Northside Hip Hop Archive Curriculum Resource Guide: English, Grade 10, Academic/Applied (ENG2D/P) –

Northside Hip Hop Archive Curriculum Resource Guide: English, Grade 10, Academic/Applied (ENG2D/P) – Lesson 1 Lesson Title Love, Props & the T-Dot: Examining Canadian Hip Hop via Documentary Expectations:

ORAL COMMUNICATION: Demonstrating Understanding of Content 1.4 identify the important information and ideas in oral texts, including increasingly complex texts, in a variety of ways

MEDIA: Critical Literacy 1.5 identify the perspectives and/or biases evident in media texts, including increasingly complex texts, and comment on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity

READING: Making Inferences 1.4 make and explain inferences about texts, including increasingly complex texts, supporting their explanations with well-chosen stated and implied ideas from the texts

3-2-1…Let

Your Backbone Slide

Learning Goals Assessment

Demonstrate understanding of media and oral texts

3-2-1 Guide Love, Props & the TDot Make inferences and connections 3-2-1 Point-Counterpoint

Materials

321 Listening Guide (lyrics not provided to students, in order to support listening expectations) Audio: “Let Your Backbone Slide” LCD Projector, Laptop and Internet access Point-Counterpoint tool

Students are given the 321 Listening Guide before the teacher plays the audio for Maestro Fresh Wes’ “Let your Backbone Slide”: Click English Lesson Arc - Resources. During and after listening, students complete the thinking tool and the teacher asks them to share their observations, questions and connections with the large group. The teacher facilitates discussion, weaving in information about the central place of this song in Canadian hip hop history.

Love, Props & the T-Dot

The teacher introduces the Northside Hip Hop Archive, discussing its mandate and navigates to the CBC documentary “Love, Props and the T-Dot”: Link: Click English Lesson Arc - Resources (45 min).

Students view the documentary. They are asked to write down five names/roles of important sources (i.e. Ivan Berry, Michie Mee, Maestro, DJ Ron Nelson) and two key ideas that emerged from this media text.

In elbow pairs, students share the notes they took about key figures and ideas they extracted from the documentary. In the large group, the teacher asks pairs to share one idea of the four they identified. The group considers how the documentary has changed their understanding of hip hop in Canada.

5 Essential Practices Designed to Promote Anti-Racist Pedagogy

• Education for empowerment

Love, Props & the T-Dot

•Talk about race

Is Hip-Hop Colour-less?

•Capture the Unseen Let Your Backbone Slide

•Tell a Complicated Story

Love, Props & the T-Dot

•Connect to the Present

Is Hip-Hop Colour-less?

Point-Counterpoint: Is Hip-Hop Colour-less? vs. Hip Hop is for and by Racialized People

In the documentary, Ivan Berry makes the claim that hip hop is colour-less, an idea that might have been raised in the large group discussion. In light of hip hop’s origins in Black and Latinx communities, and its attention to racism and social justice issues experienced by these communities, is hip hop for everyone? Consider backlash against Iggy Azalea and Macklemore. What about the thriving rap culture in Indigenous communities? Is that different? Why or why not?

With an elbow partner, engage in written debate using a point-counterpoint format that represents the pro/con of this argument. Each person gets 45 seconds to make a point;

Assessment Opportunities

Assessment FOR Learning: 321 Listening Guide Assessment FOR Learning: Love, Props & the T-Dot notes and discussion Assessment FOR

Learning: PointCounterpoint

Differentiated Instruction: Learning environment

Full class, small group and individual work Interest& Content

Choice of key figures, key ideas.

connection you make with this oral text.

Point-Counterpoint

In the documentary, Ivan Berry makes the claim that hip hop is colour-less. In light of hip hop’s origins in Black and Latinx communities and its attention to racism and social justice issues experienced by these communities, is hip hop for everyone? Consider backlash against Iggy Azalea and Macklemore. What about the thriving rap culture in Indigenous communities? Is that different? Why or why not?

