SING ME A POEM

 

Georgia Standards

 

South Carolina Standards

 

Key Vocabulary

 

Materials

• Projection board with internet access
• Implements for completing writing assignments
• Graphic organizers (optional)
• Printed song lyrics
• Audio recordings
• Music video (if available)
• Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routines

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

See, Think, Wonder (See, Think, Wonder Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routine)

• Prepare students for a “See, Think, Wonder” reading activity by telling students they are going to read a ballad poem excerpt and answer three prompts. (**Ballad suggestions are in the Additional Resources section of the lesson plan.) Students will need implements for documenting their responses.
  • “I see”: What do you see? What stands out to you?
  • “I think”: What do you think about while reading the ballad poem?
  • “I wonder”: What does the poem make you wonder? What questions do you have?
• Students are each given copies of the ballad poem to read individually or as a group and answer the first prompt (I see) using words or images.
  • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
  • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
    • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
  • Students will read the ballad poem a second time and answer the second prompt (I think) using words or images.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
      • Ask “What did you read in the ballad poem to make you think about …?” to encourage deeper connections to the written text.
    • Students will read the ballad poem a third time and answer the third prompt (I wonder) using words or images.
      • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
      • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
        • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
        • Tell students they are going to be examining two different formats of the ballad: the ballad written as a poem and the ballad sung as a song. Students will evaluate how each format impacts them.

Work Session

Ballad Poem Analysis

• Prepare students to analyze the entire ballad poem by considering and discussing the following questions:
  • Title: What clues do the title give about the poem's subject matter?
  • Speaker: Who is "speaking" in the poem?
  • Words and phrases: What words stand out? Are there any unfamiliar words? Is there a consistent rhyme or pattern?
  • Imagery: What pictures or sensory details does the poet create using language?
  • Tone/mood: How does the poem make you feel?
  • Theme: What is the message?
  • Include additional relevant questions to help guide students’ poetry analysis.
• Students collaborate with a partner to read, analyze and annotate the entire ballad poem.
  • Tell partners to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with another pair of partners.
• Read the poem aloud with the whole class and engage the students in a class discussion about their answers to the questions.

 

Music Analysis: Hear, Think, Wonder

• Prepare students for a “Hear, Think, Wonder” listening activity. This is a modification of the Project Zero “See, Think, Wonder” Thinking Routine activating strategy.
• Tell students they are going to listen to the ballad as a song and answer three prompts:
  • “I hear”: What sounds do they hear? Musical sounds can include pitch (high/low sounds), rhythm (long/short), dynamics (loud/soft), tempo (fast/slow), timbre (instruments), form (same [repetition], different [contrasting]), articulation (smooth/detached).
  • “I think”: What does the music make you think about?
  • “I wonder”: What “wonderings” do you have? Wonderings are generally
• Students listen without talking the first time and answer the first prompt (I hear) using words or images.
  • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their response with a neighbor.
  • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
    • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
  • Students listen without talking a second time and answer the second prompt (I think) using words or images.
    • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
      • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable. Ask students, “What did you hear in the music to make you think about …?” to encourage deeper connections to the music.
    • Students listen without talking a third time and answer the third prompt (I wonder) using words or images. **The “I think” and I wonder” prompts can be combined into one listening event instead of two separate events.
      • Tell students to “Turn and Talk” about their responses with a neighbor.
      • Call on students to share their responses with the class.
        • Restate students’ responses. All responses are acceptable.
      • The teacher will play the song again while students sing along with the recording. The teacher will remind students to demonstrate good posture, breath support, and accurate pitch while singing.
      • The teacher will lead a discussion with the class about how the musical sounds from the song help contribute to the message of the written text. (Focus on the vocabulary from the “I Hear” prompt.)
        • Ask students whether the music makes the narrative more or less engaging and why.

 

6th grade: Focus more on analyzing the text and explaining the impact on the audience.

• For example:
  • What is the overarching message of the text?
  • What emotions do they make you feel?
  • Does certain text or sections of text repeat?
  • What is your overall impression of the poem/song?

 

7th and 8th grade: Focus more on evaluating the text and analyzing the impact on the audience.

• For example:
  • What are the ballad’s strengths and weaknesses?
  • Does the ballad leave a lasting impression or make you want to read/listen to it again?
  • How does the ballad compare to other ballads in the same genre or style?
  • What is your overall impression of the ballad?

 

Closing Reflection

Wrap It Up

• Remind students that they have explored text presented as a ballad poem and a ballad song.
• Present students with the following:
  • 6th grade:
    • (a) How does the emotional impact and audience engagement differ between reading a ballad’s text and listening to it being sung?
    • (b) Which format do you prefer and why?
  • 7th and 8th grade:
    • (a) How does a text's portrayal change across its written and musical formats?
    • (b) How do these differences shape audience perception?
    • (c) Which format do you prefer and why?
  • Remind students to keep the question(s) in mind as the class reviews each format.
    • Review both formats of the ballad.
    • After the review, allow students time to think about and thoughtfully answer the questions making sure they use content and music vocabulary in their responses.
      • Students should annotate the content and music vocabulary in their responses using a highlighter, underlining, or circling the vocabulary words.
    • Students will “Turn and Talk” with their neighbor discussing their response to the questions.
    • Call on students to share their responses with the class.

 

Assessments

Formative

• Evaluate students’ responses to See, Think, Wonder and Hear, Think, Wonder.
• Observe partner and whole class discussions.

Summative

• The teacher will evaluate students’ learning through students’ responses (written or oral) to the essential question that includes content and music vocabulary. Using a rubric or checklist may help provide assessment guidance for students.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated:  Research and compare additional poem and song ballads. Discuss historical context such as, “How do ballads reflect the time period they were written in?”.   Remedial: Use excerpts of the poem and song when completing the analysis. Use graphic organizers. Provide guided notes or sentence starters for discussion. Use partner reading or small group support for comprehension.

 

Additional Resources

Suggested Ballad Titles:

• “Ballad of John Henry” (poem)
• “Ballad of John Henry” sung by Wee Sing
• “Promised Land” sung by Chuck Berry
• “Puff the Magic Dragon” sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Dr. Rue S. Lee-Holmes

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW