Play one or two short ballads to the class. Suit the subject matter to the age group. "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" is a comic ballad well suited to younger children; "Barbara Allen" appeals to intermediate and middle-school children; "Tam Lin" is suitable for high-school and college students. After they enjoy the recording, break apart a verse or two, demonstrating the rhyme and rhythm structure. The rhyme pattern is ABAB, and most ballads are written in 4/4 time. Many can be played using the chords "C", "G" and "D." This makes the ballad an easy song form for beginning musicians.
Use the echo method to teach the tune and the lyrics. The teacher sings one line of the song, then the students sing the same line. In this way, everyone can jump in right away and get a chance to participate. Practice with two or three different ballads, then discuss the lyrics of one ballad. Once the students are familiar with the ballad, try intermixing two ballads a la Simon and Garfunkle's "Scarborough Fair," or Steel Eye Span's "Fighting for Strangers," or develop layers of musical parts for male and female voices. For younger children, use a question-and-answer ballad such as "John Riley" for added enjoyment.
Ask the students to write a ballad of their own. Use an electronic music program to let them make up their own tunes for their ballads. Remind them to keep their ballads short--three or four verses is adequate for young students. Remind them that all lyrics must be school appropriate, especially if you plan for the students to perform their compositions in class.