Point: Hip Hop Is Colour-less Counterpoint: Hip Hop is for and by Racialized People

Future and Past: Predicting, Connecting and Inferring Expectations:

MEDIA: Interpreting Messages 1.2 interpret media texts, including increasingly complex texts, identifying and explaining the overt and implied messages they convey

MEDIA: Critical Literacy 1.5 identify the perspectives and/or biases evident in media texts, including increasingly complex texts, and comment on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity

READING: Extending Understanding of Texts 1.5 extend understanding of both simple and complex texts by making connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience, and insights; other texts; and the world around them

Graffiti Activity: The Future Must be Replenished

Learning Goals Assessment

Demonstrate

understanding of media texts

Graffiti Activity On the Spot, From the Head

Make predictions and connections Back to the Future

Materials

Audio: CBC radio interview

Graffiti Activity Music: K’Naan, “ABCs” Sticky Notes Class set of The Star article: Rap by Mitch Potter LCD Projector, Laptop and Internet access Highlighters

On

Students listen to the audio of CBC’s Big City, Small World with Garvia Bailey featuring the interview, ‘The Future Must be Replenished’ (Click English Lesson Arc - Resources). After, the teacher directs their attention to several quotes from interviewee Dr. Mark V. Campbell, posted around the room. While music plays (K’Naan’s “ABC’s”), students respond to the quote with a question or comment on a sticky note. When the music stops, they move to the next quote. At the final quote, the music stops and those gathered there discuss the quote and posted responses.

Assessment Opportunities Assessment FOR Learning: Sticky Notes and Graffiti

Northside Hip Hop Archive Curriculum Resource Guide: English, Grade 10, Academic/Applied (ENG2D/P) – Lesson 2 Lesson Title Hip Hop

Ac

Back to the Future: 1989

In the large group, students read the 1989 Toronto Star article, “Rap” by Mitch Potter: Click English Lesson Arc - Resources

Individually, students highlight three predictions made by sources in the article about the future of rap. They also identify three criticisms of rap.

In small groups, students discuss each prediction. Has it come true? How? Or, what happened instead? Are the criticisms of rap valid, then and/or now? Students make inferences about possible motivations or reasons behind the criticisms. What biases are evident?

In the same small groups, students make three predictions about the future of hip hop in our current time, considering hip hop’s, themes, new trends, other music genres, political contexts etc. Students also make three criticisms, justifying their assertions with examples. Are any biases influencing these criticisms?

5

Essential Practices Designed to Promote Anti-Racist Pedagogy

• Education for empowerment Graffiti Activity

•Talk about race Back to the Future •Capture the Unseen On the Spot, From the Head •Tell a Complicated Story Graffiti Activity •Connect to the Present Back to the Future

discussions

Assessment FOR Learning: Back to the Future Predictions and Criticisms Assessment FOR Learning: Freestyle discussion

Differentiated Instruction: Learning environment

On the Spot, From the Head: Freestyle Play the first two minutes of the Monolith freestyle from the Real Frequency radio show: Click English Lesson Arc - Resources. Ask the students to definite ‘freestyle’. Why are improvisational rap skills important to the artistic credibility of an artist? Listen to Monolith’s freestyle again. Was it successful? What makes it good? What poetic devices, besides rhyme, did you note? (simile). How is it different from other rap?

Full class, small group and individual work

Interest& Content Selection of quotes, rap songs.

Students should select a rap song of their choice and identify 1-3 similes used in the song. Analyze their meaning and quality. Be prepared to share with the large group the next day. (Assessment for/of learning)

It has always been seen as a consumer commodity, but at its essence it’s all about creativity, across all of the elements…it’s about how can you always remain fresh, how can you come up with something new?

Hip Hop is a culture and a living art form….If you’re immersed in a culture, it pervades all aspects of your life. It’s

about the way that you dress, it’s about the way that you talk, it’s about the way that you approach situations—how you think about yourself existing in the world.

I learned about the world through hiphop, not necessarily through what I was learning in school or what was in my textbook.

There was a point in time in hip hop where it was a dis to call someone a biter. That was really about someone saying, hey you’re not being original, you’re not thinking for yourself, you’re not being critical, you’re not being creative.

