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Educator Information - This PowerPoint is the first lesson from Unit Three – Les and Mary from the Les Paul Study Units. This music unit was developed through a collaboration between the Les Paul Foundation, the Wisconsin Center of Music Education, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

The lessons are geared for use with students in grades 4 and 5. The purpose of the units are to explore the life and achievements of a Wisconsinite who excelled as a musician, inventor, and sound pioneer, Les Paul. Les Paul’s life story offers learners an expanded view of how to develop their curiosities, nurture their creative nature, and to persevere through challenges. The lessons developed offer learners opportunities to explore, create, discuss, and share, while making connections to their own skills and knowledge about being a musician, inventor, and sound pioneer.

Standards are provided, along with essential questions, which help students deeply reflect and apply to their own lives. Additional extension activities are shared, along with blank templates for: Student Study Sheets, PowerPoint's, and Scrapbook pages. These templates allow teachers to build additional lesson activities. Suggestions for cross-curricular connections are also highlighted within the study unit and may be used in multiple increments of time and study with students in a classroom, multiple classrooms, or school building.

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Les Paul Study Units

Unit Two : On the Road

Resources

Unit Template
PowerPoint
Student Study Sheet
Scrapbook Page
Article Excerpts
Prezi Link
Supplemental Resource List

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Essential Question

How do people use their creativity through music?

Standards

I can explore and demonstrate an understanding of the elements of music by reading, singing and/or playing an instrument. (MG2.P.6.i)
I can explain how music relates to self, others, and the world. (MG4.Cn.6.i)

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

The Wisconsin Standards for Music (2017) are used for the Les Paul Study Units.

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Scrapbook – How do the clues fit the pictures?

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

Script - In our scrapbook, we have several pictures and clues that help us find out about Les Paul. Let’s get started with the scrapbook.

Question - How do the clues fit the pictures? (Students may use the Student Study Sheets to see the clues and pictures.)

Teacher Notes - Choose one of the following instructional methods for this activity.

Review the images as a class, describing what is in each image and possible clue word matches. Have students guess how these words might be connected to the images. The teacher offers a clue match/sentence (see the sentences for each clue on the next slide) to six students who then read the sentence about the picture.

Have the class divided into 6 teams, each with one of the pictures. Each team reviews the image, describes it, and identifies which clue might fit the picture. The team leader shares with the teacher, who then provides the students with the clue match/sentence. The team leader shares about the picture with the whole class and sentence.

CLUE/MATCH SENTENCES - (Quizlet – Words in italics are within the online dictionary. http://quizlet.com/37282801/les-paul-roots-and-beginnings-flash-cards/ .)

Tinker - a person who repaired small items.
Iris Colleen Summers – Mary Ford’s birth name.

3. Jazz - a type of American music with lively rhythms and melodies that are often made up by musicians as they play.

4. Stage name - a name used for professional purposes by an actor or other performer.

5. Country Music - a style of music that developed in the southern and western U.S. and that often contains lyrics relating to the lives of people who live in the country.

6. Radio Show – a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio, which may be a one-time production or series.

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Scrapbook – How do the clues fit the pictures?

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

Stage name

Country Music

Radio show

Jazz

Tinker

Iris Colleen Summers

Script – Let’s find out what you figured out about the clues and the pictures. (Have student leaders from each team share what their team found out about the clue/match. Answers are below.)

Question - How do the clues fit the pictures?

CLUE/MATCH SENTENCES- (Quizlet – Words in italics are within the online dictionary. http://quizlet.com/37282801/les-paul-roots-and-beginnings-flash-cards/ .)

Tinker - a person who repaired small items.
Iris Colleen Summers – Mary Ford’s birth name.

3. Jazz - a type of American music with lively rhythms and melodies that are often made up by musicians as they play.

4. Stage name - a name used for professional purposes by an actor or other performer.

5. Country Music - a style of music that developed in the southern and western U.S. and that often contains lyrics relating to the lives of people who live in the country.

6. Radio Show – a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio, which may be a one-time production or series.

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Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

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Listen to The Les Paul Show –

Sweet Georgia Brown

Clap / Move to the song.

Describe the show.

How did Les perform “Sweet Georgia Brown”?

What would you add to the song?

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

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What do you know about Les Paul and Mary Ford?	What do you want to know about Les Paul and Mary Ford?	What have you learned about Les Paul as a musician, inventor, or sound pioneer? Complete after the reading excerpt.

K - W - L - Fill in the boxes based on the information gathered so far about Les Paul and Mary Ford.

K

W

L

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

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Vocabulary (Quizlet)

Underline one word you know. Circle one word you do not know. Country Music Jazz Radio Show Stage Name Tinker	I know the word: ______________________________. Describe your word by drawing or writing a sentence about it. Share this work with a partner who has a different word.

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

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Musician - Reading – How Mary Ford Got Her Name

Read the excerpt with your group.

Think, share, and write with your group for the question below.

What have you learned about Les Paul’s start as a musician, inventor, or sound pioneer?

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

Script - We are going to read a section of this article, with four groups each taking a different section, then a group leader sharing back the main points of their section to the whole class.

Group 1 - You will read section 1. A clue in your reading involves the words Armed Forces Radio.

Group 2 - You will read section 2. A clue in your reading involves the word persona.

Group 3 - You will read section 3. A clue in your reading involves the word jazz.

Group 4 - You will read section 4. A clue in your reading involves the words stage name.

Your group has five minutes to read and discuss the section. I will call you back for leader sharing with the whole class.

Article - How Mary Ford Got Her Name- http://www.lespaulfoundation.org/blog/how-mary-ford-got-her-name/ (The lesson packet has the classroom version, parceled out for a jigsaw reading activity.)

Extension Activities/Resources -

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What do you know about Les Paul and Mary Ford?	What do you want to know about Les Paul and Mary Ford?	What have you learned about Les Paul as a musician, inventor, or sound pioneer?

K - W - L - Fill in the box based on the information gathered so far about Les Paul.

K

W

L

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

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Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

Sound Pioneer – Create four different class rhythm parts to accompany Sweet Georgia Brown.

Rhythm 1 -

Rhythm 2 -

Perform parts with the Sweet Georgia Brown excerpt.

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Essential Question

How do people use their creativity through music?

Standards

I can explore and demonstrate an understanding of the elements of music by reading, singing and/or playing an instrument. (MG2.P.6.i)
I can explain how music relates to self, others, and the world. (MG4.Cn.6.i)

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1

The Wisconsin Standards for Music (2017) are used for the Les Paul Study Units.

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Next Lesson Clue –

? Audio Engineer

How is this clue connected to Les Paul?

Les Paul

Musician, Inventor, Sound Pioneer

Les and Mary

1