Lesson Plan Number 2

Musical Poetry

Objectives:

• To have students concentrate on the sound of music (the beat, the rhythm, etc.)
• To have the students write their own lyrical poetry that will go with the music
• To understand that poetry is everywhere
• Think about how emotions/images can be conveyed through music and words.

Materials:

• CD players
• Variety of music that has no lyrics attached. Actual lyrics will be used after the lesson
• Eye of the Tiger
• I Love Rock n’ Roll
• Livin’ on a Prayer
• Come on Eileen
• Africa
• Summer of ’69
• Billie Jean
• Jump
• Addicted to Love
• Paper
• Pencils

Process:

Day 1:

• Turn on music that students are interested in. Will need to be clean of course.
• Discuss the patterns in the lyrics, the enunciation of the words, the stresses and the breaks
• Read the lyrics to the class aloud without sound. Do the lyrics have the same effect? What is more powerful the music or the lyrics?

Day 2:

- Students will break into groups of 3 to 4 and get a cd that has music on it

• Spend the rest of the hour writing a poem that matches the mood, tempo, beat of the music

Day 3:

• If necessary give extra time to write the poem
• Share the poem with the class along with the music
• Then play original song with music
• Which was more effective, the original lyrics or the new poem?
• Did the poem create the same meaning and feelings as the original?

- Discuss how the music either enhances or detracts from the poems.