Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will study Antonin Dvorak and his extended stay in America. They will then learn about the impact Dvorak had on American music. They will also examine several musical forms as they explore the music Dvorak composed in America, and complete various music, poetry, and map activities.

Length of Lesson:

Seven 45-minute class periods

Notes:

This lesson is designed for ESOL students at the high school level.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• learn about Antonin Dvorak.
• identify and analyze major musical works composed by Dvorak while in America.
• relate musical works to Dvorak's experiences in America.

Supplies:

• CD or tape player
• Colored pencils
• White paper
• Manila folders or large sheets of construction paper folded in half to make folders
• Recordings of Dvorak’s music (see Sources section for more information)
• Recordings of compositions by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Aaron Copland (see Sources section for more information)
• A copy of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha (see Teacher References section for more information)
• Book: Schaefer, Carole Lexa. Two Scarlet Songbirds. A Story of Antonin Dvorak. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

Instructional Plan:

Day One

Have a recording of Symphony #9 in E minor, Op. 95 (From the New World) playing as students enter the classroom. Have students refer back to the NSO Journey site in the previous lesson in this unit, Tchaikovsky in America. (Note: If you have not taught the previous lesson, refer to its instructional plan for instructions on using the interactive timeline). Tell students to read about Antonin Dvorak.

Read aloud from The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, available online from The Poet's Corner. In particular, share excerpts from "Hiawatha’s Childhood," "Hiawatha’s Wooing," and "Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast." Note that before Dvorak came to America, he read a translation of this poem and liked it so much that began to write an opera about Hiawatha. Though he never completed the opera, he did use some of the ideas in a later work, Symphony No. 9. Ask students to consider what recurring themes or images may have piqued Dvorak's interest.

If any of the students are immigrants, ask them if they read anything about America before they came here. Give the students their folders from the first lesson of this unit.

Distribute the Dvorak Biography Worksheet and maps of the world and the United States. Read the worksheet with the students, making sure they understand it. Point out Bohemia, located in what is now the northern part of the Czech Republic, on a world map so they know where Dvorak came from. Note that Prague - where Dvorak worked - is the capital of the Czech Republic. If you have taught the previous lesson in this, ask if anyone remembers where Tchaikovsky came from and point out Russia on the map. Introduce the 3-2-1 activity: Explain to students that they will need to write down three things that they have learned, two questions that they have, and one thing that they do not want to forget. They will then need to answer a few questions about Dvorak. Have students complete the 3-2-1 Worksheet.

Day Two

Hand out the Dvorak’s Impact on America Worksheet. (Note: For additional background information, see this Summary of Dvorak's Impact on America on the University of Iowa's site, as well as this short biography of Jeanette M. Thurber, founder of the National Conservatory of Music, on The American Music Center's NewMusicBox site.) Read the selection with the students, making sure they understand the contents. Have the students complete the worksheet. Three important American composers, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Aaron Copland, are named in the Dvorak’s Impact on America Worksheet. Play selections from their works to give students a sample of their music. Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue," Copland’s "Applachian Spring" and "Rodeo," and Ellington’s "Mood Indigo," "Caravan," and "Do Nothin' 'Til You Hear from Me" are good choices.

Day Three

Read aloud more of The Song of Hiawatha. Focus on the excerpt on the famine and the death of Minnehaha. Note that what Dvorak read here inspired him to visit Minnehaha Falls near Minneapolis, Minnesota, not too far from Spillville, Iowa. Hand out New York to Spillville worksheet. (Note: For additional background information, see this Summary of Dvorak's trip to Spillsville on the University of Iowa's site.) Read the description of the Dvorak family’s trip with the students. Have them complete the activities.

Day Four

Review the work of Days Two and Three, noting that Dvorak composed much music while he was in America, including during his time in Spillville. Introduce the idea that in America he wrote compositions in four different musical forms: a symphony, a cantata, string quartets, and a concerto. Hand out the Musical Forms worksheet. Hand out the Student Vocabulary List, which students are to use to complete the worksheet.

Day Five

Read aloud, or have studetns read, Two Scarlet Songbirds, A Story of Antonin Dvorak. This historical fiction book tells of Dvorak’s writing the String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 (American) during his summer in Spillville. This book will lead into a discussion of Dvorak’s production of musical works while living in America. Before starting to play excerpts from Dvorak’s music, write the titles of each selection on the board. Make sure that the students understand that they are to listen carefully because they will be expected to respond to the music at the end of the class. Suggest that the students write the name of each selection on a clean piece of paper before it is played and make notes or draw pictures of what they hear as they are listening. This will help them with their writing assignment.

Play a recording of the quartet, especially the third movement, which is based on the sound of scarlet songbirds. Refer back to Two Scarlet Songbirds.

Play a recording of Symphony #9, especially the slow movement, supposedly inspired by the death of Minnehaha in Longfellow’s poem. The scherzo movement reportedly was inspired by a Native American dance. Play a recording of the cello concerto. Have students write a written response to the music they liked the best today. If this is not finished in class, it should be assigned to students for homework.

Day Six

Hand out the Two-Word Poem Worksheet. (Explain that a two-word poem has only two words in each line, but can have any number of lines. Each line in the poem tells something different about the poem’s subject. See the examples on the worksheet.) Review the worksheet with the students, making sure they understand the activity. Model the activity by writing a class poem about Dvorak’s music. Have students complete the worksheet.

Day Seven

Distribute the Dual-Bio Poem Worksheet. Go over the directions with students, making sure they understand the activity. (Students will be required to make a list of words about Dvorak and a corresponding list of words about themselves. They will use these words to write a single poem about themselves and Dvorak.) They may need a review of adjectives. Have students complete the worksheet.

Assessment:

Assess student learning using the Assessment Key.

Sources:

Print:

• Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Hiawatha. Illustrated by Susan Jeffers. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1992.
• Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Hiawatha from the Poem. Illustrated by Chris Molen. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1993.
• Schaefer, Carole Lexa. Two Scarlet Songbirds, A Story of Antonin Dvorak. Illustrated by Elizabeth Rosen. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

Media:

• Dvorak, Antonin. Symphonies Nos. 7, 8, & 9. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Rafael Kubelik. DG. 439 663-2.
• Dvorak, Antonin. String Quartet, Op. 96 (American). Guarneri Quartet. RCA Victor. 6263-2.
• Dvorak, Antonin. Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104. Isreal Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein. Mischa Maisky, violoncello. DG 427 347-2.
• Copland, Aaron. Applachian Spring. Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. DG.D-115302.
• Ellington, Duke. The Very Best of Duke Ellington. RCA Victor. 09026-63729-2.
• Gershwin, George. Rhapsody in Blue. Piano Concerto in F major. London Philharmonic Orchestra. Edward Downes. Roberto Szidon, piano. DG. 427 203-2.
• Gershwin, George. Porgy and Bess. RCA Victor Orchestra and Chorus. Skitch Henderson. Soloists, Leontyne Price, Willaim Warfield John C. Bubbles and Mc Henry Boatwright. RCA Victor. 5234-2 RG.

Authors:

• Phyllis Gron, ESL Teacher
  Fairfax County Public Schools
  Alexandria, VA