Writing with
Melissa Meverden - Berkeley Middle School
Lowcountry Writing Project 2013
Session Survey
• Have you ever used music in your
classroom before?
• Have you used it this school year?
• Have you used in the last few
months?
Why use music?
• Multi-sensory, engaging, cross-curricular
• Can help students learn, focus, or
memorize material (Brewer, 1995)
• "Music provides a condensed way to teach
about metaphors and symbols in poetry
and literature.” (DellaVedova, 2011)
• It’s fun!
Common Core Reading Literature standards
– Make inferences
– Cite textual evidence
– Determine theme
– Interpret figurative language & tone
– Analyze structure & point of view
– Evaluate diverse media
Common Core Language Standards
– Learn standard English conventions
– Analyze figurative language, connotations
Integrate Popular Culture
• Use texts that students know and enjoy
to teach content and skills
• Teach students to be critical consumers
of media
Example Activities
• Responding to literature
– Romeo and Juliet argumentative paragraph
– The Odyssey open response
– The Glass Castle essay
• Introducing or reinforcing language
– Analyzing figurative language in song lyrics
• Katy Perry’s “Fireworks”
– Analyzing grammar in song lyrics
• Gwen Stefani “If I Was a Rich Girl”
• Imagine Dragons “On Top of the World”
Maroon 5 & Romeo and Juliet
Select at least one question to answer in
complete sentences. Give specific examples
and details to support your response. Use the
question to frame your topic sentence.
• What are some connections with these lyrics
to the play?
• Which scene from Romeo and Juliet is best
represented by this song? Why?
• What are some differences between the
lyrics of this song and the script of the play?
• What’s another song that could relate well to
Romeo and Juliet? Why?
Common Core Connection
8.W 1 - Write arguments to support claims
with relevant evidence.
8.RL 1 - Cite the textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
9-10.RL 7 - Analyze the representation of a
subject or a key scene in two different
artistic mediums, including what is
emphasized or absent in each treatment.
STUDENT SAMPLE
A song that could relate to Romeo
and Juliet is “Call me Maybe.” It shows
how Juliet feels things with her and
Romeo are going too fast. In the song she
says “Hey, I just met you; and this is
crazy.” The next lines “But here’s my
number. So call me maybe” shows how
Juliet did tell Romeo to send word for
marriage.
STUDENT SAMPLE
The scene from Romeo and Juliet that is
best represented by this story is Act II, scene
II, the balcony scene. In the song “Daylight”
by Maroon 5 the lyrics say “when the daylight
comes I’ll have to go, but tonight I’m gonna
hold you so close.” This connects with Romeo
and Juliet because Romeo says “I have night’s
cloak to hide me from their eyes” (2.2.75),
which means that if he didn’t have the night,
the world would find them and they would kill
him or not allow them to be together.
Common Core Connection
8.RL 6 - Analyze how differences in points of
view create different effects
9-10.RL 7 - Analyze the representation of a
subject or a key scene in two different
artistic mediums
8.RL 1 - Cite the textual evidence to support
analysis
Point of View: Calypso
“Calypso” by Suzanne Vega
My name is Calypso
And I have lived alone
I live on an island
And I waken to the dawn
A long time ago
I watched him struggle with the sea
I knew that he was drowning
And I brought him into me
Now today
Come morning light
He sails away
After one last night
I let him go.
How does her
song compare
with Homer’s
story?
Whom do you
sympathize
with—
Odysseus or
Calypso?
Quick Summary of The Glass Castle
• Brilliant but
dysfunctional parents
• Childhood filled with
extreme poverty and
hardship
• Beat the odds and
became a happy and
successful adult
Jeannette Walls
Common Core Connection
W.1 - Write arguments to support claims in an
analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence.
W.8 - Gather relevant information from
multiple print and digital sources, assess the
credibility and accuracy of each source, and
integrate the information while avoiding
plagiarism.
W.9 - Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
The Glass Castle Essay
“If a teacher’s end goal is to teach
students to write argument
essays, it makes sense that
instead of also making the
content of that writing
challenging… the teacher first
teaches students to write
argument essays around subjects
that are especially accessible to
the writers” (Calkins,
Ehrenworth, & Lehman, 2012).
Objectives: Outline, write, and revise a MLAformatted academic paper using third person
point of view and integrating quotations from
two additional sources. Include a Works Cited
page which cites your sources correctly.
Assignment: Choose two scenes from the book
which clearly display Jeannette's emotions at
the time. Describe each scene and assign each
a "theme song" for Jeannette which shows how
she feels in each situation. Explain how the
song you've chosen relates to the scene and its
emotions.
Writing a Thesis: Examples
Jeannette’s feelings of betrayal and anger at
her father are reflected in Justin
Timberlake’s song “Cry Me a River” and
Cee-lo’s “Forget You.”
Eminem and Rihanna’s song “Love the Way
You Lie” describes the love-hate
relationship of Jeannette’s parents, while
“Survivor” by Beyoncé highlights
Jeannette’s realization that she must leave
her family behind to make a new life for
herself.
Analyzing Literary Devices
• LOTS of ready-made resources available
online – see handout for link to my page
For more ideas, search
• youtube,
• teachertube,
• teacherspayteachers,
• teachernotebook,
and
• pinterest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IfWpYg67
U4
Katy Perry’s “Firework”
focus on
• rhyme
• alliteration
• similes &
metaphors
• onomatopoeia
• hyperbole
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uJGTEBTMROk
Common Core Connection
Subjunctive Mood
(8) L 3. Use knowledge of language and its
conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or
listening.
a. Use verbs in the active and passive
voice and in the conditional and
subjunctive mood to achieve particular
effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or
the action; expressing uncertainty or
describing a state contrary to fact).
“If I Were a Rich Man…”
• Fiddler on the Roof was one of
the longest-running shows on
Broadway. Written in 1964, the
musical is about the struggles of
a Jewish family in 1905 Russia.
• One of the most famous songs
from the musical is called "If I
Were a Rich Man."
• Gwen Stefani released a song in
2004 called "If I Was a Rich Girl,”
presenting the dreams of fame
and riches she had as a girl.
Subjunctive Mood
• When using the subjunctive mood to
express a wish or a hypothetical
situation, it is correct to say:
– “I wish I were rich,”
– and not “I wish I was rich”
So Gwen Stefani’s version is not
grammatically correct!
“On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragon
‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay
I’m on top of the world, ‘ay
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt
I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay
Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay
Take you with me if I can
Been dreaming of this since a child
I’m on top of the world.
I’ve tried to cut these corners
Try to take the easy way out
I kept on falling short of something
What could
you teach to
your students
using this
song? How
could you
adapt it for
older or
younger
students?
“On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragon
Figurative Language (idioms)
Themes (e.g. making sacrifices and
working hard over time to achieve a
dream; could compare/contrast with a
song highlighting instant gratification or
success)
Grammar (prepositional phrases,
prepositions vs. adverbs, infinitives,
punctuation, etc.)
Thanks! Be sure to visit my website for lots
of links to great materials and resources.