Hank Williams: My Inspiration
In Hank Williams's six short years as a recording artist, he produced hits that would define country music. He was able to use his pain, his personal struggles and even his relationships to create memorable lyrics. In this lesson, students will study Williams's life by watching AMERICAN MASTERS: HANK WILLIAMS - HONKY TONK BLUES. Then, they will use what they learn about Williams to help them analyze some of his most popular songs -- and then discuss whether or not they feel they can understand an artist through his writing. Finally, students will use Williams's methods of inspiration to pen their own lyrics or poetry.
Three 45-minute class periods
English, Poetry, Music
Students will be able to:
- Research information on the Internet.
- Interpret poetry through the lyrics of the songwriter.
- Write their own poems.
- Work collaboratively.
- Work on comprehension and understanding of text through repeated readings and interpretation.
MCREL LANGUAGE ARTS, Level 4, Standard 6
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of literary passages and texts (e.g., fairy tales, folktales, fiction, nonfiction, myths, poems, fables, fantasies, historical fiction, biographies, autobiographies, chapter books)
MCREL LANGUAGE ARTS, Level 4, Standard 5
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process
MCREL LANGUAGE ARTS, Level 4, Standard 8
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
MCREL LANGUAGE ARTS, Level 4, Standard 9
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
MCREL TECHNOLOGY, Level 4, Standard 2 http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=19&StandardID=2
Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs.
This lesson was prepared by: Anna Chan Rekate