This Lesson's Title:

Ain't That
America

Imitating "Pink Houses" to think deeply about a novel's themes, history's events, or an original character's voice

This lesson was created by Northern Nevada Writing Project Consultant Tamara Turnbeaugh.

This writing prompt inspired by

John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses "

Click here to do a Google search for the lyrics.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

Students think that classic literature and historic events have little in common with life today, right? Think again! In this lesson, students get a chance to compare themes from classic novels or from American history to those found in music and life today. John Mellencamp's song "Pink Houses" focuses on conflicts such as racism, poverty and shattered Amerifcan dreams; for this assignment, students will re-write the song's lyrics, incorporating conflicts from literature or history.   Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

This lesson emphasizes idea development as its focus trait, as students draw comparisons between the conflicts found in John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” and conflicts found in literature; students will use graphic organizers to both deconstruct and construct ideas in both the model text and their own writing. As a support trait, students will work on careful word choice as they mold the concepts they are learning about to match the concepts and structure of “Pink Houses.”