Examining Political & Protest Music during the Fall of the USSR (Cold War)

A great and exciting way to incorporate music into the learning environment while teaching the concepts surrounding the fall of the USSR! Engages students and creates a fun learning environment.

OBJECTIVES:

o The learner will examine 20th century music to gain an understanding of the social and political aspects surrounding the fall of the Soviet Union (USSR).

• The learner will understand the events and issues leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• The learner will compare and contrast the historical map of the Soviet Socialist Republics to a current-day map identifying how political borders and names have changed.
• The learner will examine how the fall of the Soviet Union affected those under the communist leadership and those throughout the world.

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Includes:

° Complimentary "personal quotes" PowerPoint surrounding the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

° Warm-up Activity: Analyzing "Wind of Change" Lyrics for understanding of the fall of the USSR.

° Presentation Grading Rubric

° Song Lyric Analysis Sheets

° Optional Reading Activity

° Comparison Map of Soviet Union Region vs. Current-Day Map.

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° Students will have the opportunity to analyze lyrics for the following songs: (Includes a Analysis Guide Sheet) QR Codes available for use.

Ø Advice to Joe—Roy Acuff

Ø American Soviets—C.C.C.P.

Ø Back in the USSR—Beatles

Ø Everybody Wants to Rule the World—Tears for Fears

Ø Land of Confusion—Genesis

Ø Right Here, Right Now—Jesus Jones

Ø Roads to Moscow—Al Stewart (May want to divide the song into Part 1 and Part 2

and let different teams analyze one—Very long)

Ø The Story of the Fall of The Soviet Union—Jeffrey Lewis

Ø The Wall—Steppenwolf

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Culminating activity: Students will gather the information learned from the political / protest song and present it to the class, using a grading rubric for guidance.

You students will have fun with this activity and they get to not only hear historical music of the 1970-'90s, which learning about the events surrounding the fall of the USSR.

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VIDEOS & HELPFUL ARTICLES FOR REVIEW OF CONTENT:

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