Song:

Title- “Glory”

Artists- John Legend and Common

Release Information- from “Selma” movie soundtrack,

released in December of 2014

Genre- Hip hop, Soul

Awards- Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards (2015)

and the 72nd Golden Globe Awards (2015),

peaked at no. 92 on Billboard Hot 100

 

Lyrics:

[Chorus: John Legend]

One day when the glory comes

It will be ours, it will be ours

One day when the war is won

We will be sure, we will be sure

Oh glory

 

[Verse 1: Common]

Hands to the Heavens, no man, no weapon

Formed against, yes glory is destined

Every day women and men become legends

Sins that go against our skin become blessings

The movement is a rhythm to us

Freedom is like religion to us

Justice is juxtapositionin' us

Justice for all just ain't specific enough

One son died, his spirit is revisitin' us

True and livin' livin' in us, resistance is us

That's why Rosa sat on the bus

That's why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up

When it go down we woman and man up

They say, "Stay down", and we stand up

Shots, we on the ground, the camera panned up

King pointed to the mountain top and we ran up

 

[Chorus]

 

[Bridge: John Legend]

Now the war is not over, victory isn't won

But we'll fight on to the finish, and when it's all done

We'll cry glory, oh glory, ohhh

We'll cry glory, oh glory, ohhh

 

[Verse 2: Common]

Selma is now for every man, woman and child

Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd

They marched with the torch, we gon' run with it now

Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles

From dark roads he rose, to become a hero

Facin' the league of justice, his power was the people

Enemy is lethal, a king became regal

Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle

The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful

We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through

Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany

Now we right the wrongs in history

No one can win the war individually

It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people's energy

Welcome to the story we call victory

The comin' of the Lord, my eyes have seen the glory

 

[Chorus]

 

[Outro: John Legend]

When the war is won, when it's all said and done

We'll cry glory, oh glory

 

Music Video (lyric video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzbKaDPMoDU

 

Standards:

ELA, Speaking and Listening (grade 8):
-CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2

Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

-CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
-CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

North Carolina Essential Standards:

8.H.2.2. Summarize how leadership and citizen actions (e.g. the founding fathers, the Regulators, the Greensboro Four, and participants of the Wilmington Race Riots, 1898) influenced the outcome of key conflicts in North Carolina and the United States.

8.H.3.4. Compare historical and contemporary issues to understand continuity and change in the development of North Carolina and the United States.

              Through our first activity, “Exploring Format”, students will reflect on the motives behind presentation of information in multiple “diverse media and formats” (SL.8.2). These varied formats include video, audio, and written. Students are specifically asked to consider “the constructions that are used [in a specific format]...and what motives are behind the construction”. The teacher groups students for this activity, thus giving them the power to ensure that “collaborative discussions...with diverse partners” are established in which students are encouraged to be “building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly” (SL.8.1). After the separate groups have discussed (essentially “researched material under study”), students will be encouraged and expected to refer to evidence from the format that they analyzed when “reflect[ing] on ideas under discussion” (SL.8.1.A).  

              In the second activity, “Connecting Harmonies to History,” students will create and present a timeline, including such events as Rosa Parks’ bus demonstration and the 1965 Selma march, to better understand “how leadership and citizen actions… influenced the outcome of key conflicts in… the United States” (8.H.2.2.). Also in the creation of this timeline, where students are asked to link events of history to events of today (the Ferguson, MO protests) and analyze how today’s protests connect to the historical civil rights struggle, students will “compare historical and contemporary issues to understand continuity and change in the development of… the United States” (8.H.3.4).

 

Introduction:

Students will listen to the song, “Glory”, accompanied by its lyrics on a worksheet as well as with the lyric video playing. Before students listen to the song ask them to “AIME”; tell students to circle the references that they are familiar with, of which the song speaks, and tell them to think about what the events, people, and situations included in the song are. After listening/viewing ask students to explain/discuss what they noticed.

 

 

Activity one; Exploring Format

Teacher Notes:

Divide students into three groups based on the different formats by which the song is represented (an audio group, written lyrics group, music/lyric video group). Once students are divided in these three groups they will analyze the format that they have chosen, noticing the message and purpose of the particular format. The audio group will listen to the song, lyric group will read the written lyrics, and the last group will view the lyric video without sound.

