Students will work with a partner to:
1. Research the life of a famous individual using internet resources.
2. List important facts and events of their subject’s life using a mind map.
3. Develop original lyrics based on the subject’s life.
4. Use the lyrics to compose either an original song or a parody of a popular song.
5. Perform their ballads for the class.
6. Create a rubric to grade their ballads.
Standards:
Research 1.8.8A: Select and refine a topic for research; 1.8.8B: Locate information using appropriate sourced and strategies.
Writing 1.4.8A: Write short stories, poems, and plays; 1.4.8B: Write multi-paragraph informational pieces.
Quality of Writing: 1.5.8A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
Materials:
Overhead projector, “Fitzgerald” news story transparency and handout, “Fitzgerald” transparency lyrics handout, CD player, CD with song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” laptop computers, headphones, electric keyboard.
Procedures:
Day 1
Distribute handout of news story about the Edmund Fitzgerald to students. Using overhead, ask for volunteers to read story while class follows along. Play “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on CD player and have students follow along on lyrics sheet. Students compare and contrast news story and song orally. Using internet resources (Wikispaces), students begin their research on ballads. Whole class discusses the characteristics of a good ballad.
Day 2
Students team up, choose a subject for their ballads, and use laptops to research the life and times of their subject. Using notes taken during research, students create mind maps on subject. Instructor checks mind maps and approves teams to begin writing ballads.
Days 3-5
Student teams write, edit, and revise lyrics to their ballads. When complete, teams rehearse singing ballads. When finished, teams use laptops to create a scoring rubric using internet resource: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php. Rubrics are presented to whole class. After all rubrics have been reviewed, whole class votes on which will be used to assess the assignment.
Closure Activity:
Students perform their ballads for whole class, then quiz class orally on information presented in songs.
Assessment:
Ballads will be assessed using student-created rubrics. For a sample rubric, click here:
Lesson Plan
Ballad Writing Lesson Plan
Subject:
Language Arts
Grade Level:
Seventh Grade
Objectives:
Students will work with a partner to:
1. Research the life of a famous individual using internet resources.
2. List important facts and events of their subject’s life using a mind map.
3. Develop original lyrics based on the subject’s life.
4. Use the lyrics to compose either an original song or a parody of a popular song.
5. Perform their ballads for the class.
6. Create a rubric to grade their ballads.
Standards:
Research 1.8.8A: Select and refine a topic for research; 1.8.8B: Locate information using appropriate sourced and strategies.
Writing 1.4.8A: Write short stories, poems, and plays; 1.4.8B: Write multi-paragraph informational pieces.
Quality of Writing: 1.5.8A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
Materials:
Overhead projector, “Fitzgerald” news story transparency and handout, “Fitzgerald” transparency lyrics handout, CD player, CD with song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” laptop computers, headphones, electric keyboard.
Procedures:
Day 1
Distribute handout of news story about the Edmund Fitzgerald to students. Using overhead, ask for volunteers to read story while class follows along. Play “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on CD player and have students follow along on lyrics sheet. Students compare and contrast news story and song orally. Using internet resources (Wikispaces), students begin their research on ballads. Whole class discusses the characteristics of a good ballad.
Day 2
Students team up, choose a subject for their ballads, and use laptops to research the life and times of their subject. Using notes taken during research, students create mind maps on subject. Instructor checks mind maps and approves teams to begin writing ballads.
Days 3-5
Student teams write, edit, and revise lyrics to their ballads. When complete, teams rehearse singing ballads. When finished, teams use laptops to create a scoring rubric using internet resource: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php. Rubrics are presented to whole class. After all rubrics have been reviewed, whole class votes on which will be used to assess the assignment.
Closure Activity:
Students perform their ballads for whole class, then quiz class orally on information presented in songs.
Assessment:
Ballads will be assessed using student-created rubrics. For a sample rubric, click here: