PAUL KELLY - STORIES OF ME - Writing the Songs

Students explore the differences and similarities of poetry and song lyrics using the documentary film Paul Kelly – Stories of Me. Students illustrate their viewpoint about these two text types in a ‘Stand on the Line’ activity and are invited to consider the nature of interpretation. They create their own poem, song lyrics or compare the two in a persuasive piece. Students consider whether Paul Kelly’s songs are a result of theft or creative inspiration, and research the meaning and examples of the concept of intertextuality. They compose a free writing piece that considers whether anyone actually ‘owns’ words.

This lesson uses sections of Shark Island Production’s Paul Kelly – Stories of Me as learning stimuli. Teachers are required to create an account to view the film and use the supplied code to enable students to access the film.

Key points to explore:

• Poetry and song lyrics are two text types that are both similar and different.
• Intertextuality is often a feature of texts.
• The ownership of words is debatable.