Every once in awhile, my wife (an English teacher) will seek my help in compiling a lesson plan. It’s usually a fun exercise for a couple of reasons: one, I don’t have to actually teach the lesson or grade any of the resulting work; and two, her requests usually revolve around music.
Like most people, high school students really respond to music. It’s easier to get their attention out of the gate with a song than with a poem. Ideally, music can serve as the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.
Lauryn Hill’s ‘Every Ghetto Every City’ is a song I suggested to Alex once when she was looking for a good introduction to autobiographical poetry. As an example of lyrics dropping you into a specific time and place it’s hard to beat this song.
Meet Me In Montauk 