Song Parody Writing Unit for Music or ELA print or digital

Getting buy-in from upper elementary and middle school students can be a challenge! This parodies and piggyback songs unit is NO PREP and includes everything you need to engage those reluctant musicians in composing their own lyrics. This unit works perfectly in music or ELA classes, and includes both printable and Google Slides(TM) versions.

This is designed as a cross-curricular activity that could be implemented easily by a music teacher OR an English teacher. I’ve supplied you with an example that was actually created in my music classroom by sixth grade students. There are four different songs of varying length and complexity provided, giving the opportunity to differentiate the difficulty level for your students. I've included a very detailed, structured lesson plan that even a non-music sub could follow. This includes an example that my students did together, following the same steps outlined for your class. Feel free to make adjustments as needed to fit your teaching styles and your students’ needs. If you have any questions, please leave a Q&A or send me an e-mail!

Songs used are:

"Home on the Range" (Also used as the example)

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (Easy)

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (Moderate)

"The Man on the Flying Trapeze" (More Challenging)

An additional option of using a different song of your choice is also included.

Materials Needed:

Print Version:

• Highlighters for all students (in a few different colors)
• Pencils for all students (don’t use pen, you’ll want to erase!)
• Musical Instrument OR Recording of the music for each tune
• Copies of the handouts for each student
• Rhyming Dictionaries OR Access to online rhyming dictionaries
• Access to recordings of existing parodies and their original songs
• Optional: Books of parodies and piggyback songs

Google Slides(TM) Version:

• Devices such as Chromebook or Laptops
• Rhyming Dictionaries OR Access to online rhyming dictionaries
• Access to recordings of existing parodies and their original songs
• Optional: Books of parodies and piggyback songs

Please check out the preview to see the example and what the worksheets look like. All songs have the exact same instructions and layout. You can have your students complete multiple songs, or can give students specific songs based on their abilities in order to differentiate.

**UPDATED 2/3/2018 to include an option for students to use a song of their choice as the basis of their parody or piggyback song.

**UPDATED 3/7/2021 to include a Google Slides(TM) version.

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