Description
This song lyric analysis lesson introduces poetry analysis through the use of your students’ favorite song lyrics! Practice annotating with the worksheets and graphic organizers provided. Suitable for distance learning with digital worksheets for Google Classroom®.
Included with this Song Analysis Lesson:
- Poetry in Song Lyrics Slideshow Lesson – Google Slides®, Microsoft PowerPoint® & PDF
- Poetry in Song Lyrics Informational Handout – Digital & Print
- Practice Close Reading and Annotation Practice Activity – Digital & Print
- Model the analysis of “Therefore I Am” by Billie Eilish
- Application Activity for Any Song Lyrics – Digital & Print
- Song Analysis Paragraph Graphic Organizer – Digital & Print
- Annotating Music Lyrics Bookmark – Digital & Print
- Annotated Answer Key for Practice Close Reading Activity
- Teacher Instructions for using this resource
How to use this Song Analysis Lesson:
Make connections between your language arts curriculum and your students’ personal interests with this poetry lesson! By incorporating music into literary analysis, this Song Analysis Lesson bridges the gap between poetry and popular culture, making learning more relevant and engaging for students. Through this lesson, students will explore poetry through song lyrics, strengthening their close reading, annotation, and analytical writing skills. Using a variety of scaffolded resources, students will learn how to deconstruct song lyrics, identify poetic devices, and make connections between music, poetry, and cultural expression. This Song Analysis Lesson includes a slideshow lesson, informational handout, a practice annotation worksheet, an analysis graphic organizer, and an application activity that can be used with any song lyrics, allowing students to apply their learning to songs that resonate with them personally.
You can begin this lesson with the Poetry in Song Lyrics Slideshow Lesson, a visually engaging presentation that introduces students to the relationship between poetry and music. This slideshow provides historical and cultural context, demonstrating how poetry is woven into popular music across different genres and time periods. By examining lyrical techniques, poetic devices, and themes, students will see how songwriters craft meaning through language, much like traditional poets. The lesson also emphasizes an important distinction: while song lyrics share poetic qualities, they differ from lyric poetry, a term that refers to a specific type of poetry that expresses personal emotions and thoughts. Understanding this difference is essential for students as they engage with both song lyrics and traditional poetry in their analysis. This interactive lesson ensures that students grasp key literary concepts before diving into song annotation and analysis.
The information from the slideshow lesson is also provided with the Poetry in Song Lyrics Informational Handout, a comprehensive reference tool that reinforces the key points covered in the slideshow. This handout serves as an accessible study guide, allowing students to review definitions, examples, and key ideas while completing the activities within this Song Analysis Lesson. By having a written summary of the core concepts, students can refer back to it whenever they need clarification. The informational handout also includes examples of poetic devices found in song lyrics, helping students develop a stronger understanding of figurative language, rhyme schemes, and structure in both poetry and music. This dual-format approach—a visual slideshow paired with a detailed handout—ensures that students with different learning styles can engage with the material effectively.
Students will then practice annotating and analyzing poetry using the Close Reading and Annotation Activity. This hands-on exercise guides students through a structured annotation process, teaching them how to break down song lyrics for literary analysis. The activity features Billie Eilish’s song “Therefore I Am”, a contemporary and culturally relevant example that encourages students to engage deeply with modern music. Students will be prompted to identify poetic devices, tone, and themes, while marking key words and phrases that contribute to the song’s overall message and artistic impact. As part of this Song Analysis Lesson, students will use the Song Analysis Graphic Organizer to plan the outline for their analysis paragraph. This organizer provides step-by-step guidance, ensuring that students structure their literary interpretations effectively, integrating textual evidence and critical thinking into their written responses.
To consolidate this activity, an answer key with a student example has been provided, allowing teachers to model the process of writing a well-developed literary analysis. This resource is particularly helpful for students who need additional support or clarification on how to structure their responses. By reviewing a sample analysis paragraph, students will gain insight into how annotations translate into structured arguments, strengthening their ability to write analytical responses independently. The answer key can also be used for self-assessment or peer review, encouraging students to critically evaluate their own work and that of their classmates. This step ensures that students not only complete their song analysis but also understand the reasoning behind strong literary interpretations.
Students can use their Annotating Music Lyrics Bookmark as a personal anchor chart while they read, annotate, and write about music lyrics independently. This two-sided bookmark scaffolds the close reading process, making it an invaluable tool for student success. One side of the bookmark provides step-by-step instructions on how to annotate song lyrics, ensuring that students focus on key poetic elements such as figurative language, repetition, imagery, and theme. The other side includes extension activities and guidance for writing a close reading response, helping students deepen their analytical skills. This resource can be used beyond this lesson, serving as a long-term study aid whenever students engage with song lyrics or poetry throughout the school year. By equipping students with a practical and easy-to-use reference, this bookmark enhances their ability to approach literary analysis with confidence.
To further apply their knowledge, students will complete the Application Activity, where they choose their own school-appropriate song to analyze. This culminating task allows students to demonstrate their independent understanding of the skills taught in this Song Analysis Lesson, making learning more personalized and engaging. By selecting a song that resonates with them, students will be more invested in the analytical process, making connections between their favorite music and literary techniques. This activity not only reinforces critical thinking and close reading skills but also empowers students to see poetry’s presence in their everyday lives. Additionally, this step provides an opportunity for students to share their findings with the class, fostering collaborative learning and meaningful discussions about music, poetry, and literary expression.
✨ Kindly note that due to copyright restrictions, this resource is not editable. This is a common practice within the TPT marketplace in order to protect the clipartists and software providers that have authorized their intellectual property for the development of this resource.
See what other teachers are saying about this Song Analysis Lesson:
“From the moment I downloaded this resource, I could tell that the seller put a great deal of thought and effort into its development. The content is not only comprehensive but also incredibly engaging, making it a perfect fit for my diverse group of students. The materials provided are well-organized and easy to implement, saving me precious planning time.”
– Vee
⭒ For classrooms utilizing Google Classroom® ⭒
To access the digital version of these worksheets, simply follow the instructions within the resource to copy the files directly to your Google Drive®.
