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Magical Musical Tour-Introduction page 1

© 2009: This lesson plan is the property of the Mensa Education & Research Foundation, www.mensafoundation.org. It is provided as a complimentary service to the public. Reproduction and distribution without modification are allowed. Images, links and linked content referenced herein are the property of the originating entities.

9th and 10th Grade Lesson Plan —— Magical Musical Tour:

Using Music Lyrics to Teach Literary Elements Overview This series of lessons was designed to meet the needs of gifted children for extension beyond the standard curriculum with the greatest ease of use for the educator. The lessons may be given to the students for individual self-guided work, or they may be taught in a classroom or a homeschool setting. Assessment strategies and rubrics are included at the end of the unit. The lessons were developed by Lisa Van Gemert, M.Ed.T., the Mensa Foundation’s Gifted Children Specialist. Introduction Literary elements and terminology are the vocabulary of literary analysis, and fluency with them is crucial to a student’s ability to enter the conversation about literature. This entire unit teaches literary elements as illustrated by popular music lyrics, which could be considered to be one of the most common short-story formats. The unit should be taught over an extended period of time and is most effective broken down and connected to literature the students are reading.

Learning Objectives After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:

• Define and recognize literary elements. • Identify literary elements in use in literature. • Describe the authorial intent of figurative language.

Preparation • Make overhead transparencies of lyrics (unless a document camera is available). • Gather songs and/or videos of songs.

(Please note the Mensa Foundation is not responsible for any content on outside links; efforts were made to check the appropriateness of lyric and video sites, but one should always surf with care.)

• Make copies of the Literary Elements and Terminology handout, which is included at the end of this section, as well as copies of any class materials you would like to use from the lessons.

• The Extension section includes a “Password”-type review game, an assignments page that you can cut into thirds and hand out, and a quiz.



Materials • White boards • Rope/yarn • Songs: (All songs are available through legal download. Please obtain music and lyrics

legally. Alternately, you could have students view videos of the songs on a site like www.youtube.com. Suggested links to lyrics and video are included with each lesson.)

1. “100 Years” by Five for Fighting 2. “Annie’s Song” by John Denver 3. “The Dance” by Garth Brooks 4. “I am a Rock” by Simon and Garfunkel 5. “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin 6. “Jack and Diane” by John Cougar Mellencamp 7. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman 8. “Someday” by Steve Earle 9. “Don’t You Want Me?” by The Human League 10. “Breaking Us in Two” by Joe Jackson 11. “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood 12. “Please Come to Boston” performed by Kenny Chesney 13. “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn 14. “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman 15. “Lullaby” by Shawn Mullins 16. “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Croft 17. “Brandy” by Looking Glass 18. “Richard Cory” by Simon & Garfunkel 19. “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band 20. “Ironic” by Alanis Morrisette 21. “Don’t Take the Girl” by Tim McGraw 22. “Higher” by Creed 23. “Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg



Literary Elements and Terminology The stuff you need to know to sound like you know what you’re talking about

Literary Elements

Characters: The people in the story that the writer created particularly for that story. The protagonist is the central or main character who causes or is the center of most of the action – the one who struggles for something. The antagonist may be a person or an abstract quality, such as fate or nature; it is someone or something that struggles against the protagonist. A foil is a secondary character who contrasts with a major character. If the character changes during the story, it is a dynamic character. If the character does not change, it is a static character. Narration: The telling of the story. Each story has a narrator who talks about the events and characters and who describes the setting. This is called the narration. The narrator is not necessarily the author. Just because a story is told using “I” doesn’t mean the narrator is the author. Every narrator has a point of view (see below). Point of View: The focus from which the story is told. It can be first-person or third-person point of view, and it can be all-knowing (omniscient) or limited.

• First person point of view: the narrator speaks using "I." • Third person point of view: the narrator uses pronouns such as “he” or “she.” • Omniscient: the narrator knows everything about everyone — what they think and feel and

what their psychology is like. This is also called “all-knowing,” just like Mrs. Van. • Limited Omniscience: the narrator knows as much as the reader (or maybe a little bit

more). Sometimes this is called selective omniscience.

Plot: The pattern of action in a story. It has specific parts, or elements.

• Exposition: the presentation of essential information regarding what has occurred prior to the beginning of the story. This is the “backstory.”

• Inciting Incident: The act or action that sets the story and conflict in motion.

• Rising Action: The part of a story that begins with the exposition and sets the stage for the climax. A conflict often develops between the protagonist and an antagonist.

• Climax: The decisive moment in a work of literature, the climax is the turning point of the plot to which the rising action leads. This is the crucial part of the work, the part that determines the outcome of the conflict. (It’s a realization, decision, action, etc.)

• Falling Action: The falling action is the series of events that take place after the climax; the protagonist must react to the changes that occurred during the climax of the story.

• Resolution: The part of a plot that occurs after the climax and that establishes a new norm, a new state of affairs — the way things are going to be from then on. The author often ties up the loose ends of the story to have the plot reach a conclusion.

Setting: The time, place, and culture in which the story takes place.



Style: The selection of words, sentence structures, and language arts that the writer uses for details and descriptions. The way the writer uses language such as irony, symbolism, and metaphor. Suspense: Stories are often suspenseful. The author creates suspense by causing readers to be concerned for the characters and/or uncertain of their fates. Theme: The major idea of the story. This is what the story is about, what it means.

Terminology / Vocabulary Alliteration: The practice of beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound (Sally sells seashells by the seashore). Allusion: Reference to something in the past (the Bible, mythology, etc.) that the writer assumes the reader will recognize. Apostrophe: Figure of speech in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate as if animate.

Archetype: A character, action, or situation that is a prototype or pattern of human life generally; a situation that occurs over and over again in literature Coming-of-age story: A type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss of innocence. Some of the shifts that take place are ignorance to knowledge, innocence to experience, false view of world to correct view, idealism to realism, or immature responses to mature responses. Connotation: The feelings and attitudes associated with a word. Denotation: Dictionary definition of a word. Flashback: A description of scenes representing events that happened before the point at which the story opens. Foreshadowing: The dropping of hints by the author of things to come. Hyperbole: A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration. Imagery: A word or group of words in a literary work that appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell.



Irony: Something that is not what is expected. Can take these forms:

• Situational: when something happens differently than what is expected. • Verbal: the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their

literal meaning. Can take the form of sarcasm, understatement, or hyperbole. • Dramatic: when the audience knows something the characters don’t know.

Metaphor: Comparison of two like objects without using the words “like,” “as,” “than,” or verbs like “resembles.” Mood: The emotional quality of the story that influences the attitudes of the characters and the readers. Onomatopoeia: Use of words that mimic the sounds they describe (e.g. hiss, buzz, bang). Paradox: A statement that seems absurd or self-contradictory but turns out to be true. Personification: Attributing human characteristics to things that are not human. Pun: Play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have different meanings. Sarcasm: The use of verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it. Satire: Use of humorous devices like irony, understatement, and exaggeration to highlight a human folly or a societal problem. Simile: Comparison of two unlike things using words such as “like,” “as,” “than,” or verbs like “resembles.” Symbolism: The use of symbols to stand for something else; the symbols may be people, objects, or the action itself. Tone: The author’s attitude toward his characters, their actions, and his plot. Tone may be playful, formal, intimate, angry, serious, ironic, outraged, baffled, tender, serene, depressed, etc. Understatement: Deliberate lessening of impact and truth to make a point.

Magical Musical Tour-1.1


Lesson 1. An Introduction

Discuss the importance of vocabulary. Ask if students would want a brain surgeon to operate on them who said, “Oh, I’m going to use this thing-a-ma-jig to cut a hole in your whatchamcallit.” Brainstorm professions or activities that have their own vocabularies. Explain that literature is one of those things that has its own vocabulary and that we all need to agree what the meaning is of the terms we use to talk about what we’re reading. Discuss how songs are literature because they are poetry. They have a rhythm, they often rhyme, and they are a great place to find examples of literary elements and terms. Most songwriters would be ecstatic if they knew that you were looking at their songs this way, instead of just letting the words float in and out of your head randomly. You honor music when you view it this way. Play “100 Years” by Five for Fighting:

• video: (song plays with lyrics on screen): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lu_uyulrZI • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/f/fiveforfighting1527/100years464953.html

Show overhead of lyrics without commentary. Next, play it again, this time using a lyric sheet with commentary, pausing and discussing it as you go through. Commentary Suggestions (in order of appearance) (Bolded terms are included in the Literary Elements handout or will be discussed in future lessons)

• Who’s the “I,” or the narrator, in this song, and who’s the “you”? • Figurative language: They’re not literally on fire. What is he saying? Are they really

returning from Mars? • You can’t literally “buy” time. What does he mean? • Note the paradox of an "I" being a "they." • Notice the imagery of being an age for just a “moment.” It helps create a sentimental,

melancholy tone. • What is this sea? What is this crisis? How can you chase years? Do you see how this

character is dynamic? He’s changing. • Allusion: Astronomically any star that rises after midnight is a morning star, although it

usually refers to the planet Venus. Remember that Venus was the goddess of love. • If you have 100 years to live, what’s half time? • Imagine your life as a day. If the sun is getting high, what comes next? • Death is a part as gentle as the others. • Here’s the theme: every day is a new day – a new moment. • Notice use of “hey” – narrator trying to get attention. • Knowing the theme, who do you think the audience for this message is? • Notice that there is a plot. What is the inciting incident, do you think? • Is this a coming-of-age story? If so, what is the shift? Is this character static or dynamic?



Lesson 2. Figurative Language

Before introducing the songs that contain similes and metaphors, spend one lesson on the following figurative language introduction. Pre-Assessment

• Give students a list of ten examples of figurative language; a sample page with two handouts is included in this lesson. Have the students mark each example as a metaphor, simile, or personification using the letters M, S, and P.

• Using white boards, read out the example and have students write the letter they chose on the board. Scan for correctness. Students getting nine or more correct should do the two-page enrichment activity included in this lesson; the other students should participate in the teacher-led activity that follows.

Teacher-led Activity Sub-objective I Simile Information with Examples or Model

• Show the Simile overhead included in this lesson, which begins with lines from Shelley’s “Adonais”

• These lines are a simile: a comparison of two things indicated by the words like, as, than, or even a verb such as resembles. A simile expresses a similarity. For a simile to exist, the things being compared have to be dissimilar. It isn’t a simile to say “your fingers are like mine” because that is a literal observation. It is true. But to say “your fingers are like sausages” is to use a simile.

Questions and/or Activities

• Show examples on overhead and have students indicate “S” for simile or “NS” for not simile on their white boards.

Sub-objective II Metaphor Information with Examples or Model

• Show the Metaphor overhead included in this lesson, which begins with the line “my love is a red, red rose”

• A metaphor is a statement that one thing is something else, which, in a literal sense, it is not. Is my love really a rose? No.

• A metaphor doesn’t use like, as, than, or verbs like resemble. It will often use some form the verb to be.


• Show examples on overhead and have students indicate “M” for metaphor or “S” for simile on their white boards.



Sub-objective III Personification Information with Examples or Model

• Show the Personification overhead included in this lesson, which begins with the lines “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful”

• Can death really be proud? When we give a thing, an animal, or an abstract term like truth or nature human characteristics, we call that personification.


• Show examples on overhead and have students indicate “M” for metaphor, “S” for simile, or “P” for personification on their whiteboards. (serves as assessment)

Synthesis • Play “You’re the Poet” (see the handout included in this lesson): give them a line with instructions to pick words to fit it, creating a metaphor, simile, or personification.

• Show overhead prompts. Give ten seconds for students to come up with words, and then call on them to share.



Figurative Language Mark each of the following as an example of metaphor (M), simile (S), or personification (P). When you finish, please turn your paper over.

1. Like a thunderbolt he falls _____

2. My love is like a red, red rose _____

3. My mother is a witch _____

4. Her love was stronger than rope _____

5. Her presence was a roomful of flowers/ Her absence is an empty bed ____

6. He was as rich as Hades _____

7. His words are honey to my ears ______

8. His car is as ugly as sin _____

9. This class is a bear _____

10. My teacher is an angel _______

Figurative Language Mark each of the following as an example of metaphor (M), simile (S), or personification (P). When you finish, please turn your paper over.

1. Like a thunderbolt he falls _____

2. My love is like a red, red rose _____

3. My mother is a witch _____

4. Her love was stronger than rope _____

5. Her presence was a roomful of flowers/ Her absence is an empty bed ____

6. He was as rich as Hades _____

7. His words are honey to my ears ______

8. His car is as ugly as sin _____

9. This class is a bear _____

10. My teacher is an angel _______



Simile

Life, like a dome of many-colored glass, Stains the white radiance of Eternity.

(Shelley, “Adonais”)

1. My love has red petals and sharp thorns. 2. You’re as mean as Hera.

3. He’s wonderful.

4. This is taking longer than a twelve-inning game. 5. This room is as messy as a dump!



Metaphor

Oh, my love is a red, red rose. (Burns, “A Red Red Rose”)

1. He is a pig.

2. He eats like a pig.

3. My son is as smart as a whip.

4. My sister’s boyfriend is a cow.

5. She’s a doll.



Personification

Death be not proud, though some have called thee/ Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so –

(Donne, “Death Be Not Proud”)

1. Beauty followed her through her life.

2. My love is as endless as the sea.

3. Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches on the soul.

4. My mother is a princess.

5. Spring stirs the soul.



You’re the Poet

I am as tired as a ______________.

My sister is a ______________.

You’re as cool as a _________________.

The computer ___________ at me.

This class is as ________ as a ________.

The rainbow ___________.



Enrichment Activity I. Simile and Metaphor Identify the two things the poet is comparing and then describe what it is the poet thinks they have in common. Be specific.

1. Think of the storm roaming the sky uneasily like a dog looking for a place to sleep in, listen to it growling.

– Elizabeth Bishop, “Little Exercise”

2. The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry of bugles going by. – Bliss Carman, “A Vagabond Song”

3. Hope is the thing with feathers – That perches on the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops at all.

– Emily Dickenson, “Hope”



II. You’re the Poet! Now you try it. Create an example of a simile, a metaphor, and personification using the prompts given below. Then, try to make up completely original examples.

1. Simile: My love is as _______________ as a __________________.

2. Metaphor: School is a _________________________________________.

3. Personification: The fog _______________________________. (hint: begin with a verb)

Original Examples: 1. Simile

2. Metaphor

3. Personification



Lesson 3. Simile

Ask a student to define simile. Work until you get a good definition (comparison of two things using “like,” “as,” “than,” or a verb like “resembles”). Remind students that the purpose of similes, like all figurative language, is to help the reader or hearer to truly feel what the writer is trying to convey. We use our senses to do that, so figurative language usually involves the use of senses. Explain that John Denver wrote this lesson’s featured song for his first wife, Annie, and it went to number one on the charts in 1974. Because students will probably not be familiar with his work, you may want to mention that he was killed in a plane crash in 1997 when the small plane he was piloting crashed into Monterey Bay off the coast of California. (Death intrigues them.) Play “Annie’s Song” with lyrics showing, then play it again, pointing out and discussing similes through commentary:

• lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/j/johndenver2053/anniessong97435.html • video: (song and pictures)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C21G2OkHEYo • wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie's_Song

Don’t mention their divorce until after they have heard it all.

Commentary Suggestions (in order of appearance)

• What is a night in the forest like? What senses would be engaged? • What is the difference between the mountains in spring versus winter? How is this an

appropriate image for love? • When is it fun to walk in the rain? What kind of rain works for this? How can a person make

you feel like this? • What happens when it rains in the desert? What image of Annie is Denver trying to convey

with this simile? • Why a “sleepy” ocean? Why not a stormy ocean? Is the ocean always blue? So, why does

he say she fills him up like a blue ocean? Why not green or grey? • How does this line change for you when I tell you that John and Annie eventually divorced?



Lesson 4. Metaphor

Ask a student to define metaphor. Work until you get a good definition (comparison of two things without using “like,” “as,” “than,” or a verb like “resembles” – saying that something actually is something else, not that it is just like it in some way). Remind students that the purpose of metaphors, like all figurative language, is to help the reader or hearer to truly feel what the writer is trying to convey. Challenge students to find out what “the dance” is being compared to in this song. Play “The Dance” by Garth Brooks:

• video: (music video with spoken intro) http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4271078/11479509 • lyrics: http://www.planetgarth.com/lyrics/the_dance.shtml

As for ideas on what “the dance” is. If a student comes up with “life” or “the good things in life,” discuss this idea. How is life a dance? Is it like a single dance or can it also be compared to a dance in the larger sense like a prom or homecoming event? If students do not come up with the metaphor, play the song again with commentary, and then ask again at the end. Have students fill out one of the “life is” metaphor handouts included in this lesson, and then pass it to another student. Have that student list three ways this metaphor is true. Commentary Suggestions (in order of appearance)

• Do you see how this is a literal dance? • Here’s the figurative dance. Think of this broadly. What would he miss? How is it a dance? • Regarding being a king, what type of figurative language is he using here?

For Another Class Period Play “I am a Rock” by Simon & Garfunkel:

• video: (song plays with lyrics): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKY-smJ6aBQ • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/simongarfunkel11136/iamarock387772.html

Ask students to identify the figurative language used here. Bring out that it is a metaphor because he is saying that he actually is a rock, he is an island, not that he is simply like one. Play it a second time with commentary. Have students fill out one of the “I am a ______” metaphor handouts included in this lesson, and then explain how it is true.



Commentary Suggestions (in order of appearance)

• Regarding the first line, the use of words like this creates what we call “tone” – the mood or feeling of the piece. What is a shroud? What is the tone of this song already?

• Why does he say he’s built the walls? • What is he afraid of? How is he a rock? How is he an island? • Regarding the “Don’t talk of love” verse: Ah! A hint of some past pain. What do you think it

was? A girl? Not winning the lottery? English class? • Regarding “I touch no one and no one touches me”: What is the effect or purpose of this

last couplet here? Shakespeare often ends important scenes with couplets, so pay attention to them because they’re often a signal of a key idea.

• The entire song is a metaphor. The man is a rock; he is an island. He starts the song saying he is; how does he prove it? What kind of picture do you get from him saying that, as opposed to him saying, “I’m kind of a loner”?



Metaphors I Life is a(n) _______________________________. Ways in which this is true:

1.

2.

3.


1.

