Hey, Hey, It's the Beatles!

Hey, Hey, It's the Beatles!
Pat Nixon: Law, Politics and Govt

Skill: High School/College
Time Required: Two to five class periods


Standards Compliance
NCSS Strand 1
Culture
NCSS Strand 2
Time, Continuity, and Change
NCSS Strand 3
People, Places, and Environments
NCSS Strand 7
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
NCTE Standard 7
Students conduct research by generating ideas, questions, and problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data.
NCTE Standard 8
Students use a variety of technology and information resources to gather, synthesize, and communicate knowledge.
NCTE Standard 12
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.
ISTE Standard 4
Technology communications tools
ISTE Standard 5
Technology research tools

Introduction:

In January of 1968, eleven months before Richard Nixon was elected President, the Beatles' album, "Magical Mystery Tour," reached #1 and stayed #1 for eight weeks.  There is no record of the Nixons' view of the Beatles, but it is certainly true that the Beatles made a huge contribution to popular culture during the 60s!

Objectives:

Students who participate in this lesson will learn a good deal about the Beatles, and about the contributions their music made to much of the pop music that came afterward. Students will also gain experience in synthsizing complex information and the skills of "compare and contrast" in writing.

Materials Required:

Access to the Internet; access to print materials about the Beatles; access to recordings (original or CDs) of the Beatles' music. Use of The Beatles timeline link.

Procedures:

1.  At a time when popular music groups come and go at nearly warp speed, some groups remain both popular and influential even when they are no longer performing as a group.  Such is the case of the Beatles, and this lesson is designed to help students understand why.

2.  Divide the class into several groups.  Using the websites listed below, each group should research some aspect of the Beatles' musical heritage, paying particular attention to the following questions:

  • Why were the Beatles so popular?
  • What were some of their most critically acclaimed albums?  Why?
  • What effect or influence has the Beatles' music had on popular music since 1970?

3.  When the research is complete, students should share it with the rest of the class in some manner: posters, PowerPoints, portfolios, or written/oral reports.

4.  Engage the class in a discussion that compares and contrasts the Beatles' music with popular music today.  This discussion should be the precursor to a short paper that does the same thing.

  • How does the Beatles' music compare with (popular group of choice)
  • Who might be "the Beatles" of the future? Why?
  • Do you think there will ever be a phenomenon like the Beatles again?  Why or why not?

Extending the Lesson:

This lesson might be extended by developing a "mini-museum" dedicated to the Beatles, or to any currently popular group, or both.

Sources & Resources:

Websites:

Credits:

This lesson was developed by Averil McClelland, Kent State University. 

^Top