Gr. 9 Behind the Ballad

Gr. 9 Behind the Ballad

Focus Q's:

• What are the elements that make up a ballad?  
• How do these literary elements work together to create a dominant impression?  
• How can I represent a ballad's dominant impression in a movie poster? 

DEFINITION:  A ballad is a narrative poem that uses rhyme and rhythm to improve it's appeal to the audience.  

PURPOSE:In the past ballads were used to pass on a family's oral history.  Today ballads are primarily used to entertain.  

Grade 9's have been analyzing a series of ballads.  

1. "The Highwayman," by Alfred Noyes
2. "Folk Bloodbath" by Josh Ritter
3. Student selected ballad.

We have been identifying and explaining the following literary elements:

• Plot diagram
• Conflict
• Theme
• Figurative Language
• Diction

We have been discussing how dominant impression is created:

1.  through the interrelationship of plot, setting and character
2. by diction, symbols and figurative language

"The Highwayman" Resources:

• "The Highwayman" text

Youtube video 1 (music only)

Students completed a viewing handout while watching this video:

Youtube video 2 (with narrator)

Students completed a reading handout after watching this video and reading the poem:

"Folk Bloodbath" Resources:

• "Folk Bloodbath" Text
• "Folk Bloodbath song

Students have been analyzing this song with a partner and as a whole class by completing the flip book below:

Student Selected Ballads - Resources

Criteria for selecting a Ballad - Ballads MUST:

• be appropriate for school
• follow a plot diagram
• have a minimum of 5 figurative devices
• have a minimum of 5 examples of diction

Students have been completing an analysis flipbook.  See checklist:

Today we are focusing on:

What is dominant impression of my ballad?

How can I represent this dominant impression in a movie poster?

Students participated in an analysis of "Freaky Friday" to identify strategies for their own posters.  See observations below:

Students then made observations of their own from a variety of movie posters and shared out their top 2 elements of design with the class.  See our class generated list below:

To ensure we all have a strong dominant impression we have planned out our ideas by:

•  completing a chart, 
• sketching a thumbnail (rough visual of title, central image, tagline and background) with 
• noted of 5 items from our class generated list of Elements of design on sketch

See this planning for "Folk Bloodbath" below:

DEFINITION & CHART

THUMBNAIL SKETCH with 5 items from class list

Students are self-assessing their individual song analysis flip book using the following Rubric:

Individual Song Analysis Flip book DUE: Monsday, Feb 8.

Movie Poster and Self-assessment is DUE: Tuesday, Feb 16.

• Please "turn in" these items in Google Classroom.