2.

3.


1.

2.

3.



Metaphors II I am a(n) _______________________________. Ways in which this is true:






Lesson 5. Imagery

Have students look up the definition of imagery in a textbook glossary or dictionary. (A short definition is also included in the Literary Elements handout.) List the five main senses on the board. Play “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Croft, asking them to look for use of language that appeals to the senses:

• video (artists performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEF470mXqU4 • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/sealscrofts3407/summerbreeze163725.html

Discuss that imagery is one way authors convey tone. Tone is the author’s attitude towards the subject or story. In this song, what is the author’s attitude towards his home? What specific words tell you this? Also point out the wonderful personification of July dressed up and playing a tune.



Lesson 6. Narration Distribute the narration handout on the following page and discuss. Using pieces of rope or string, have groups demonstrate the four types of narration. Play “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin and have students discuss first-person POV:

• video (artist performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlHdjjHNEC8 • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/h/harrychapin1785/catsinthecradle85409.html • wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat's_in_the_Cradle

Play “Jack and Diane” by John Cougar Mellencamp and have students discuss POV:

• video: (song plays with lyrics): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feeHTm-dYGg • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/j/johnmellencamp2062/jackndiane1192646.html



An Explanation of Narrative

The point of view of a story is the relationship between the narrator and the story, including the characters in it. In the diagrams below, the circle represents the story; A, B, and C are characters. If the line from the narrator to the character ends in an arrow point, the narrator can enter that character’s mind.

First Person Narrative: The main character tells his own story. The narrator refers to himself by using the pronoun “I.”

Narrator

A

B

C

Narrator

A

B

C

Third Person Omniscient: The narrator is all-seeing, all-knowing. All thoughts are revealed. The author enters the characters’ minds as an observer of the inner man. The story is told in the third person (he/she/it/they).

Narrator A

B

C

Narrator A

B

C

Third Person Limited Omniscient: The story is told in the third person, but as seen through the eyes of one character only. The author only enters the mind of one character, not all of them. This is the most common form of point of view.

Narrator A

B

C

Narrator A

B

C

Third Person Objective: The story is told in the third person and the thoughts of the characters are not revealed. This viewpoint is often called the “door keyhole technique” because it’s like looking at the story playing out in front of you as if you were looking through the keyhole of a door. The characters reveal themselves through what they say about themselves and others and through their actions.

Narrator A

B

C

Narrator A

B

C



Lesson 7. Conflict Have students get out their Literary Elements handout and discuss conflict. Emphasize the difference between internal and external conflict. Make sure that students understand that every story has a conflict and that identifying the conflict will help them find the theme. Play “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman once through and ask students to identify at least two conflicts in the song and what types of conflict they are. Discuss students’ findings. Play the song again with commentary.

• video: (artist performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orv_F2HV4gk • lyrics:

http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/tracychapman3939/fastcarbytracychapman350004.html Commentary Suggestions (in order of appearance)

• Starting with the first verse, what’s the conflict here? She wants to go “anywhere.” What does that say about where she is?

• If she feels like she’s not living now, how does she feel? What type of conflict is that? • Her "old man" introduces a new conflict. What is it? • Regarding her mother, here’s an instance of one conflict leading to another. Her dad’s

alcoholism is what type of conflict? It can be more than one. What are the types of conflict going on here with her mother? Then what did that conflict lead to?

• A decision is always required when there’s a conflict. • Was she drunk? If she wasn’t, what do we call it when she says she feels “like” she was? • Notice the time jump. What are the conflicts now? • Notice the second time jump. What are the conflicts now? • The repetition of the image of the fast car in the song is what we call a “motif.” It repeats

itself over and over, changing purposes through the song. We saw this to some extent in “The Dance.” What is the role of the car here? How does it change through the song? How does she see the car at first? What about at the end of the song?

Play “Someday” by Steve Earle and have students work in pairs to identify conflicts. Compare them to the conflicts in “Fast Car.”

• video: (song plays with lyrics): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2lLV4cAnkQ • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/steveearle3667/someday174856.html

Commentary Notes

• Types of conflict: boredom, being caught in a cycle and in a “nothing” town • Allusion: over the rainbow to the pot of gold • Decision: Whether to leave • Different ways to leave: talent or transportation • Is he going to do it? When? Is that a promise kind of word?



Play “Don’t You Want Me?” by Human League and ask students to identify the conflict in this song. Bring out the differences between the conflicts in the songs. (After “Fast Car,” the conflict in here should be easy to identify. How do the two people in the song see the conflict differently? Is it common to see both sides of a conflict in a song?)

• video (artist performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpbOkyuyADU • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/h/humanleague1871/dontyouwantme88647.html

Play “Breaking us in Two” by Joe Jackson:

• video: (music video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C-xazgqpPc • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/j/joejackson2046/breakingusintwo97116.html

Have students compare that conflict with “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood. (Is this an internal or external conflict? What does he want? Remember that conflict involves decision; what is his decision here?)

• video: (music video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdTHa8m1EFo • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/stevewinwood3673/higherlove175165.html

Discuss all four songs in terms of conflict, using the chart on the next page. For assessment, play “Please Come to Boston” by Kenny Chesney. Have students identify the internal and external conflict.

• video (artist performing song): http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2r5en_kenny-chesney-please-come-to-boston_music

• lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/k/kennychesney2150/pleasecometoboston1061925.html

Note: This is a good element to assign students to find their own examples of in songs they listen to.



Types of Conflict

Song Internal (man vs. self)

External (which type[s]?) Decision

“Fast Car”

“Someday”

“Don’t You Want Me?”

“Higher Love”



Lesson 8. Setting Ask if any of the students have ever watched “Survivor.” Ask if they think the show would be as interesting if it were set in some small town in the middle of nowhere with a one-stop “low price” store and nothing else. Would they watch “Survivor: The Small Town Edition”? Discuss the ways in which the setting is crucial. Would it be different if you lost a child in the halls at school versus losing him or her in the middle of the Sahara desert? Why? Explain that setting is the world in which the story exists. It is the place, the time, the culture, and the environment in which a story occurs. Some authors describe the setting with a lot of detail, and others let the reader find out about the setting in bits and pieces. Frequently in music there is a setting for the song. Explain that you are going to play a song about a place, and you want them to look for things in the song that are specific to the setting. Play “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn:

• video (preformed by Cher, with lyrics): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9zF7NSchsk&feature=PlayList&p=7EF2C48F665F6354&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=28

• lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/m/marccohn2482/walkinginmemphis117635.html Count the number of things the students recorded and compare with the following: Commentary Notes

• References to Elvis and the father of blues music • Reference to Home of the Blues, birthplace of rock • More references to Elvis and features of his home • References to local food, music, figures and locations

Discuss the types of details he uses to describe Memphis. Ask if this is what everyone who lived in Memphis would emphasize (blues, music, etc.). Explain that the same setting can be seen in different ways by different people. Play “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman:

• video: (music video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slMTiDZuVp0 • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/r/randynewman3207/ilovela218040.html

Then play “Lullaby” by Shawn Mullins.

• video (artist performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoWEpKBgNM8 • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/shawnmullins3457/lullaby165910.html

Commentary Notes

• What do the names of the stars tell you about when this took place? • Note the juxtaposition of devils and angels; what does “Los Angeles” mean? • What is the similarity between Nashville and LA?



Discuss the different ways they see the same place. What details do they use to support their views of the same town? Have students write a description of their town or school that is positive (in the vein of “I Love L.A.”) and then one that is negative (like “Lullaby”). Note: You can pair this lesson with a comparison reading of a traditional version of “Cinderella” and a reading of “The Persian Cinderella” by Shirley Climo. The settings can be compared and discussed.



Lesson 9. Character

Discuss characterization, using the outline that follows on the next page. Play “Brandy” by Looking Glass:

• video (artists performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-dleViv2nc • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/charliesangels/brandyyoureafinegirl.htm

Discuss the two characters in the song. Who is the protagonist? Who or what is the antagonist? Who do we sympathize with? Are the characters flat or round? Are they static or dynamic? Analyze the characters using the outline. Play “Richard Cory” by Simon & Garfunkel:

• video (artists performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euuCiSY0qYs • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/simongarfunkel11136/richardcory362829.html

Give students time to analyze the characters (both the narrator and Richard Cory) using their notes and the outline. Collect and discuss. Emphasize the concept of the foil. Note: This would be a good lesson to have students find a song of their own that describes a character and have them analyze it using the handout for guidance (answering some of the same questions discussed in class).



Characterization Types of characters

• Protagonist: the central or main character who causes or is the center of most of the action. • Antagonist: someone or something against which the protagonist struggles; may be a

person or may be an abstract quality, such as fate or nature. • Static: does not experience basic character changes during the course of the story. • Dynamic: experiences changes throughout the plot of a story. Although the change may be

sudden, it is expected based on the story’s events. • Foil: character whose traits are in direct contrast to those of the principal character —

highlights the traits of the protagonist — usually a minor character, although if there are two protagonists, they may be foils of each other.

• Stock/stereotyped: a character who possesses expected traits of a group rather than being an individual.

• Flat: not fully developed; we know only one side of the character. • Round: fully developed, with many traits — bad and good — shown in the story. We feel

that we know the character so well that he or she has become a real person.

Character Dynamic Static

Round Considered the best type of character development. Usually the protagonist.

Development is considered well-done. Often found in protagonists in books for younger children.

Flat

Characters cannot be dynamic and flat, in a flat character we do not know enough about them to recognize a change. If a flat character seems to change, it is usually due to poor writing.

In very simple books, or in fairy tales, the protagonist may be flat and static. Also appropriate for minor characters in other books.

How we learn about characters

• Direct characterization: the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.

• Indirect characterization: the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.

• Physical description. • Speech and actions of the character. • Direct comment from the narrator. • Speech and actions of other characters.

Themes of literature/analyzing characters

• Motivation: cause of actions. • Behavior: actions of the character. • Consequences: results of actions. • Responsibility: moral, legal, or mental accountability. • Expectations: what is expected of the character/what the character expects.



Lesson 10. Plot Using the Literary Elements handout, discuss plot development including plot elements, setting, style, suspense, and theme. Plot elements include:

• Exposition, or backstory • The inciting incident • Rising action • The climax, or turning point • Falling action • Resolution

Play “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band: (Please note: some popular versions include PG-13 language at the end of the final verse)

• video (artist performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnepPZChA5U • lyrics:

http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/c/charliedanielsband5781/thedevilwentdowntogeorgia480195.html

Play again, marking and discussing the plot elements. Commentary Notes

• What’s the inciting incident? • What conflict develops out of the rising action? • How do setting and style affect the conflict? How do they affect the suspense? • How does the presentation, or plot, deal with the fact that the contest is musical, not verbal? • What is the theme of this plot?



Lesson 11. Irony Using the Literary Elements handout, discuss the three types of irony:

• Situational – when something happens differently than what is expected. • Verbal – the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their

literal meaning. Can take the form of sarcasm, understatement, or hyperbole. • Dramatic – when the audience knows something the characters don’t know.

Play “Ironic” by Alanis Morrisette and have students identify the types of irony in the song:

• video: (music video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v9yUVgrmPY • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/a/alanismorissette156/ironic7189.html

Play “Don’t Take the Girl” by Tim McGraw and ask students to identify the underlying irony in the song (the boy changes his mind completely about her – situational):

• video: (music video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-TXBniRz1g • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/timmcgraw3880/donttakethegirl184372.html

Get a classroom discussion going about whether either of these songs exhibits dramatic irony. If the consensus is no, ask for examples of other works that do feature dramatic irony.



Lesson 12. Allusion Explain that allusion is a reference to something in literature, history, mythology, religion, or cultural knowledge that assumes the reader or hearer knows what is being referred to. For example, if I say it is raining so hard I should build an ark, what is that a reference to? (Noah’s ark). Explain that you are going to play a song that has a core allusion — “Higher” by Creed:

• video: (music video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p64r2HF0-A0 • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/c/creed923/higher43081.html

Ask if they can identify the allusion. Ask them to rate, on a scale of one to ten, how well they understand what’s going on in the song. Play the song again, discussing the allusions using the following commentary. Commentary Suggestions (in order of appearance)

• Is he literally in another world? No, this is figurative language. • Is he literally hungry? Look at the word that shows you what he means by hunger. • Where’s a place that is high, blind men see, and has streets paved with gold? • So, what does he want? He wants to make what on earth? • What does he think it will take to make that happen?

Play the song again and ask them to rate, on a scale of one to ten, how well they now understand what’s going on in the song. Explain that this shows just one small example of how understanding allusions can increase your understanding of what you read.



Lesson 13. Putting It All Together Have students get out their Literary Elements handouts. Play “Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg, asking them to note as many elements as they can on this one run-through:

• video (artist performing song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhjYbfK9vrk • lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/d/danfogelberg985/sameoldlangsyne45496.html

Read through the lyrics, letting students identify elements, giving small prizes (stickers, candy, etc.) for accurate identification. Optional: Tally each class period’s totals and then give a prize to the class with the highest total (bonus on literary elements test?).

Magical Musical Tour-Extension page 1


Extension Literary Terms Quiz Hand out the quiz that begins on the next page. “Password”-type Game Print out the five pyramids that appear in the following section. Explain that “Password” is a TV game show that has aired on various occasions since the 1960s. Two teams, each consisting of one celebrity player and one regular contestant, competed. The word to be guessed (the "password") was given to one player on each team and was shown to the studio audience and home viewers. On each team, the player who was given the password gave a one-word clue from which his/her partner attempted to guess the password. If the partner failed to guess the password within the allotted five-second time limit, or if an illegal clue was given (two or more words, a hyphenated word, or any part or form of the password), play passed to the opposing team. The game continued until one of the players guessed the password correctly or until ten clues had been given. To play the review game:

• Have students divide into two groups. • Have each group select two players. Have the four people come forward to the front of the

class. • Place an overhead transparency of the first pyramid on the projector with the words

covered. • Have the first pair face each other. Arrange it so that the person who will be giving the clues

can see the projector but the receiver cannot. • Reveal words one at a time, with the giver trying to get the receiver to say the word. Make

sure to set a timer. The giver can decide to pass and return to a term. • Next, allow the other team to play, using the next sheet, and so on. • While the game is played, other students should be thinking about how they would do it

themselves, so it is an effective whole-class review. • You can also have the giver and receiver switch places or rotate students in to play.



Literary Terms Quiz

______ 1. Archetype a. dictionary definition of a word

______ 2. Protagonist b. verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it

______ 3. Antagonist c. when elements of a statement contradict each other

______ 4. Static d. the perspective from which a narrative is told

______ 5. Dynamic e. a character, action, or situation that is a prototype or pattern of human life

______ 6. Denotation f. the use of words that mimic the sounds they describe

______ 7. Connotation g. the character with whom readers identify (usually the main character)

______ 8. Flashback h. the time and place in which events take place

______ 9. Foreshadowing i. a character that changes in response to actions through which he or she passes

______ 10. Imagery j. use of any object, person, place, or action that both has a meaning in itself and stands for something

______ 11. Plot k. a person says one thing while meaning another

______ 12. Point of view l. beginning several consecutive words with the same sound

______ 13. Setting m. the adversary character (the one fighting against the main character)

______ 14. Suspense n. words or phrases which appeal to the senses



______15. Theme o. a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present

______ 16. Tone p. a play on words similar in sound, but different in meaning

______ 17. Hyperbole q. comparison of two different things or ideas using the words like or as

______ 18. Verbal irony r. the central message of a literary work

______ 19. Situational irony s. use of hints or clues to suggest future action

______ 20. Dramatic irony t. a scene that interrupts the action to show a previous event

______ 21. Sarcasm u. a character that changes little over the course of a narrative

______ 22. Satire v. the feelings and attitudes associated with a word

______ 23. Symbolism w. a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration

______ 24. Apostrophe x. the sequence of events or actions in a story

______ 25. Metaphor y. the writer’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience

______ 26. Paradox z. quality that makes the reader uncertain or tense about the outcome of events

______ 27. Pun aa. the reader knows something important that the character does not know

______ 28. Simile bb. use of humorous devices like irony, understatement, and exaggeration to highlight a human folly or problem



______ 29. Alliteration cc. a situation turns out differently from what one would expect

______ 30. Onomatopoeia dd. comparison of two unlike things NOT using like or as

Magical Musical Tour-Game page 1


protagonist

denotation

setting

archetype

imagery

suspense



antagonist

connotation

plot

static

alliteration

theme



simile

pun

dynamic

satire

apostrophe

paradox



onomatopoeia

symbolism

metaphor

situational irony

verbal irony

hyperbole



dramatic irony

point of view

flashback

sarcasm

tone

foreshadowing

Magical Musical Tour-Assessment page 1


Assessment Literary Terminology Lyrics Assignment Print out the sheet of three assignments that appears at the end of this section, cut into thirds and distribute to the students. Then assess their responses according to the following rubric. Rubric for Literary Terminology Lyrics Assignment Instruction 4 — Excellent 3 — Good 2 — Fair 1 — Poor Score Appropriate song chosen

Lyrics copied on every other line of paper

1 – element identified correctly





All five elements written in different color ink on line above

Magical Musical Tour-Assessment page 2


Literary Terminology Lyrics Assignment 1. Choose a song that is appropriate for the assignment. “Appropriate”

is defined as a song with no profanity and no references to drugs, sex, or killing people.

2. Copy the lyrics on every other line of wide-ruled notebook paper. 3. Using your Literary Terminology handout, analyze the lyrics, identifying the

elements from descriptions in your handout. You must have at least five of the elements identified (for example, you could choose the narrator, imagery, figurative language, tone, and style). If you cannot find five, choose a different song.

4. Write these elements in a different color ink on the line above where it appears in the song.



2. Copy the lyrics on every other line of wide-ruled notebook paper. 3. Using your Literary Terminology handout, analyze the lyrics, identifying

the elements from descriptions in your handout. You must have at least five of the elements identified (for example, you could choose the narrator, imagery, figurative language, tone, and style). If you cannot find five, choose a different song.




2. Copy the lyrics on every other line of wide-ruled notebook paper. 3. Using your Literary Terminology handout, analyze the lyrics, identifying

the elements from descriptions in your handout. You must have at least five of the elements identified (for example, you could choose the narrator, imagery, figurative language, tone, and style). If you cannot find five, choose a different song.


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