Summary: Suggestions for introducing elementary-school-aged children to Scott Joplin, the "king of ragtime".
For younger students, make copies of the handout "Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime", available here as a PDF file.
This activity will require some preparation on your part. You may read through the accompanying modules Ragtime, Scott Joplin, and Listening to Ragtime and decide which information you would like to include in your presentation. You will also need to find some recordings of Joplin's rags (try the local library, or the internet sites suggested in the other modules), and the equipment to play the recordings for the class, either before, during, or after your lecture. For younger students, you will probably want to include the handout above with your presentation. For older students, you may want to make a handout by copying the relevant information from the other modules (following the Creative Commons License rules, of course.)
For younger students, you can include a map activity. You may use the PDF files available here for the handout and the answer key.
In your presentation to the class, make sure you include the information about where Joplin was born and the various places he lived. Have the students identify these places on a U.S. map.
Illustrations by Ellen Rockett.