Title – Ballad Poetry

By – Bill Littleton

Primary Subject – Language Arts

Grade Level – 9-12

Objective:

Students will be able to identify and define the ballad according to its format and elements.

Method:

• Students will be shown a short (10 min.) clip from the movie
  
  Glory
  
  .
• The teacher will then explain that war is war no matter where or when it takes/took place. The teacher will explain that in the past, people could watch battles take place from nearby hillsides, and that many of the poems and newspaper accounts recorded about famous battles were observed this way.
• The teacher will give students copies of the ballads
  
  The Highwayman
  
  and
  
  Charge of the Light Brigade
  
  .
• The teacher will read
  
  The Highwayman
  
  and
  
  Charge of the Light Brigade
  
  being certain to point out the different poetic elements that make up the poems.

Materials: Poems:

• 
  The Highway Man
  
  and
  
  Charge of the Light Brigade
  
  .
• Movie:
  
  Glory
  
  .

Outline:

1. Inform students of the lesson plan and pass out poems (5).
   
2. Show clip from movie
   
   Glory
   
   (10).
   
3. Ask students, leading questions (15).
   
4. Give history of
   
   The Charge of the Light Brigade
   
   and read poem concentrating on writing styles and mechanics (20).
   
5. Give history of
   
   The Highwayman
   
   and read poem concentrating on writing styles and mechanics (20).
   
6. Allow students to list three similarities and three differences from the excerpts (5).
   
7. Discuss the students’ lists in class (10).
   
8. Assign homework: students write a ballad of at least 12 lines and 3 stanzas (5).

E-Mail

Bill Littleton

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