The Tabloid Ballad. Author: Poetry Outloud
This lesson will teach your students about the typical metrical forms of the ballad (how they sound), and the typical narrative moves of the ballad (how they tell their stories), by having them write ballads based on comic, even outrageous source material. In doing this, they will join a long tradition of sensationalist journalism written in ballad form: the tradition of “broadside ballads,” like the one that Shakespeare mocks in The Winter’s Tale. Stories like this now find themselves told in The Weekly World News and other outrageous supermarket tabloids. Your students will turn the clock back, and rewrite them as ballads.
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Standards & Objectives
Academic standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.1
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.2
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5
- Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.3
- Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5
- Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.6
- Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions,...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.3
- Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5
- Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.8
- Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1
- Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2
- Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.8
- Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10
- By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3
- Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts,...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1
- Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.10
- Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience....
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.5
- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7
- Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1
- Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.10
- Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two)...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.4
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.5
- With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.7
- Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.9
- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.10
- Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two)...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience....
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5
- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most...
- CLE 3001.1.2
- Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases.
- CLE 3001.3.1
- Write in a variety of modes for different audiences and purposes.
- CLE 3001.3.3
- Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, well constructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
- CLE 3001.3.4
- Revise documents to develop or support ideas clearly, address potential objections, ensure effective transitions between paragraphs, and correct errors in lo
- CLE 3001.5.3
- Evaluate an argument, considering false premises, logical fallacies, and the quality of evidence presented.
- CLE 3001.8.5
- Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning from various literary genres.
- CLE 3002.1.2
- Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases
- CLE 3002.3.1
- Write in a variety of modes for different audiences and purposes.
- CLE 3002.3.3
- Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, wellconstructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
- CLE 3002.3.4
- Revise documents to develop or support ideas clearly, address potential objections, ensure effective transitions between paragraphs, and correct errors in logic.
- CLE 3002.8.5
- Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning from various literary genres.
- CLE 3003.1.1
- Demonstrate control of Standard English through grammar usage and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling).
- CLE 3003.1.2
- Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases.
- CLE 3003.2.7
- Participate in work teams and group discussions.
- CLE 3003.3.1
- Write in a variety of modes, with particular emphasis on persuasion, for different purposes and audiences.
- CLE 3003.3.3
- Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, well-constructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
- CLE 3003.6.1
- Comprehend and summarize the main ideas of complex informational texts and determine the essential elements that elaborate them.
- CLE 3003.6.3
- Read, interpret, and analyze graphics that support complex informational and technical texts.
- CLE 3003.8.5
- Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning and comprehension from various literary genres.
- CLE 3005.1.1
- Demonstrate control of Standard English through grammar usage and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling).
- CLE 3005.1.2
- Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases.
- CLE 3005.2.7
- Participate in work teams and group discussions.
- CLE 3005.3.1
- Write in a variety of modes for different purposes and audiences.
- CLE 3005.3.3
- Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, well-constructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
- CLE 3005.5.1
- Use logic to make inferences and draw conclusions in a variety of complex oral and written contexts.
- CLE 3005.5.4
- Analyze the logical features of an argument.
- CLE 3005.6.1
- Comprehend and summarize the main ideas of complex informational texts and determine the essential elements that elaborate them.
- CLE 3005.6.3
- Read, interpret, and analyze graphics that support complex informational and technical texts.
- CLE 3005.8.5
- Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning and comprehension from various literary genres.
- GLE 0401.1.1
- Demonstrate knowledge of Standard English usage, mechanics, and spelling.
- GLE 0401.1.2
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, and usage of words and phrases.
- GLE 0401.3.1
- Write for a variety of purposes and to a variety of audiences.
- GLE 0401.3.2
- Write in a variety of modes and genres (e.g., narration, description, personal expression, imaginative writing, response to literature, response to subject...
- GLE 0401.3.3
- Know and apply the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, evaluating, and publishing.
- GLE 0401.4.1
- Conduct research to access and present information.
- GLE 0401.4.2
- Collect, organize, and determine the reliability of researched information.
- GLE 0401.4.3
- Present research results in a written report.
- GLE 0501.3.2
- Write in various modes and genres, including narration, literary response, personal expression, description, and imaginative.
- SPI 0401.1.12
- Select appropriate antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms within context.
- SPI 0401.1.13
- Recognize and use grade appropriate vocabulary within context.
- SPI 0401.3.8
- Select appropriate time-order or transitional words to enhance the flow of a writing sample.
- SPI 0401.8.2
- Identify characters, setting, and plot in a passage.
- SPI 0401.8.6
- Identify and interpret similes and metaphors.
- SPI 0501.1.15
- Recognize and use grade appropriate vocabulary within context.
- SPI 0501.3.10
- Select appropriate time-order or transitional words/phrases to enhance the flow of a writing sample.
- SPI 3001.1.12
- Use context clues and/or knowledge of roots, affixes, and cognates to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
- SPI 3001.1.13
- Select the appropriate word among frequently confused words (i.e., to/too/two, their/there/theyre, it/its, you/youre, whose/whos, which/that/who, accept/except,...
- SPI 3001.3.10
- Identify the targeted audience for a selected passage.
- SPI 3001.3.14
- Select the most precise word to provide clarity appropriate to audience and purpose.
- SPI 3001.3.3
- Choose the transitional device that appropriately connects sentences or paragraphs within a writing sample.
- SPI 3001.3.4
- Select a vivid word (e.g., adjective, adverb, verb) to strengthen a written description.
- SPI 3002.1.13
- Select the appropriate word from among frequently confused words (i.e., to/too/two, their/there/theyre, it/its, you/youre, whose/whos, which/that/who,...
- SPI 3002.1.14
- Use context clues and/or knowledge of roots, affixes, and cognates to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
- SPI 3002.3.11
- Identify the targeted audience for a selected passage.
