Teaching Figurative Language through Music
Lesson title :
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Figurative Language/ English/ Division 4 (Grade 10-1)
90 minutes
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Aly Wilson
Resources
The resources needed for this activity are:
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Laptops (One for each student)
Smart board (used to pull up song lyrics and have teacher, students underline/
circle figurative language)
Speakers
Google. Docs
I-Pod (which will contain a song list with these songs: “Holiday” -Green Day,
“Take a Minute” - K’Naan, “Rockin’ in the Free World” - Neil Young, “Tom
Sawyer” -Rush, “Hey, Soul Sister” -Train, “Come As You Are”- Nirvana, “Life is
Beautiful” -Nirvana, “Time”- Chantal Kreviazuk, “Grey Street”- Dave Matthews
Band, “Time”- Pink Floyd
Internet connection
The Websites’ URLs that students will be using are:
Lyrics Freak: www.lyricfreak.com
A-Z Lyrics Universe: www.azlyrics.com
Song Lyrics: www.songlyrics.com
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The URL’s for the different song lyrics are:
- “Holiday” by Green Day: http://www.songlyrics.com/green-day/holiday-lyrics/
- “Take a Moment” by K’Naan: http://www.songlyrics.com/k-naan/take-a-minutelyrics/
- “Tom Sawyer” - Rush: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/rush/tom+sawyer_20120001.html
- “Rockin’ in the Free World” - Neil Young:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neilyoung/rockininthefreeworld.html
- “Hey, Soul Sister” - Train- http://www.metrolyrics.com/hey-soul-sister-lyricstrain.html
- “Come As You Are” -Nirvana:
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nirvana/come+as+you+are_20101047.html
- “Life is Beautiful” - SIXX:A.M.:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sixxam/lifeisbeautiful.html
- “Time” -Chantal Kreviazuk:
http://www.lyrics007.com/Chantal%20Kreviazuk%20Lyrics/Time%20Lyrics.ht
ml
- “Grey Street” - Dave Matthews Band:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/grey-street-lyrics-dave-matthewsband-and-dave
-matthews/67528c81c41841ff48256bd10014c726
- “Time” - Pink Floyd:
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pink+floyd/time_20108616.html
Bridge:
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The teacher will open up the lesson by playing a song that most of the students
have probably heard before and have the lyrics of the song on the smartboard,
so that students are able to follow along. The song that the teacher will present is
Green Day’s “Holiday.” After the song has finished the teacher will lead the
students into a discussion of what constitutes poetry and then guide them into a
discussion of figurative language, which will lead into the pre-assessment.
Learning outcomes :
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The point of this lesson is to re-familiarize students with types of figurative
language that they have been introduced to before(e.g. simile, metaphor, etc.)
and then expand their knowledge of figurative language using music that
students should be familiar with. At the end of the lesson, students should have
an expanded, more sophisticated list of figurative language and an expanded
definition of ‘poetry.’ The students should become more conscious of the
figurative language used in the songs that they have heard or listen to, and they
will realize how prevalent figurative language is used to convey a concept or
ideas in lyrics/ poetry.
I will re-familiarize students with figurative language: simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
alliteration, onomatopoeia, imagery, tone, alliteration,
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I will introduce new concepts, such as assonance, paradox,
connotation,
denotation, personification, irony, allusion
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In relation to the students use of technology throughout the lesson plan, the
teacher’s Alberta Learner Outcomes in Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) objectives will be:
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C5 (4.2)- Participate in a variety of electronic group formats
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C7 (4.1)- Use appropriate strategies to locate information to meet
personal needs
Pre-assessment :
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After the teacher has played the song once, he/she will then initiate a discussion
with the class about poetry, what qualifies as poetry and then what elements, like
figurative language, are used to convey thoughts and ideas in poetry. This initial
discussion should lead into figurative language, types of and how it is used in
poetry, like music. Next, the teacher will guide students to listen to the song
again and identify figurative language within the song. After students have
listened to it again for the intention of seeking examples of figurative language,
they will then be divided into groups of 2-3 and on Google.Docs have to list the
type of figurative language, like simile, and then the example from the song. By
having students discuss material through Google. Docs, it fulfills part of the requirement
of C5 (4.2), and it allows the teacher to see the students pre-existing knowledge and the
students will be able to see other examples from their classmates. The teacher will then,
briefly, go over the classes examples with all the students.
Participatory learning :
Teacher Activities
1) The teacher will play Green Day’s
“Holiday” from his/ her I-Pod station with the
lyrics pulled up on the smartboard (5 minutes)
2) The teacher will then start a discussion
about “what exactly is poetry?” “Are songs we
hear on the radio forms of poetry?” “What are
elements used in various types of poetry?”
“What is figurative language?” “What are the
different types of figurative language and the
definitions?” (10 minutes)
3) The teacher will then replay the song and
direct students’ attention to observing the
figurative language used in the song (5
minutes)
4) The teacher will then direct the students to
form groups of 2-3 and have them go on
Google.docs to discuss the types of figurative
language they saw within the song. The
teacher will go around and assess students’
existing knowledge and aid them if struggling
(10 minutes).