And I think that’s a great thing. That should be a modus operandi.

Hip hop is one of the only musics that embeds a social critique in there...If you go to Bolivia, if you go to Columbia, if you go to Angola, if you go to Sydney, Australia, you’ll find that young people become conscious of the world through hip hop culture.

And that’s worth replenishment because then there’ll always be a conversation between those that have and those that don’t have, and those that make decisions and those that live at the whim of other people’s decisions. So I think that’s healthy for any society that considers itself democratic, in the world.

Northside Hip Hop Archive Curriculum Resource Guide: English, Grade 10,

Lesson Title The Message: Inferring Theme and Decoding Figurative Language in Hip Hop Expectations:

MEDIA: Interpreting Messages 1.2 interpret media texts, including increasingly complex texts, identifying and explaining the overt and implied messages they convey

MEDIA: Critical Literacy 1.5 identify the perspectives and/or biases evident in media texts, including increasingly complex texts, and comment on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity

READING: Extending Understanding of Texts 1.5 extend understanding of both simple and complex texts by making connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience, and insights; other texts; and the world around them

Analyze the Bars

Learning Goals Assessment

Make inferences about theme Lyrical Spotlight

Identify and explain metaphor and simile Analyze the Bars

Materials

Audio: k-os’ “ELEctrik HeaT - the SeekwiLL”

Handout: k-os’ “ELEctrik HeaT - the SeekwiLL” lyrics

Highlighters

Summative Task: Lyrical Spotlight

Reflection: Look Back exit slips

LCD Projector, Laptop and Internet access

The teacher briefly reviews the concept of metaphor and simile. The teacher discusses the idea of theme as a human understanding that emerges from a text, explaining how song content and style supports this understanding. Students listen to the song “ELEctrik HeaT the SeekwiLL” by k-Os (Click English Lesson Arc - Resources)They examine a written copy of the lyrics in small groups. Using highlighters, they look for metaphors, similes and rhyme. Each group chooses an example of figurative language and writes it on chart paper/the board for all to read. Each group explains the meaning behind the figurative language and what it adds to the song.

Summative Task: Lyrical Spotlight

In the large group, the teacher distributes the evaluation task for this lesson arc. Students are to choose a historical Canadian hip hop artist.

● Students select a song by this artist and conduct a close reading of its lyrics to analyze its theme and figurative language. Students will use inference and connection to arrive at meaning.

● Students will use computer lab time to begin research on the career of this artist, considering his/her impact on the shaping of the Canadian hip hop industry.

● Students will attempt to contact the artist via social media and pose a thoughtful question to him/her.

● The song, the lyrical analysis, biography and any response from the artist are to be presented to the class in a five-minute presentation. A written version will be submitted to the teacher.

As a large group, students work to co-create success criteria for this task: “What would it look like to do this well?”. Refer to assignment sheet to ensure each section of the assignment is addressed; keep learning goals/in-class work in mind.

Look Back: Reflection

5 Essential Practices Designed to Promote Anti-Racist Pedagogy

• Education for empowerment Lyrical Spotlight

•Talk about race Analyze the Bars

•Capture the Unseen Lyrical Spotlight

•Tell a Complicated Story Analyze the Bars

•Connect to the Present Look Back: Reflection

Assessment

Opportunities Assessment FOR Learning: Group lyrics analysis Assessment OF Learning: Lyrical Spotlight analysis and presentation Assessment FOR Learning: Look Back exit slip

Differentiated Instruction: Learning environment

Full class, small group and individual work Interest& Content

Students complete an exit slip asking them to reflect on their learning about the history of Canadian hip hop. How has their understanding of the Canadian hip hop scene changed? Will it impact their future interest or engagement with Canadian music? Do Canadians have a responsibility to support home grown art? Reflect.

Selection of figurative language; rap artists.