- SPI 3002.3.15
- Select the most precise word to provide clarity appropriate to audience and purpose.
- SPI 3002.3.3
- Choose the transitional device that appropriately connects sentences or paragraphs within a writing sample.
- SPI 3002.3.4
- Select a vivid word (e.g., adjective, adverb, verb) to strengthen a written description.
- SPI 3003.1.1
- Demonstrate the correct use of commas and lesser-used punctuation marks (e.g., hyphens, dashes, colons) in complex and sophisticated constructions.
- SPI 3003.1.8
- Choose correctly or incorrectly spelled words.
- SPI 3003.2.5
- Identify the rhetorical devices used in a complex speech (i.e., rhetorical questions, parallelism and repetition, analogies, hyperbole, metaphors, simile,...
- SPI 3003.3.13
- Identify the targeted audience for a selected passage.
- SPI 3003.3.8
- Choose the transitional device that appropriately connects sentences or paragraphs within a writing sample.
- SPI 3003.3.9
- Rearrange the order of supporting paragraphs within a writing sample given a specified organizational pattern (comparison-contrast, chronological).
- SPI 3003.4.3
- Evaluate the reliability and credibility of sources for use in research.
- SPI 3003.5.11
- Identify the main claim, premise(s), evidence, or conclusion of a given argument.
- SPI 3003.5.8
- Determine whether a given argument employs deductive or inductive reasoning. (NOTE: NO Check for Understanding)
- TSS.ELA.11-12.L.CSE.1
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; consider complex and contested matters of usage...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.L.CSE.2
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; when reading and writing, use...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.L.VAU.5
- Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings in grades 11-12 reading and content; interpret...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.CS.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.CS.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.SL.CC.1
- Initiate and participate effectively with varied partners in a range of collaborative discussions on appropriate 11th - 12th grade topics, texts, and...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.W.PDW.4
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- TSS.ELA.11-12.W.PDW.5
- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.W.RBPK.7
- Conduct and write short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem by...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.W.RW.10
- Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
- TSS.ELA.11-12.W.TTP.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning supported by relevant and sufficient evidence.
- TSS.ELA.11-12.W.TTP.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to analyze, synthesize, and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the...
- TSS.ELA.11-12.W.TTP.3
- Write narrative fiction or literary nonfiction to convey experiences and/or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured...
- TSS.ELA.4.FL.WC.4
- Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills when encoding words; write legibly.
- TSS.ELA.4.RI.KID.3
- Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific...
- TSS.ELA.4.RL.KID.3
- Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in a text, such as a character's thoughts, words, or...
- TSS.ELA.4.W.PDW.4
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- TSS.ELA.4.W.PDW.5
- With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
- TSS.ELA.4.W.RBPK.7
- Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
- TSS.ELA.4.W.RBPK.9
- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade 4 standards for reading.
- TSS.ELA.4.W.RW.10
- Write routinely over extended time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences; promote writing fluency.
- TSS.ELA.4.W.TTP.1
- Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
- TSS.ELA.4.W.TTP.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information.
- TSS.ELA.4.W.TTP.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using an effective technique, such as descriptive details and clear event sequences.
- TSS.ELA.5.W.TTP.3
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using an effective technique, such as descriptive details and clear event sequences.
- TSS.ELA.9-10.L.KL.3
- Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend ...
- TSS.ELA.9-10.L.VAU.5
- Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings in grades 9-10 reading and content; interpret figures...
- TSS.ELA.9-10.RI.CS.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative...
- TSS.ELA.9-10.RL.CS.4
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of...
- TSS.ELA.9-10.W.PDW.4
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- TSS.ELA.9-10.W.PDW.5
- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most...
- TSS.ELA.9-10.W.RW.10
- Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
- TSS.ELA.9-10.W.TTP.1
- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning supported by relevant and sufficient evidence.
- TSS.ELA.9-10.W.TTP.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to analyze and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection...
- TSS.ELA.9-10.W.TTP.3
- Write narrative fiction or literary nonfiction to convey experiences and/or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured...
Alignment of this item to academic standards is based on recommendations from content creators, resource curators, and visitors to this website. It is the responsibility of each educator to verify that the materials are appropriate for your content area, aligned to current academic standards, and will be beneficial to your specific students.
Learning objectives:
In this lesson, students will have opportunities to:
- Listen to the sounds of several ballads being spoken
- Listen to how ballads tell stories
- Learn to hear, and to write, the typical rhythms of the four-line ballad stanza, with optional variations
- Write a comic ballad themselves, using those rhythms and narrative structures
Essential and guiding questions:
- Did the ballad use some version of the traditional ballad stanza?
- Did it tell its story quickly, moving scene by scene and using dialogue to move the plot forward?
- Did it use typical ballad tools, like repeated lines or phrases?
- Was it memorable?
Lesson Variations
Blooms taxonomy level:
Applying
Helpful Hints
Materials and Resources:
To teach this lesson you will need:
- The Poetry Out Loud CD oraccess to the online Poetry Out Loud Audio Guide
- A CD player or computer
- Copies of supermarket tabloid articles, either in the newspapers themselves (The Weekly World News, The Star, The National Enquirer, and so on) or clipped selectively from the papers by you, or in an anthology of such stories like Bat Boy Lives! The WEEKLY WORLD NEWS Guide to Politics, Culture, Celebrities, Alien Abductions, and the Mutant Freaks that Shape Our World,available in the Humor section of many bookstores
- Optional: computer access, so that students can read ballads from the Poetry Out Loud online anthology
References
Contributors:
Originator:
eduToolbox® is a resource-sharing portal developed by the Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation with collaborative support and funding from the Tennessee Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education's Math & Science Partnership program.