5) The teacher will then review the answers
on google.docs with the class and go over all
Learner Activities
1) The students will be required to listen
to the song and follow along with the
lyrics (4 minutes)
2) The students will be immersed into a
discussion about the nature of poetry,
and they will come up with a list of the
different types of figurative language
that they already know and definitions/
examples.
3) Listening to the song again and
identifying the types of figurative
language used
4) The students will form their own
groups and on google.docs share their
knowledge of figurative language by
using examples from Green Day’s
“Holiday.” They will write the type of
figurative language used and then the
examples immediately afterwards.
the answers with the class. (5 minutes)
6) The teacher will introduce new figures of
speech with the students by having them
listen to bits and pieces of music, stopping,
identifying that a phrase is an oxymoron, etc.
and then with the example have the class
come up with a definition while the teacher
asks helpful questions
The songs I have selected contain elements
of the desired figurative language that I want
the children to learn:
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5) Students listening and discussing
with the teacher what they came up
with within their groups.
6) After the teacher has played a
section of a song, the teacher will
identify a new type of figurative
language and point out an example
from the song. The students will have to
collectively come up with a definition of
the figure of speech identified, and the
teacher will ask appropriate questions
that will point the students in the right
K’Naan’s “Take a Minute” -within the
direction. While the students are
first stanza has three examples of
introduced to new figures of speech,
allusion (Mandela, Ghandi and
they will have to come up with a
Babylon)
definition of the figure of speech
Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”- this song,
identified. If the students have a hard
obviously from the title is an example
time, the teacher can provide a couple
of allusion. If the students are still
other examples to lead them in the right
unable to come up with a definition of
direction. The students will be expected
allusion this song can be played till
to take notes of the new types of
after the first chorus
figurative language. On their own
Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free
laptops, they will have to write down the
World”- this song will be used to
demonstrate irony, and it will be played definitions and examples on a Word
document. Then, the teacher will have a
till the end of the first chorus (Rockin’
in the Free World is obviously ironic to student go up to the smartboard and
identify another way this song
the state of America he portrays).
incorporates the particular figure of
Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister”- this song
speech within it.
demonstrates assonance. It can be
played till end of the first chorus
(assonance can be seen through the
lyricists repetitive usage of vowels).
Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”- this
song demonstrates paradox. This song
will only be played for the first stanza
(paradox is seen in the examples: As a
friend/ As an old enemy...Don’t be late/
Take a rest).
SIX: A.M.’s “Life is Beautiful” is
another
song that contains paradoxes.
The
song is only played till the first
chorus
(Examples of paradoxes: You can't
live
until you die/ You can't learn to tell the
truth/ Until you learn to lie)
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Chantal Kreviazuk’s “Time” is a song
that uses personification to get her
point across. This song is only played
for the first stanza (examples: Time,
where did you go?/ Why did you leave
me here all alone?)
Dave Matthew’s Band’s “Grey Street”
is a song that its lyrics connote
depression (example: But all the colors
mix together- to grey). It will be played
to the end of the first chorus
Pink Floyd’s “Time” is a song that
connotes time without giving the
denotative definition of time. This song
will be started two minutes in and will
play the first few stanzas.
7) Within these groups, the students will
complete the assignment: Students will
have to use their laptops and use one
of the URLs that the teacher has
indicated to look up the lyrics of a
song(s) that they like. The students will
then have to identify figurative
language, and the students will be
expected to find at least three examples
of the new figurative language
introduced. On Google.docs, they will
write their own findings. This section of
the lesson plan will encompass the ICT
objective: C7 (4.1).
(35 minutes)
7) The teacher will then direct the students
into groups of 2-3 again with different people
and have them complete an assignment. The
teacher will circulate the room and help
students find a song, figurative language or
clarify a concept. This is part of the postassessment (15 minutes).
Post-assessment :
The post-assessment with consist of the learners within their groups identifying the
different figures of speech that were introduced today by using URL that the teacher has
made accessible, looking up a song on the website and writing on Google. Docs what
they noticed in the song. In the Google. Docs, the students will have to put the artist,
song title and the examples of figurative language that they identified. This way the
teacher identifies what they have learned, and the students will be able to look at other
students examples and learn/ study from them. The marking scheme that the group will
be evaluated on is:
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Marking Scheme
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- Appropriate Song
/1
- Participation
/2
- Knowledge of figurative language
/4
Total
/7
Summary/closure :
In the summary/ closure section of the lesson, the teacher will have the students
for homework write on their blogs within their E Portfolios, which only the teacher
and their parents have access to. They will have to answer questions like: What
did you learn today? What was unclear? What do you think qualifies as poetry?
Many students do not like to verbalize within the classroom their concerns, so
through students’ blogs it will help teacher and students identify what they know,
what they are still struggling with, their personal growth and ever-changing likes/
dislikes.
This is a great way for the teacher to give qualitative feedback and not
quantitative.
Concludes and wraps up the learning experience, creating a sense of closure
and completion. It also helps the learners reflect on their learning and sets the
stage for future lessons.