ALEX Learning Activity

Determining a Mother's Love Through Music and Poetry

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Samantha Bonner
System:Jefferson County
School:Jefferson County Board Of Education
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2300
Title:
Determining a Mother's Love Through Music and Poetry
Digital Tool/Resource:
How Music Affects the Brain Video
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

This activity is designed to allow students to write a comparison-contrast essay comparing song lyrics dealing with a mother's love. Students will analyze multiple literary texts and engage in each step of the writing process.

 This activity was developed as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 9
R5. Utilize a writing process which includes planning, revising, editing/peer-editing, and rewriting to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing for a specific purpose and audience.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 9
6. Compare and/or contrast the perspectives in a variety of fiction, nonfiction, informational, digital, and multimodal texts produced from diverse historical, cultural, and global points of view, not limited to the grade-level literary focus.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 9
9. Compose both short and extended narrative, informative/explanatory, and argumentative writings that are clear and coherent, use an appropriate command of language, and demonstrate development, organization, style, and tone that are relevant to task, purpose, and audience.

Examples: paragraphs, constructed responses, essays

a. Write a memoir, narrative essay, or personal or fictional narrative to convey a series of events, establishing a clear purpose and using narrative techniques.

Examples: dialogue, pacing, description, reflection

b. Write explanations and expositions that incorporate evidence, using transitions and techniques that objectively introduce and develop topics.

Examples: relevant and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations

c. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning, relevant and sufficient evidence, transitions, and a concluding statement or section that follows from the information presented.
Learning Objectives:

Following this activity students will be able to:

1. listen/read poems and songs to determine the themes of each work.

2. write a comparison/contrast essay analyzing the central theme of two songs.

3. analyze two or more text to determine the theme of each.

4. Participate in the writing process by doing the following:

     a. Brainstorm

     b. Pre-write

     c. Write the rough draft

     d. Participate in the peer editing process

     e. Type/write the final draft.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain, After/Explain/Elaborate
Activity:

To begin this activity students will need to complete an anticipation guide, How Does Music Affect You? This activity begins after students read the poems "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes and "How Do I Spell Father" by Marshall Davis Jones. Students will also listen to two or more songs that have a similar theme or message as the poems read in class. The songs that could be used for this activity are "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men and "Sadie" by The Spinners (I also attached a copy of the lyrics for each song: A Song for Mama Lyrics and Sadie Lyrics). After thorough class discussions dedicated to analyzing each work to determine the central message or theme, students will proceed to the writing component of this activity. Students will locate textual evidence demonstrating similarities and differences between the two works read and/or listened to in class. They will use a Comparison/Contrast Essay Organizer to chart and explain their findings. After successfully completing the comparison/contrast graphic organizer, students will then write their rough drafts. Next, students will be placed in groups of two so that the Peer Editing session can begin. (Attached is a peer editing form that is a student-friendly way to edit a peer's work.) Once the peer editing session is complete and students have made the necessary corrections, the typing or writing of the final draft can take place.
Assessment Strategies:

The following methods will be used to evaluate the student's mastery of the objectives:

1. Completion of the Comparison/contrast essay organizer.

2. Completion of the rough draft and peer editing form.

3. The submission of the final draft.

(Attached is a suitable Comparison/contrast rubric to grade student essays.)
Advanced Preparation:

To be prepared for this lesson you should:

1. have copies of the peer editing form already cut and copied.

2. have the organizers prepared for each student.

3. copy a class set of the songs used in the activity.

4. have highlighters, pens/pencils, and sticky notes available.

5. have computers/laptops with Wifi access accessible for student use.
Variation Tips (optional):
 
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: comparison, contrast, essay, lyrics, music