Curated OER
Interpreting Lyrics With Pictures
Students interpret the lyrics of a selected song through the use of photos and a presentation program. They search for photos on Pics4Learning to illustrate their interpretation of the song. Photos are downloaded to a folder on their...
Curated OER
Our Town: Using Song Lyrics in the Classroom
Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” and Billy Joel’s “Allentown” motivate young lyricists to craft poems about their own home town. Groups compare the two songs, identifying details, symbols, and conflicts. Individuals then picture a place...
Curated OER
Music: "Hearing Between The Lines"
The class listens to and reads lyrics from popular songs that explore themes of self-esteem, body image, and eating disorders. The song interpretations will serve as a jumping-off point to deeper discussion on the issues, culminating in...
Curated OER
Getting the Meaning in Pop Music
Critical thinkers compare the impact of visual versus aural perception in how they comprehend artistic intent. They consider the meaning of a set of pop lyrics first by reading them, then by listening to them orally, and finally viewing...
Curated OER
Lecture 6 - Oral Interpretation - Verse
Students discuss how oral interpretation varies with prose and poetry. They select a piece of prose or poetry to present to the class, and then assess each other on the organization and delivery of their speech as well as on their...
Curated OER
Learning From Lyrics
High schoolers analyze a song to determine the composer's point of view regarding the subject addressed in the song. They design and create an original visual aid that illustrates the theme of the song. Students identify any social...
Curated OER
Poets Got Them Blues
Contemplate what music learners listen to and why they listen. Can they find poetry within music lyrics? Specifically hone in on blues lyrics and ruminate upon the social issues prevalent in the themes. Particular song lyrics coincide...
Curated OER
Sk8er Boi (Skater Boy)
Pupils listen to and analyze the lyrics for Avril Lavigne's song, Sk8er Boi. They discuss and interpret the vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and various grammar structures used in the lyrics.
Curated OER
Poetry in Music
Sixth graders look at poetry in music. In this language arts lesson plan, 6th graders listen to and read the lyrics of songs to find the poetic aspects of them. They focus on similes and metaphors and write their own songs lyrics.
Curated OER
Our Town
With the songs "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen and "Allentown" by Billy Joel, learners examine external versus internal conflict. When they have finished the first part of the lesson, they create their own poem (or song) about the...
Smithsonian Institution
Water/Ways: The Poetry of Science
Water is the source of life. It appears in poetry in both peaceful and torrential descriptions; it appears in earth science in its liquid, gaseous, and solid states. Combine these interpretations of our planet's most precious and...
Curated OER
What Does This Song Really Say?
Students investigate communication by analyzing lyrics from a song. In this music arts lesson, students discuss slavery, the Underground Railroad and African American traditions while listening to a song called "This Train." Students...
Curated OER
The National Anthem
In this National Anthem worksheet, students read the lyrics to the National Anthem and describe them in their own words. They draw a picture to match their explanation.
Curated OER
Corn Husk Doll
Students practice melody and lyrics and the feelings they represent, in two languages, sing the melody of the Corn Husk Doll, lyrics Maria Hinton, melody by Patti Morin in Oneida, and discuss how the words to this song demonstrate...
Curated OER
Space Exploration
Sixth graders identify and interpret the following: What is space?, Space Race, Living in space?, Man on the Moon, Astronaut training; students compare/contrast US and Russia space exploration. Students write a letter of application to...
Curated OER
VH1 All Access Spotlight: Josh Groban
Young scholars discuss the lyrics to You Raise Me Up, sung by Josh Groban, and identify the structure and markings in the song that show expressive qualities. They explore how composers use musical concepts to show meaning and mood in a...
Curated OER
Individuality: India Arie Music Video
Students examine individuality. In this music video lesson, students listen to music by India Arie to determine how music shapes our ideas of what normal is as well as how music is a form of poetry. Activities are related to Stargirl.
Curated OER
Words/Music/Images: Interpretation and Meaning A Motivational Activity
Students explore popular music in its historical context. In this music lesson, students examine the lyrics, musicical arrangement, and video imagery of selected songs to interpret the messages and themes of the songs.
Curated OER
Lost Lyrics of Love, Lust, and Losers
Twelfth graders explore the connection between poetry and the "real world". They are reminded of the elements used in poetic interpretation, and use them to analyze various texts.
Prestwick House
The Poetry of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's selection as the 2016 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first songwriter ever to receive the honor, has focused the attention of a new generation on the work of the legendary artist. Class members analyze the...
Curated OER
Define My Own Destiny: Using Arrested Development and Lauryn Hill to Teach Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun
Literary themes don't just belong to literature. High schoolers listen to the lyrics of modern songs by Arrested Development, Lauryn Hill, and others to enhance their study and to connect to characters, conflicts, and themes of Lorraine...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Choosing the Correct Graph
With so many types of graphs, don't let your learners get stuck figuring out which one to use. To track how Zoe spent her allowance, use this interactive lesson to review all the types of graphs and pick the best one to display the data....
Curated OER
Foreign Language Lip-Sync Karaoke Contest
Teach your class about foreign language through transcribing lyrics. They will transcribe the lyrics of a song in a foreign language and use the lyrics to create a cloze activity as they listen and speak the language with their...
Curated OER
Popular Culture & Diversity
The topic of cultural diversity is explored with the use of pop songs and lyrics. As a way to celebrate Harmony Day, small groups read, reflect, and present their opinions on how the lyrics they analyzed have expressed a statement of...