “The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach.” • James Banks “Social Action approach” • “A curriculum that focuses on the experiences of mainstream, America and largely ignores the experiences, culture, and histories of other ethnic, racial, language, and religious groups has negative consequences for both mainstream students and students of color.”

7. Weekly Planner

8. Day #1: Lyric Analysis • Introduction lecture • What is culture? • What is hip-hop? • Is hip-hop a culture? How? • Begin filling-in the KWL chart (to be completed throughout the week) • Lyric worksheet and questions • Nas “I can” • Immortal Technique “Poverty of Philosophy”

9. Day #3: Write-Your-Own-Rap • Guest lecturer: Hartford hip-hop artist • What do you rap about? • What is your rap-writing process? • How are your lyrics influenced by your community? • What impact do you hope your music has on your community? • Write-your-own-rap workshop

10. Evaluation • KWL chart • Worksheets • “Lyric Analysis” • “Art in Hip-Hop” • “Hip-Hop in Your Community” • “Write-Your-Own-Rap” • Written responses • How do hip-hop artists’ communities influence their lyrics? • How is your rap a form of personal expression for you? • What is hip-hop? • Hip-Hop Fair Presentation grade • Jeopardy winners