Academic/Applied (ENG2D/P) – Lesson 3

The

(Assessment for/of learning)

k-os ““ELEctrik HeaT - the SeekwiLL”

[Intro]

Ok, its about to go down Please step up 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go

[Verse 1]

It’s the return, burn like a supernova Spit the plates, the great debates over Don’t rush, take it easy, slow down Earth is a spaceship spinning round and round We’re in it, together, we can make it better Don't sweat a, thing swing with no vendetta I rhyme in a graph style, carve every letter

To move every B-boy kind like Coretta Scott, keep it hot block once rock The plot that we tried to recognize was not The L to the O-V, M-O-V-E K dub droppin' the dub, that’s new TV

The E-M-C double E no doubt Runnin' the route, wakin' out, turnin' the part out We all fall from grace and make mistakes And race the pace the base with the antidote "base" And every single word in the verb wildstyle Its not a mission it’s a riddle lifestyle I'm still in the struggle and I see the light dial Turnin' to ten, ascend, with zen, the profile

[Hook]

Can you feel it, to the beat ya'll Let the music play for the people And if you're down to rock, whether you’re ready or not

T i m e :

Next Steps

teacher may book lab periods to support student research.

Yo, guess who’s back with the seqwill Oh ya, just do it Oh ya, just do it

[Verse 2]

Now, in the beginning the light shined so bright Within the city of my mind-scaped night Listening, glistening the moon reflecting the sun Making me one with the music Oh, get low, get for, get ho Its liquid black gold

Yes I'm in the house but I never ever sold Rhyme like vinyl, 20 years old With the mic in my hand, ringin' alarm Singin' the song, bringing the calm to dramas so hard To much info, been so instrumental, potential, exponential My DJ's cuts are presidential Yo Jazz, let the rhythm hit 'em I woke up to make the main cut, to face the pain What does space contain love? It’s the heat-seeker, packin' the speaker to beat the sleek creature It was written

The seqwill Northside Hip Hop Archive: Lesson Arc for ENG2D/P1

Summative Task: Lyrical Spotlight

Choose a historical Canadian hip hop artist featured on the Northside Hip Hop Archive. You might consider:

Michie Mee: Not your Slave; Jamaican Funk

Maestro Fresh Wes: Certs Wid Out da Retsyn; Conductin’ Thangs

Saukrates: Money or Love, Father Time

Tara Chase: The Northside

The Rascalz: Northern Touch

Choclair: 21 Years; Let’s Ride

Shad: Brother Watching

Eternia: Sorrow Song

Kardinal Offishall: Rhyme Shine and Bus; Your Ghetto

Dream Warriors: Wash your Face in my Sink

Or, you can choose another artist/song; please submit the name to your teacher before beginning work.

1. Read Closely and Annotate

Select a song by this artist and conduct a close reading of its lyrics to analyze its theme and figurative language. Use inference and connection to arrive at meaning. Lyrics are available: www.nshharchive.ca/resources/nshhacurriculum/english-lesson-arc-resources/ Annotate the lyrics using sticky notes, or margin notes (via MS Word). You must include a minimum of six annotations. Accompany your annotated lyrics with a paragraph discussing the theme of the song, making reference to your annotations.

2. Represent Visually

Research the career of this artist, considering their impact on the shaping of the Canadian hip hop industry. Represent this information in the form of a timeline, webbing or other graphic text form.

3. Reach Out

If the artist has a social media presence, attempt to contact the artist via social media and pose a thoughtful question to him/her.

4. Share

The audio (and video, if it exists) of your analyzed song, your annotations, theme paragraph, graphic text biography and any response from the artist are to be presented to the class in a five-minute presentation, or alternatively, within small groups.

Consider your learning about the history of Canadian hip hop over the past few lessons. How has this exposure changed your understanding of the Canadian hip hop scene? Will it impact your future interest or engagement with Canadian music? Do Canadians have a responsibility to support home grown art? Reflect on one or all of these questions.

Consider your learning about the history of Canadian hip hop over the past few lessons. How has this exposure changed your understanding of the Canadian hip hop scene? Will it impact your future interest or engagement with Canadian music? Do Canadians have a responsibility to support home grown art? Reflect on one or all of these questions.