Brave Writer

Songwriting: Taylor Swift leads students through an examination of song as a form of poetry as they apply elements common to this genre in original songwriting exercises. Class analysis focuses on a particular songwriter. The class encourages students to

Syllabus

Week One

Students dive into the song-poetry connection this week with an in-depth look at a TS modern classic. Critical thinking skills come into play as they mine their autobiographies for source material. 

Week Two

Students consider a new set of lyrics to explore how the storytelling arc from literature applies to song. Writers then apply these skills to craft a stanza from a personal story.

Week Three

How does Taylor craft songs that take hold of you and keep you engaged until the final note? We'll look at song structure this week and analyze its power.

Week Four

In the final week, students will examine the personification literary device in song. Writers will take their own spin on this device as they create a theme-oriented original song. 

Common Core and Academic Standards Support

What follows is a word bank and set of skills associated with this class. Use them to craft your own learning narrative for use in year-end evaluations, charter school reports, or any other accountability source.

Word Bank

  • Beat and rhythm
  • Literary devices
  • Metaphor
  • Oral presentation
  • Perspective
  • Poetry
  • Rhyme
  • Sequencing
  • Structure
  • Symbolism
  • Theme
  • Writing craft

Core Skills

  • Analyze impact of literary devices (alliteration, repetition, strong verbs, imagery, metaphor, simile) in writing
  • Analyze song structure to find common patterns 
  • Compare and contrast elements of songwriting and poetry
  • Determine audience of particular songs
  • Determine writer’s voice and perspective in song
  • Find theme in a song and craft original works with a theme in mind
  • Use personal narrative to explore through song
  • Write detailed, organized, structured original narratives