Video Lessons
“If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce…I admit I had never heard this song before, or even heard OF it. I’m not into a lot of modern popular music. Mostly because the vast majority of it is crap…
Nevertheless, this music video, along with a fan interview from YouTube, are featured in the lesson plan linked above.
I liked the way this lesson plan integrated music, student interaction, and creative writing – not an easy task by any account, and certainly a harder one with a group of tweens (for whom this lesson was made).
I thought some of the activities were a bit of a stretch. For example, though I like requiring students to interact with one another and with the media, I think re-enacting the fan interview would have limited educational value compared to the potential for off-task behavior.
That said, I like using a music video as a starting point for a possible discussion of gender roles and perceptions. I think it could provide a lot of useful creative fodder for the poetry project mentioned at the end of the lesson. Though linking the lyrics of popular music to a creative writing project isn’t itself a new idea, I think this lesson does a good job of integrating an old standby idea with a newer technology in a way that could prove both interesting and relevant.
Hope you guys like it too!
03/02/2009 at 11:12 pm
I checked out this site after I read your blog post and it was awesome. Tom always talks about how important it is to connect to the kids, figure out what they like so you look somewhat with it as their teacher. This site seems like a really great way to do this. Plus, the Beyonce song is currently on my ipod’s 25 top played, so bravo.
03/03/2009 at 12:13 pm
I agree with you about the fan interview part of the lesson. That could probably be taken out to save time.
I am all about music integration in the classroom. Music can be so powerful and it can do so much to enhance a lesson.
I like the idea of this lesson; using music, student interaction, and creativity to get the “tweens” motivated, while also sneaking the grammar lesson in there! At the end of the lesson, students could write their own song lyrics for assessment, as long as they showed they understand the lesson.
03/03/2009 at 6:49 pm
WOW! I really like this idea for the right age group. I think that any time you can incorporate something that students are interested in, such as music, it is a great idea. Although I’m not too familar with pop music, I’m sure most “tween” students know exactly who it is. It would certainly spark interest in the lesson. I also agree that the activity doesn’t seem to hold much educational merit, but using this as an opener to a lesson is a great idea!
03/04/2009 at 1:21 pm
I love this idea! I had never seen the video, but was familiar with the song. This is such a great way to relate to teens and discuss gender roles. I will never personally be able to utilize this lesson in the elementary setting, but really think it will be useful to high school teachers. It’s great that the wrap up is relevant for students – they always learn more when they can make it about them:)
03/15/2009 at 8:24 pm
This is a great way to bring something from the real world into the classroom and really grasp the attention of students. If the student has ever watched MTV then they would definitely know Beyonce or any other famous music artist. I’m in favor of incorporating music, videos, pictures and so forth into the classroom.
03/16/2009 at 2:57 pm
This is a really neat idea. Students would love this, for it incorporates pop culture and someone they’re more than likely familiar with. It also opens the door for an endless discussion on gender roles, and how society influences that. This could even be tied into language among genders, races, etc…endless possibilties…love it!