Flipped Poetry Lessons with Music and Lyrics

Why flipping you high school English class will motivate teens to read poetry!

The flipped English classroom or flipped English lessons are a form of blended learning in which high school students learn new content online by watching video lectures, usually at home, and what used to be homework (assigned problems) is now done in the high school classroom with teachers offering more personalized guidance and interaction with students, instead of lecturing.

Flipped Poetry Lessons with Music and Lyrics

1. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and make connections between the literal and figurative language used in the songs.  
2. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and identify the imagery used to create a mental pictures of … relate specifically to imagery vocabulary? 
3. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and explain the selfish, mean, odd behavior of … and make inferences regarding the reason they demonstrate these emotions and or actions. 
4. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and describe how the singer's point of view in one song is different… how are the people described and how will the reader/listener perceives the characteristics of … 
5. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and summarize the plot, theme, mood, tone, of …and then reflect on the challenges facing the characters in the song. 
6. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and discuss and explore the plot and theme of one song as it relates to plot and theme of another. Compare and Contrast 
7. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and describe in depth the idyllic, treacherous, sparse, negative or unrealistic themes of the song, drawing on specific details in the lyrics. 
8. Listen and read a variety of lyrics and determine the meaning of the metaphor of … and contrast that figurative language to the meaning of the simile in … 
9. Listen and read a variety of poetic lyrics and identify literal and metaphorical meanings 
10. Listen and read a variety of poetic songs and identify literary devices and descriptive language used to create imagery for particular effects 
11. Listen and read a variety of poetic songs and evaluate the effectiveness of structure and language features used in poetry 
12. Listen and read a variety of poetic songs and identify visual images which help support or enhance the interpretation of poems.
13. Compare and contrast … and … by identifying similar themes and plots, examining the stories’ approach to the topic of …. 
14. Refer to the elements of poetry (e.g., simile, metaphor, symbolism, imagery, verse, rhythm, meter) of … when analyzing a poem and contrasting the impact and differences of those elements to a prose summary of the poem. 

Sorry for the lecture but as a Dyslexic student I hated English class and music was one path to literacy.

Music, Lyrics, Poetry, and Prose are all intertwined with ease when taught, and inspired using motivational/poetic music. 

     Raison d'etre is French for "reason for being," and students who can’t read feel they have no reason for being in school. Students will start thinking school is a prison and will behave and act institutionalized towards teachers, peers and academics. Students get more cynical when the gold stars lose their luster, and teachers' mendacity about their performance start showing through the insight of their poor skills and inability to perform academic tasks. It’s a small death suffered every day by these students, as they see their dreams crashed on the rocks of reality. We ask students to come to school daily and give 100% to what they believe is an intolerable humiliation, and we get angry when they don’t smile and take school more seriously. We scratch our heads, wondering what we can do when half of our kids drop out of school. If students can’t read, every thing else is moot.

Katy Perry  Firework Lyrics

Do you ever feel

Like a plastic bag

Drifting through the wind

Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel

One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel

Already buried deep

Six feet under

Screams but no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's

Still a chance for you

'Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta

Ignite the light

And let it shine

Just own the night

Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework

Come on show them what you're worth

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave before they know

You don't have to feel

Like a waste of space

You're original

Cannot be replaced

If you only knew

What the future holds

After a hurricane

Comes a rainbow

Maybe the reason why

All the doors are closed

So you could open one

That leads you to the perfect...

Like a lightning bolt

Your heart will glow

And when it's time you know

You just gotta

Ignite the light

And let it shine

Just own the night

Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework

Come on show them what you're worth

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave before they know

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

It's always been inside of you, you, you

And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby, you're a firework

Come on show them what you're worth

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework

Come on let your colors burst

Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave before they know

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Apologize One Republic

I'm holding on your rope,
Got me ten feet off the ground
I'm hearin what you say but I just can't make a sound
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down, but wait
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around, and say...

It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late

I'd take another chance, take a fall
Take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
But it's nothin new
I loved you with a fire red-
Now it's turning blue, and you say...
"Sorry" like the angel heaven let me think was you
But I'm afraid...

It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late

Bridge (guitar/piano)

It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
It's too late to apologize, yeah
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah-
I'm holdin on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground...

JUST STAND UP

Everything is gonna be alright

The heart is stronger than you think,
It’s like it can go through anything.
And even when you think
it can’t it finds a way to still push on, though

Sometimes you want to run away,
Ain’t got the patience for the pain
And if you don’t believe it look into,
your heart the beat goes on

I’m tellin’ you that,

Things get better, Through whatever

If you fall, dust it off, don’t let up

Don’t you know you can go be your own miracle

You need to know

If the mind keeps thinking you’ve had enough,
But the heart keeps telling you don’t give up

Who are we to be..questioning, wondering what is what
Don’t give up 

THROUGH IT ALL 

JUST STAND UP!

