Write the following journal prompt on the board: "What are your favorite lyrics from a song and why?" This helps to activate students' prior knowledge of song lyrics and gives them a point of reference when they are listening to the other song that you will use in the lesson. After five minutes, ask two or three volunteers to share their answers with the class. Make sure to tell students to explain why they like their lyrics, not just which ones they like.
Play a song for students. Try using a song from a movie that most students will be familiar with, like "Friend Like Me" from "Aladdin" or "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from "Mulan." Ask them to write at least one lyric from the song and reflect on what they think of it. Give examples of thoughts they might write, such as, "I didn't understand this line" or "I thought this line was funny." Ask volunteers to share the lyrics they wrote and their thoughts.
Distribute copies of the lyrics to all students. If you have an overhead board, display the lyrics on it. Ask volunteers to read five or six lines at a time aloud. Take a moment to explain any unfamiliar vocabulary in between volunteers. When finished, ask how hearing the lyrics read without music is different from hearing them with music and how is it the same? Is it easier to understand the lyrics when they are read or sung?
Instruct students to find the lyrics to the song they wrote about in their journal for homework and bring in a copy to the next class. Add that the lyrics need to be school-appropriate. In the next class, pair students off and have them exchange their favorite lyrics with their partners. Students read the lyrics and write a paragraph telling what they think their partners' songs are about, and whether they like the lyrics or not. Ask volunteers to share their answers with the class.
Distribute copies of a grade-appropriate, short poem, such as "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein's or "The Shark" by John Ciardi and read it aloud to the class. Ask students how a poem like this is different from the song lyrics they just read and how it is similar. Have them make a list of five differences and five similarities for homework.