I would like to take some time away from obsessing about My Morning Jacket (they are blowing my mind!) and focus on some cool action going on in my classroom this week. If you were like me in middle school, you were only interested in English, Gym, Break, and Lunch. My English teachers were damn good, and now I try to inspire and encourage my own students to read read read and write as much as possible.This week holds my favorite lesson plan: Analyzing Music Lyrics. The kiddies have just completed +Catcher in the Rye+ (have any of you read +King Dork+?) and instead of handing them a test, or assigning an essay, which they are given for almost every other book we read, we are analyzing lyrics and comparing them to the themes, characters, motifs, symbols, and tone in the story.Here are the songs that I use (click the title to check out the lyrics):"Waste":http://www.lyricsondemand.com/p/phishlyrics/wastelyrics.html by Phish"Guess I'm Doing Fine":http://www.lyricsondemand.com/b/becklyrics/guessimdoingfinelyrics.html by Beck"King of Sorrow":http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sade/kingofsorrow.html by Sade"Fumblin' with the Blues":http://www.officialtomwaits.com/music/m_hsn_ly.htm#Fumblin_With_Blues by Tom Waits"I Am a Rock":http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/simon+and+garfunkel/i+am+a+rock_20124809.html by Simon and GarfunkelWhen 14 year old kids-future leaders of this world-can find a deeper understanding of books, of themselves, of the world through music, it is a good day for everyone.
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