It’s like we all have better days
Problems getting all up in your face

Just because you go through it

Don’t mean it got to take control, no

You ain’t gotta find no hiding place

Because the heart can beat the hate

Don’t wanna let your mind keep playin’ you

And sayin’ you can’t go on

I’m tellin’ you that

Things get better
Through whatever

If you fall

Dust if off, don’t let up

Don’t you know you

Can go

Be your own

Miracle

You need to know

If the mind keeps thinking you’ve had enough,
But the heart keeps telling you don’t give up

Who are we to be..questioning, wondering what is what
Don’t give up

THROUGH IT ALL

JUST STAND UP!

THROUGH IT ALL

JUST STAND UP!

You don’t gotta be a prisoner in your mind

If you fall, dust it off

You can live your life

Yeah

Let your heart be your guide

Yeah yeah yeah

And you will know that you’re good if you trust in the good

Everything will be alright, yeah
Light up the dark, if you follow your heart

And it will get better

Through whatever

If the mind keeps thinking you’ve had enough,
But the heart keeps telling you don’t give up

Who are we to be..questioning, wondering what is what
Don’t give up

THROUGH IT ALL

JUST STAND UP!

If the mind keeps thinking you’ve had enough,
But the heart keeps telling you don’t give up

Who are we to be..questioning, wondering what is what
Don’t give up

THROUGH IT ALL

JUST STAND UP!

You got it in you, find it within
You got in now, find it within now
You got in you, find it within
You got in now, find it within now
You got in you, find it within
Find it within you, find it within

THROUGH IT ALL, JUST STAND UP!!!

Secrets - One Republic 

I need another story
Something to get off my chest
My life is kinda boring
Need something that I can confess

'Til all my sleeves are stained red
From all the truth that I've said
Come by it honestly I swear
Thought you saw me wink, no
I've been on the brink, so

Tell me what you want to hear
Something that will like those years
Sick of all the insincere
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

This time!
Don't need another perfect lie
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

My God
Amazing that we got this far
It's like we're chasing all those stars
Driving shiny big black cars

And everyday I see the news, all the problems that we could solve
And when a situation rises, just write it into an album
Singing it straight to gold
I don't really like my flow, no, so

Tell me what you want to hear
Something that will like those years
Sick of all the insincere
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

This time!
Don't need another perfect lie
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

Oh, got no reason, got not shame
Got no family I can blame
Just don't let me disappear
I'mma tell you everything

So tell me what you want to hear
Something that will like those years
Sick of all the insincere
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

This time!
Don't need another perfect lie
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

So tell me what you want to hear
Something that will like those years
Sick of all the insincere
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

This time!
Don't need another perfect lie
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away

All my secrets away
All my secrets away

Sky Sailing Brielle:

There's a handwritten note pressed in the door of her screened in porch 
And I am sailing away recalling that day miles from shore 
She was still wearing white and robins egg blue, Her grandmother's dress 
When I left early this year, how I wound up here is anyone's guess 
When the new sides grow old and I start to feel cold I'll sail home again 

Goodbye Brielle 
Only seasons can tell 
Of the sweet dreams that we knew so well 
I'll see you around our dear ocean town 
The frozen days we set ablaze 
Sent me drifting away 
Like a butterfly, I floated by and now you're alone 
I wish I knew  when I'll be back again 
So until then I wish you well 
My dear Brielle 

Strolling over the sand, cobblestone paths that wind through the trees 
Breathing the sweet ocean air makes a blue bird aware that she could be free 
When the new sides grow old and I start to feel cold I'll sail home again 

Goodbye Brielle 
Only seasons can tell 
Of the sweet dreams that we knew so well 
I'll see you around our dear ocean town 
The frozen days we set ablaze 
Sent me drifting away 
Like a butterfly, you floated by and now your alone 
I wish I knew when I'll be back again 
So until then I wish you well 
So until then I wish you well 
I love you my darling farewell 
My dear Brielle

"In The End"LINKIN PARK

One thing, I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know
time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It’s so unreal
Didn’t look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on but didn’t even know
Wasted it all just to
Watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
One thing, I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how
I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I’m surprised it got so (far)
Things aren’t the way they were before
You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter 

Feel so paper-thin

Like a house of cards