This lesson is about racial issues that surround the genre of music known as the Blues, and whether

Caucasians stole elements of music from African-Americans for a variety of reasons, to possibly include control of music practices. Strengths of this lesson include providing specific examples for students, sufficient background knowledge needed to facilitate discussion, and explicitly stating discussion questions for teachers to use during the lesson. Weaknesses include providing too many examples for students, not providing accommodations for different learners, and spending a lot of time on the introduction to the lesson instead of the lesson itself. Following the Discussion model, this lesson introduced the issue of whites stealing music from blacks, if this was the case, and of general discrimination during this period in time. It also raised the question of cultural perceptions of the blues. Background knowledge was integrated and students were able to create arguments based on prior information. For phase two of this model, students actively participated in a debate of multiple issues concerning race and the blues. The class was divided into two groups, with each group choosing a side. With teacher questioning leading the debate, students were able to express their viewpoints. For the final phase of closure, the students were asked to apply their knowledge of cultural perspectives by writing a hypothetical dialogue between two people from different time periods. This lesson deviated from the model by not providing review or closure from the teacher for this topic. In order to clarify the major points of the discussion, the teacher needs to facilitate a final closure that summarizes the points of agreement and disagreement. For future lessons, the topic of the lesson could be narrowed to just one or two questions about racial issues instead of multiple questions. Providing students with a summary of agreements and disagreements discussed would also help them demonstrate their understanding and application of material through organization of perspectives.