The Twelve Days of __________________
I am a big fan of teaching through parody. As an educational tool, it provides an opportunity for learners to connect to something they are familiar with in a new and engaging way. Parodies are perfect for differentiation – a language learner can substitute individual rhyming words, while a confident student could rewrite entire stanzas of a piece.
By starting from a pre-existing creation that can be adjusted, parody is a safe experience for students. They don’t have to make an entirely original product – they can simply focus on certain parts and adjust them to whatever topic or perspective suits their goals. This reduces risk levels for learners and increases how much they can enjoy the process of creation.
Parody is also a very effective method for developing phonemic awareness. As students explore the rhyme and meter patterns of the original work, they intuitively develop a greater syllabic understanding that can help them when working on any type of future project.
As a winter concert was coming up a few years ago, my class and I decided to write a parody of The Twelve Days of Christmas. We chose to write about The Internet, though any topic with common experiences could be chosen. We all had a great time and the song was burned into our heads well into the following year.
Our version: The Internet Gave To Me
Template to make your own here