This lesson uses Panic at the Disco's song, "Hey Look Ma, I Made It" to explore specific literary elements: metaphor, inversion, irony, and tone in order to consider how these devices help shape meaning. Students will work in pairs to employ close-reading skills for specific analytical tasks. They will reflect on their learning continuously throughout the lesson. The lesson will culminate with a brief analytical paragraph that asks them to consider how the figurative devices employed by the songwriters shapes meaning. Finally, they will reflect on the process of close-reading to consider how this process informed their understanding of the text and how they can transfer this skill to other analytical tasks.

Blue Ridge PBS created a video series in collaboration with the staff of the Virginia Department of Education called Virginia Roots: A Journey into Appalachian Music. Instructional resources were created to demonstrate effective classroom application of the media and concepts in standards-aligned sample lessons aligned to the 2020 Music Standards of Learning. The episode guide contains resources to accompany the Appalachian Music media including a description of the video, discussion prompts, and links to both the media and standards aligned instructional resources created by a team of Virginia educators.

Students will gain an understanding of the vital role women have played in shaping the music of Appalachian Virginia. Students will be introduced to the contributions of women in early Appalachian music and their roles as musicians, composers, and cultural icons. They will examine the Carter family's influence on Appalachian music and explore and investigate the roles and contributions of women in bluegrass and old-time music and their influence on the preservation and transmission of traditional songs.