Lessons
Please read our Letter to the Teacher for an introduction to these lessons.
1) Putting Yourself in the Picture
This lesson examines the difficult position of having to make a decision about breaking a law you think is immoral or unethical.
2) John Brown, the Opera and the Story
This lesson introduces students to John Brown's life through examination of the libretto of the opera, John Brown.
3) But, it's the Law!
This lesson taps into students' developing values and sense of justice as they examine how a school functions.
4) Remembering Slavery
In this lesson, students will listen to former slaves tell their stories.
5) Listening to Slaves
In this lesson, students will read transcripts of interviews with American slaves in Missouri and Kansas in the 1930s.
6) Underground Railroad
In this lesson, students will use an online resource to trace the path a slave might take to escape to Canada.
7) Signs and Symbols
This lesson will examine some of the quilt patterns and what they may have represented to slaves on the Underground Railroad.
8) Stories Through the Music of the Slaves
This lesson examines and helps students uncover the hidden meanings in the music of slaves.
9) $600 in Gold
This lesson examines the equivalence in today's dollars and the amount of gold that $600 actually represented in 1858.
10) So What Can I Buy for $600 in Gold?
This lesson examines the purchasing power of $600 in gold that John Brown was given.
11) Blow Ye the Trumpet
In this lesson, students will examine this familiar hymn of John Wesley and find how the composer of John Brown has used it in the opera.
12) Music of the Opera
This lesson focuses on two musical selections that will prepare students for their visit to Lyric Opera's production of John Brown opera.
13) What is an Opera?
In this lesson, students work together using their own organizing skills to determine how opera is similar to and different from other performance arts.
14) Becoming a Composer, Creating an Opera
This lesson stimulates students to conceptualize how an opera such as John Brown is composed and what kinds of experiences and skills are needed to do it.