Lesson Title: The Art of Storytelling Audience: Grade 11 U

Time required: 2 or 3-70 minute periods Intents:

This lesson plan is designed to introduce the concept of storytelling through song and the ballad. Students will experience storytelling through song, visualization, the ballad, familiar adaptations, and contemporary applications. It is important for them to see the poetry that is found in music, and the way different versions can vary in their effectiveness in having an effect on a person.

EXPECTATIONS COVERED: (Linked to curriculum documents)

Expectations

ASSESSMENT: See Rubric

Purpose

1.1

identify the purpose of a range of listening tasks and set goals for specific tasks
1.2 select and use the most appropriate active listening strategies when participating in a range of situations 1.3 select and use the most appropriate listening comprehension strategies before, during, and after listening to understand oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult

Using Active Listening Strategies

1.2

Using Listening Comprehension Strategies

1.3

texts
Demonstrating Understanding of Content

1.4

1.4 identify the important information and ideas in oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, in a variety of ways

Interpreting Texts

1.5

develop and explain interpretations of oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, using evidence from the text and the oral and visual cues used in it to effectively support their interpretations

1.6

Extending Understanding of Texts extend understanding of oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by making effective connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience, and insights; other texts; and the world around them Analysing Texts

1.7

analyse oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, focusing on the ways in which they communicate information, ideas, issues, and themes and influence the listener's/viewer's response

Critical Literacy

1.8

identify and analyse the perspectives and/or biases evident in oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, and comment with growing understanding on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity, and power

Understanding Presentation Strategies

1.9 evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of presentation strategies used in oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, and suggest other strategies that could be used

effectively

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE: The students will be introduced to this lesson at the beginning of a poetry unit. The lesson starts with listening to music and taking in the lyrics, its tone, and visualizing its content. This is an activity that students in todays classroom come to the class with a lot of experience. Music is a large part of their world.

INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY MOTIVATIONAL HOOK:

Asking the students to try to write down a number in respect to how many hours they think they have spent in their life listening to music. I will let the students spend a few minutes talking about it with their peers and comparing the projected colossal number of hours.

LESSON DESCRIPTION:
Hook students with number of hours tally spent listening to music in their lives. Explain how music is a form poetry that attempts to transmit a message and a feeling to its listener. Play Lorena McKennits Lady of Shalott (But only to listen, not watch) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU_TnHxULM&feature=related Have students fill out Sensory Chart while listening to the Audio version http://go.hrw.com/resources/go_mk/la/latm/SENSORYD .PDF Go over ONLY the sensory information and NOT what they thought the song was about. Ask the following questions: How did it make them feel? How did the singers voice contribute to the affect the song had on them? Hand out: Having a Blast with Ballads Worksheet (in appendix) Show PowerPoint of Lady of Shalott (see attachment following lesson plan) while replaying the audio Lorena McKennit version. Tell students to pay

ACCOMMODATIONS/
MODIFICATIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS:

The Choice Board works great because it allows students of all abilities and intelligences to find an activity that suits their needs best.

particular attention to the visuals this time and how they contribute to their understanding of the poems meaning. In groups again, students will collaborate on what they think the poem is about. After doing this, they are to fill out the Lets Compare handout. After discussing as a class some of the students findings, they will next watch the Lord of the rings version, and see how moving visuals contribute to Storytelling and meaning. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=lpK_Vs3bYFI&feature=related They will then watch the contemporary version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieVEewSOu5E Students fill out Does Thinking Today Make it More Relevant handout. Class discussion about findings to follow. Next, handout Choice Board handout and tell students they may chose from any of the activities to make a contemporary version of their understanding of the ballad.

LINK TO FUTURE LESSONS: This lesson is a great way to start off a poetry unit and show how poetry and its messages can be timeless. It also has them reflect on all the places that poetry exists in our world today. Strands Included: There are many strands that are included in this lesson. There is oral communication (listening to audio version, discussing in groups), reading comprehension (what their understanding of the ballads meaning is through the different processes), writing (analyzing

EXTRA TIME ACTIVITY: If a student finishes early, another activity from the Choice Board can be taken.

their findings and comparing and contrasting processes and different medias), as well as media literacy (experimenting with audio, then visuals, print, familiar moving visuals, contemporary moving visuals).

Bibliography
Milner, J.O., & Milner, L.F.M. (2003). Bridging English (4th ed.).Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall. Grade 11 and 12 English Curriculum Document http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english1112curr.pdf
National Storytelling Network (NSN) http://www.storynet.org International Storytelling Center (ISC) http://www.storytellingfoundation.net Story Arts Online http://www.storyarts.org http://www.lkdsb.net/program/elementary/intermediate/di/files/2Structures(Reading%20Response %20Choice%20Board).pdf (Choice Board)

http://go.hrw.com/resources/go_mk/la/latm/SENSORYD.PDF (Sensory Chart)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieVEewSOu5E (Contemporary Version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpK_Vs3bYFI&feature=related (Lord of the Rings Version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU_Tn-HxULM&feature=related (Live Lorena McKennit) http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/05-ballad-poems.htm

Having a Blast with Ballads

Ballad Poems are poems that tell a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain. A ballad is often about love and often sung. A ballad is a story in poetic form. In a group of two or three, come up with as many contemporary examples of ballads that your group can think of and some characteristics of the song. (What is it about, Point of View, rhyme scheme, repetition, tone, style) Stories on my IPod (Ballads in todays music) Song Characteristics

Lets Compare...
Write what you think the meaning of the poem is about and compare it to the information you initially wrote in your Sensory Chart. What I suspect the poem is about now after seeing the words and visuals...

Looking back at my Sensory Chart, here is the sensory information I filled out that led me to my feeling about the poems meaning:

Does Thinking Today Make it More Relevant???

Write now what you believe the ballads underlying message is? What statement about humanity and or society do you think the author was trying to make?

How did the contemporary version assist in helping you come to the conclusion of the poems meaning?

Rubric
Level 1 Assignment chosen from the Choice Board showed little understanding of the Lady of Shalott. The assignment reflected minimal relevance to today. There was little evidence of effort put into the assignments overall presentation. Level 2 Assignment chosen from the Choice Board showed some understanding of the Lady of Shalott. There was some modernization of the poem. There was evidence of effort put into the assignments overall presentation. Level 3 Assignment chosen from the Choice Board showed a good understanding of the Lady of Shalott. There was modernization of the poem and was relevant today. There was effort put into the assignments overall presentation. Level 4` Assignment chosen from the Choice Board showed a thorough understanding of the Lady of Shalott. The modernization of the poem was well thought out and relevant today. There was a vast amount of effort put into the assignments overall presentation.

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