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Lesson 2

We will continue to explore the question, “Who is Alexander Hamilton?” We will listen to five songs from Act 1 of Hamilton: An American Musical and will determine their moods.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I summarize what is happening in Act 1 of Hamilton: An American Musical?

  • Can I identify different characters and how they relate to the plot?

  • Can I evaluate the effects of literary devices and rhetoric in texts?

  • Can I gather and organize relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate an understanding of texts and topics, support claims, and develop ideas?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Hamilton: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, Grand Central, 2016
  • Multimedia
    • Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), Lin-Manuel Miranda, Atlantic, October 16, 2015

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “Hamilton Cast — My Shot at the White House,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, YouTube, March 14, 2016
    • “Hamilton in Real Life — My Shot and Aaron Burr, Sir,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, YouTube, August 26, 2016
  • Multimedia
    • Hamilton, Thomas Kail, Walt Disney Studios, 2020

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Listen – Read

We will read the lyrics and listen to “Aaron Burr, Sir.”

Listen to and read the lyrics of the song "Aaron Burr, Sir."

Add responses to your Act 1 Notice and Wonder Note-Taking Tool to track your observations, thoughts in the "Aaron Burr, Sir" section.

With a partner, share your observations, thoughts, and questions.

Activity 2: Listen – Read

We will read the lyrics and listen to “My Shot.”

Listen to and read the lyrics of the song "My Shot."

Add responses to your Act 1 Notice and Wonder Note-Taking Tool to track your observations, thoughts, and questions in the "My Shot" section.

With a partner, share your observations, thoughts, and questions.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. Who is Alexander Hamilton? Based on what you have heard and read thus far, describe Alexander Hamilton.

  2. What information have we gathered that will help us answer that question? Use evidence from the text to support your interpretation.

Activity 3: Listen – Read

We will read the lyrics and listen to “The Story of Tonight” and “Farmer Refuted.”

Listen to and read the lyrics of the songs "The Story of Tonight" and "Farmer Refuted."

Add responses to your Act 1 Notice and Wonder Note-Taking Tool to track your observations, thoughts, and questions in the "The Story of Tonight" and "Farmer Refuted" section.

Activity 4: Read

We will determine the moods of the songs, “The Story Of Tonight” and “Farmer Refuted.”

Step 1

Access the Mood Reference Guide for more information on how to identify mood in texts.

Step 2

With a partner, identify the moods of each song by looking at word choice. Use an Analyzing Relationships Tool to guide your thinking.

After determining mood, discuss the following question:

  1. How did Miranda create such different moods in each song?

Step 3

Use the Analyzing Relationships Tool in the following way:

  1. Write down the guiding question in the space provided at the top.

  2. As you read the text, pay attention to details (words, phrases, sentences) that relate to the guiding question. Depending on how long the section of text is, you might find several examples. Write down the details that most strongly support the guiding question in the Attend to Details row.

  3. Think about and write down how the details you selected in reference to the guiding question are related in the Analyze Relationships row. What patterns, contrasts, or meaning are emerging for you? You might see connections, patterns, sharp contrasts, or the author’s use of literary devices emerging. Keep the guiding question in mind.

  4. Explain how those details work together to create an effect or suggest meaning for you as a reader, after you have identified the details and identified how they fit together or relate to one another. You might comment on how the details shed light on an idea, tone, mood, or other literary effect.

Activity 5: Listen – Read

We will read the lyrics and listen to the song, “Right Hand Man.”

Listen to and read the lyrics of the song "Right Hand Man."

Add responses to your Act 1 Notice and Wonder Note-Taking Tool to track your observations, thoughts, and questions in the "Right Hand Man" section.

With a partner, share your observations, thoughts, and questions.

With the class, respond to the following questions:

  1. What new characters are you introduced to in this song?

  2. What new information have you gained about Alexander Hamilton?

Activity 6: View – Read

We will view and discuss the songs “Aaron Burr, Sir,” “My Shot,” “The Story Of Tonight,” “Farmer Refuted,” and “Right Hand Man” from the filmed stage production of Hamilton.

View the songs “Aaron Burr, Sir,” “My Shot,” “The Story of Tonight,” “Farmer Refuted,” and “Right Hand Man” from the filmed stage production of Hamilton. Refer to the lyrics in Hamilton: The Revolution book as needed.

While watching, add responses to your Act 1Notice and Wonder Note-Taking Tool in the appropriate sections to track your observations, thoughts, and questions for each song and its scene. Think about the following questions:

  1. What new characters are you introduced to in these songs?

  2. What new events are you introduced to in these songs?

  3. Based on what you have seen, heard, and read thus far, how would you describe Alexander Hamilton as a person?

  4. Based on what you have seen, heard, and read thus far, how would you describe Aaron Burr as a person?

In a whole-class discussion, share your observations first, your thoughts second, and your questions last.

Continue the discussion by responding to the following questions:

  1. What else do you learn about the characters from their movement, facial expressions, gestures, and interactions with other characters in these scenes?

  2. What do you notice and wonder about the casting of the stage production?

  3. What do you notice and wonder about the set and the staging of the stage production?

  4. What do you notice and wonder about the costumes of the stage production?

Activity 7: Discuss – Read

We will continue to explore the question, “Who Is Alexander Hamilton?” using the Attending to Details Tool and will then share our ideas during discussion.

Working in your small group, use the Attending to Details Tool to analyze relationships among the details of the six songs you have read and studied so far.

You will look more specifically at the guiding question using the Attending to Details Tool.

Reflect on our guiding question: Who is Alexander Hamilton?

Complete the Attending to Details Tool to synthesize the information you have gained so far.

Share your responses to the questions during a whole-class discussion.

Activity 8: Write

We will summarize what has happened in Hamilton: An American Musical so far.

Use the Summarizing Text Tool to summarize what has happened in the musical so far.

The Summarizing Text Tool guides a reading and thinking process to help you make an effective summary of a text you are reading. Summaries should be short, concise, and include just enough information to help you remember or explain the main points of a text when you come back to it later. This tool allows you to list key details you might include in a summary, then select from your list as you write a summary of the text, drawing on the key details you identified.