Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1433180
Lesson One: Evan Redsky 128 APPLY: STORYTELLING THROUGH SONG ** We suggest having an Elder or traditional knowledge keeper visit your class to give a teaching about storytelling and oral tradition. Students will create song lyrics that tell a short story about a time in their life they had to over- come an obstacle/barrier. Students will create 3 verses and a chorus that separates the verses. This activity is not a full introduction to songwriting. However, this activity will have students making connections between storytelling and music. Storytelling is important in Red River Metis and Anishinaabe cultures for sharing knowledge, traditions and morals. Many stories in Red River Metis and Anishinaabe cultures hold a variety of meanings. The same story may be told at dierent points in a person's life; for when they need a new meaning. Students will consider this information while creating their song lyrics. Songs must have flow, rhythm and follow the theme of overcoming obstacles and resiliency. Handout the "Storytelling through Song" handout. Read the introduction and instructions with the class. Instruct students to use the storyboard to write out ideas for each of their verses and chorus. Students will be provided with a small checklist they can refer to while creating their lyrics. Students will make one rough draft and one final copy. With their rough draft, students will peer edit each other's drafts. Students will refer to the song lyric checklist, and edit for flow, rhythm, clarity, spelling, and grammar. After receiving their rough drafts back, students can type out their final copies. Final copies will be handed in and marked. ASSESS: The classroom poll list of students' favourite songs is a form of formative assessment. This activity is to activate students' minds and get the class thinking about music. Teachers can check student thinking, and assess their communication skills. The debriefing questions after Evan's interview with Fireside Chats is a form of formative assess- ment. Teachers will be able to check what students took away from Raven's video and make connections to the other parts of the lesson. The Storytelling Through Song assignment is a summative assessment. Students will be assessed through a writing assessment rubric. TAKE STUDENT LEARNING FURTHER Activity: Song Analysis Project To take students' learning further, students can complete a project analyzing one of their favou- rite song's themes, meanings, and stories that the artist is trying to convey. Students can take a song that holds meaning to them and compare the message of what the artist was conveying, to the meaning that the song holds to them. Students could make posters, videos, multimedia presentations, etc. about their research findings. At the end, the class could do a walk-through and view each other's projects.