Before analyzing the format that they have been assigned to, ask students to AIME; tell them to be looking for the constructions that are used in this format, the effect that these have, and what motives are behind the construction.

After analyzing the construction of their assigned format, students will collaborate to form conclusions about the constructed format they have chosen. An example of such a conclusion might be, “Imagines from the movie “Selma” are frequently used to construct the lyric video, with the commercial motive of selling the movie”. The whole class will then come together to discuss all three different formats and compare/contrast them with one another, specifically referencing the media that they analyzed to support their points.

(Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A)

 

Activity two; Connecting Harmonies to History

TEACHER NOTES: Allow students to divide themselves into groups of 3-4. Have students analyze the lyrics of the song “Glory” and identify the historical and contemporary events that are referenced within. Next, students will conduct 10-20 minutes of research on the events, finding out what happened, the event’s key leaders, and its effects on the civil rights movements. Then, have students create a visual timeline (in a format such as a PowerPoint presentation), using only images of the events they researched and lyrics quoted from the song “Glory”. The student groups can then present their timelines to the rest of the class, drawing connections between the song lyrics and the events they researched and exploring questions such as: Why did the writers of “Glory” choose these particular events to highlight? What impact did they have in the past and continue to have today? How are the modern events that are mentioned similar and related to the famous civil rights events of decades past?

AIME questions: Before beginning this project, encourage students to think about why the song was made.

Is it merely a chronicle of civil rights efforts, or is it an act of protest in itself? What is the civil rights struggle today, and what impact can this song have on it? What meaning does it have for ourselves and our society?

(Standards: North Carolina Essential Standards: 8.H.2.2., 8.H.3.4.)

 

Example presentation:

 

 

Developmental Dimensions of Adolescents:

               In order to be developmentally responsive and make our teaching relevant to middle school students, we have considered characteristics of adolescents when designing our educational use of music. According to This We Believe students “may show disinterest in conventional academic subjects, but are intensely curious about the world and themselves” (57). Song helps to present traditional academic content that students might normally be disinterested in, by employing a new, engaging form of media that students encounter on their own time. Allowing students to explore the content-packed messages of song, expands their view of what song can do. The content of “Glory” itself, expands student perception of the world through a civil rights lense, thus satisfying that cognitive curiosity.

             “Glory” describes the issue of racial equality in America as an emotional struggle, yet a hopeful one. Adolescents are “desiring to make the world a better place and to make a meaningful contribution to a cause or issue larger than themselves” (58). The song describes activists (Rosa Parks, Ferguson protesters, MLK) as models to enact positive change which will inspire students to get involved in societal change as well. The first step towards getting involved in an issue that is greater than yourself is learning about that issue, a step that “Glory” provides for students by educating in a musical format. Within our second activity, students analyze the song historically, as well as what it means for contemporary times. Exposing students to the modern implications that the song strives to get at, shows students that they have a part in a historically charged issue, which could play off adolescent desire to get involved in causes, thus inspiring students.       

              Our activities also take in account an adolescent’s tendency to “Prefer interaction with peers during learning activities” (57). Both activities are done in groups to facilitate teamwork, build positive peer relationships, increase sharing of ideas, and appeal to student preference. We believe that our lessons appeal to student wants and needs, meeting them where they are in their lives and stages of development.

 

Media Literacy Connections:

              The activities we have planned encompass several of the Key Concepts of Media Literacy. Most notably, we wish to stress through our lesson on the messages in “Glory” that 3. Media communicate values and ideology and that 4. The media have social and political implications. By analyzing the purposes for which this song references certain historical events and prompting students to explore how this use may impact the society we live in today, we lead students to understanding that media is a powerful tool for communicating values to a wide audience. In our activity “Exploring Format,” students learn that 5. Media forms are related to content by examining the connection between the way that the piece of media is made and the messages that these different aspects of the media piece communicate. And finally, the entire process of breaking apart and analyzing the “Glory” song and music video helps to teach that 7. Audiences are involved in the process of creating meaning, as students actively work with the media piece to understand its comment on the civil rights movement and its potential impact for our contemporary society.

 

Class Handout: