URI Kids - Activities
URI Kids - Activities
Songs and Music:
Down By the Riverside
Objective:
To use music and lyrics to promote discussion about religion and spirituality;
develop a sense of the importance of religion, religious beliefs and
spirituality to people in various historical time periods and cultures
Materials:
-A recording of Down by the Riverside (Study War No More) or the ability to play
the music and lead kids in singing the African-American spiritual
-Resource for a recording of Study War No More is Peter, Paul and Mary's Around
the Campfire album, 1998.
-Resource for the music and lyrics: One World, Many Voices: An Interfaith
Songbook, published in 2002 by Interfaith Center at the Presidio, P.O. Box
29055, San Francisco, CA, 94129.
-Lyrics printed out for each student to read.
-Something to play recording on or a piano or guitar
-A short background reading or talk on African-American spirituals to provide
the context for the song.
-A short background talk on the use of this song during the Civil Rights
Movement.
Biblical passages marked in a Bible about Crossing the Jordan River to get to
the promised land, Deuteronomy 11:8-12, 18-21, Biblical passage marked in a
Bible about baptism, Mark 1: 1-11. In addition, have the biblical passage,
Isaiah 2:1-4 ready to read aloud. This is the Biblical reference for Ain't Gonna
Study War No More.
It is more effective to actually read aloud from a Bible than have the passages
Xeroxed or written out. If you want students to read the passages themselves
having kids actually use sacred texts and learning how they are arranged is an
important component so try to have Bibles available. You will probably want to
use a version with contemporary language.
Lesson:
First have students listen to the lyrics and music either on a recording or have
students sing the spiritual or both without providing any background.
Discuss the students' first personal reactions to the spiritual. Have them
speculate about its meaning historically.
Then provide historical/cultural background for the song and provide the
Biblical references above. Have kids discuss the metaphor of crossing the river
to a better place; of going from bondage to freedom; from oppression to
liberation in each context: pre-Civil War slavery in U.S., racist practices in
the US post Civil War through the Civil Rights movement, and the freedom of the
Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt. The passage from Mark refers to baptism as
the metaphoric crossing into the promising land. The promised land becomes a
better life, a new life, overcoming death or loss, etc. Have students discuss
what the "promised land" would be in each situation. You might also want to
point out that in Jesus's time, which Mark refers to, the Jewish people were
once again oppressed, this time by the Romans.
Read the Isaiah passage at some point during this discussion
End the discussion of the song with a discussion about what situations in the
world today are ones students' could imagine would be improved if people were
inspired to "lay down their sword and shields down by the riverside?" This may
lead to a discussion of non-violent practices. What does "I ain't gonna study
war no more," mean to the students? What do students think of non-violent
practices?
Alternative end to the discussion might be to ask the students what their
personal burdens are that they wish they could lay down by the riverside. On a
personal level, what would it mean if they did this? What is the personal
equivalent to "I ain't gonna study war no more?" This approach to the discussion
uses the song metaphorically on a personal level. A burden might be grudges a
student holds and can't let go of that are leading to unkind behaviors. Letting
go of the grudges may lead to inner peace and peace for others who are a part of
the student's life. This ending is especially compatible with the metaphor of
baptism as starting a new life, entering the "promised land" personally.
Follow-up Activity:
Have students write more verses
to Down by the Riverside in a contemporary context.
Reflection/Assessment:
Re-read the Isaiah passage one
more time. Ask students to reflect on the lesson in general and in particular
the passage from Isaiah. This is best done in writing first in learning logs or
journals. You might want to ask students to volunteer to share their thoughts.