Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: First listen

45 minutes

Find Out: Double-entry journal

30 minutes

Take Action: The repercussions of choosing violence

30 minutes

Reflection: Song adaptation

Tune In: First listen

Step 1

Distribute the Students Worksheet and tell students that today they will be beginning the lesson by listening to a song titled 'Coward of the County' by Kenny Rogers.

You might like to provide some context about the song and Kenny Rogers by reading (Source):

"The Kenny Rogers Coward of the County song was released in 1979 as the second single from the multi-platinum album Kenny. Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 27, 2013. He was highly popular with country music audiences and also charted more than 420 hit singles across various genres, topping the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States. Kenny sold more than 100 million records worldwide during his lifetime, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His music talent spanned multiple genres: jazz, folk, pop, rock, and country making him one of the most successful cross-over artists of all time."

Step 2

Play the audio of the song one time to students and ask them to note down any words or phrases that stand out to them:

Kenny Rogers - Coward Of The County (Audio) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRpV0GePYeM)

Step 3

Have students share their notes with the person next to them. They should highlight any words or phrases that are found on both sheets.

Step 4

Facilitate a brief discussion with the class about what they noticed based on this initial listen through of the song. Students may feel confident to state their views on what the song is about, or the message Rogers conveys through it.

Find Out: Double-entry journal

Note: A double-entry journal is a two-column journal that allows students to read and understand a text, and express and justify their opinions. In the left column is a piece of information from a text, or the text itself, and in the right column, students discuss or analyse what is written in the left column.

Step 1

Ask students to listen to the song a second time, reading along to the lyrics on the Student Worksheet. Students can start jotting down their comments, questions, connections and points of analysis in the right-hand column of the table on this second listen.

Step 2

Provide time for students to continue making notes in their double-entry journals. They might like to work in pairs, but students should complete their own work. While students work, circulate around the classroom encouraging individuals to push a bit deeper in their discussion. There should be at least one comment or annotation for each stanza of the song.

Step 3

When students have finished writing their reflections into the double-entry journal, direct them to this question on the Student Worksheet:

What is the message of Rogers’ song? How do you feel about this message/moral?

You may have students craft a written response individually and then have students share their thinking, or facilitate some conversation about the different perspectives the class has before giving them time to write.

Take Action: The repercussions of choosing violence

Step 1

Invite the class to offer commentary on the song using the following questions as prompts:

Why might Tommy’s father have been in prison? Is history repeating itself?
What possible consequences could Tommy have faced for beating up the Gatlin boys? Might these have been different in the era the song was written/set, compared with today?
What possible consequences would the Gatlins have faced for sexually assaulting Becky? Might these have been different in the era the song was written/set, compared with today?
What injuries might have been sustained by the Gatlin boys? Do we know if they survived?
What was achieved by Tommy’s actions? How could he have handled the situation differently?
Why do you think Tommy ‘snapped’?

Step 2

Facilitate a discussion with your class about violence in our society. Ask students:

What happens as a result of violence in our community?
What are the repercussions of physical violence or fist fights?
What happens when we choose violence as a reaction to violence?
Why do you think people behave violently?

Step 3

Watch the following video with your class and ask them to use the space in their Student Worksheets to note down anything they find interesting, or any connections to 'Coward of the County':

Man to Man - Stop the Coward's Punch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-K7jNu-mE8)

Invite the class to discuss or write about the following:

What messages is the Man to Man video trying to convey?
How are these messages related to the song, 'Coward of the County'?
How are stories around violence changing over time?
What messages would you want to share about violence?

Learning extension: Students could conduct research on the song, 'Coward of the County', and construct an argumentative essay about whether or not it is relevant or useful for today’s generation. They can start with this website: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/kenny-rogers/coward-of-the-county

Reflection: Song adaptation

Invite students to rewrite some of the lyrics of 'Coward of the County' to communicate a more culturally relevant message to young Australians about the repercussions of violence, with the context of the STOP the Coward Punch campaign as context for consideration.

Learning support: Some students may find it challenging to rewrite the verses for the reflection. Instead, they could use the chorus (lyrics and/or audio) to create a social media campaign that discourages violence.

Note: You might like to limit this task by asking them to only rewrite the final two verses.

Coward Punch - Coward of the County

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