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Bitter Break-Ups

How Songwriters Use Inferences

Jennifer Hudson, Mariana DeLoera, Kelsey Willems | Published: April 28th, 2025 by K20 Center

  • Grade Level Grade Level 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Secondary
  • Subject Subject English/Language Arts
  • Course Course A.P. Language and Composition, A.P. Literature and Composition, American Literature, British Literature, Composition, Creative Writing

Summary

Humans have many artistic outlets for emotional expression. Songwriters have been known to use their craft to develop a reaction as a response to a specific situation. In this lesson, students will explore an author’s perspective using break-up songs. Students will complete a card sort comparing response/reaction break-up songs to general break-up songs. They will then explore vocabulary terms that allow them to understand how those terms influence an author’s perspective. Once they have completed this task, students will brainstorm in groups characteristics of a break-up song that they will ultimately use in developing their own songs.

Essential Question(s)

How does bias influence an author's perspective and are our inferences impacted by our own bias? Does being an artist provide a shield from cancel culture or provide a “free pass” to overshare?

Snapshot

Engage

Students compare different types of break-up songs with a Card Sort.

Explore

Students develop their own definitions of key vocabulary.

Explain

Students brainstorm characteristics of a break-up song and create a finalized list using Collective Brain Dump and Stand Up, Sit Down.

Extend

Students analyze song lyrics using Why-Lighting and C-E-R to summarize their findings.

Evaluate

Students create a Two-Voice poem using characteristics from the collective brain dump.

Materials

  • Lesson Slides (attached)

  • Card Sort handout (attached; one per group [see note on preparation])

  • Break Down of Break-Ups handout (attached; one per student)

  • CER handout (attached; one per student)

  • Lyrics handout (attached; one per student) 

  • Let’s Talk About It handout (attached; one per student) 

  • Pen/Pencil

  • Highlighters (one per student)

Preparing the Lesson

10 Minute(s)

Engage - Card Sort

Prior to the lesson, print copies and cut out the attached Card Sort handout. Students will work on this activity in pairs or small groups. It is recommended that you print the cards on heavy paper or card stock for durability. Place each set of cards in a small plastic bag.

Engage

15 Minute(s)

Introduce the lesson using slide 2 of the attached Lesson Slides. Then transition through slides 3-4 to review the essential questions and lesson objectives. 

Display slide 5 and introduce the Card Sort strategy. Assign students to work in pairs. Explain to students that they will be doing a Card Sort which contains two types of break-up songs: generic break-up songs and reaction/ response break-up songs. The generic songs could be about any break-up situation but not about a specific person. In contrast, the response/reaction break-up songs are about two artists reacting or responding to a specific person and/or break up. 

Before you set students to work, move to slide 6 and model the activity by playing examples of a pair of reaction/response songs:

Play “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake lyrics video:

 

Play “Everytime” by Britney Spears lyrics video:

 

After listening to both songs, pose the question: Do you think the songs are about the other person? Explain how you know. 

After modeling what reaction/response break up songs look like, display slide 7 (which shows the instructions again) and pass out a set of cards from the attached Card Sort handout to each pair. Allow students time to work. 

Once the students have finished sorting the cards, have them share out as a whole class where they put certain songs and why. After some discussion, transition through slides 8-9 and show students the correct way to sort the songs. Clear up any misconceptions.

Explore

15 Minute(s)

Distribute the Break Down of Break-Ups handout to each student and display slide 10. Explain to students that they will be defining the following three terms: inference, cancel culture, and oversharing. As students develop their own definitions, have them consider what they already know about an author’s intent behind a break-up song.

Once students have created their own definitions, have them brainstorm examples for each term. Students should consider an author's perspective when developing examples. Allow students a few minutes to complete this task.

Transition through slides 11-13 to review the definitions of inference, cancel culture, and oversharing to clear up any misconceptions students may have had during the previous activity. Invite students to revisit their handouts and make any edits, if needed. Use the discussion questions to facilitate a class discussion about how each term connects to an author’s bias when writing songs.

Explain

15 Minute(s)

Display slide 14. Using the Collective Brain Dump strategy, ask each pair to brainstorm characteristics that make a song considered a “break-up” song. Students will create a list on a sticky note or scratch piece of paper. Allow 2-3 minutes.

Once students have had an opportunity to write down these characteristics, display slide 15 and share the instructional strategy, Stand Up, Sit Down. Instruct one member of the pair to stand up with their list. Let them know that they are going to share just one of the characteristics with the class that they have written down. Once they have shared out or if someone else shares something they have written down, ask students to cross the characteristics off their paper. As they shared out, record their responses on a large poster paper or on the board (or digitally).

Ask students to sit down once all of the characteristics have been shared out and crossed off. Once the list of characteristics is complete, review the terms as a class.

Extend

20 Minute(s)

Display to slide 16. Distribute the Lyrics handout to each student and a highlighter.  Explain to students that they will be using the Why-Light strategy by highlighting pieces from both songs that connect back to the characteristics of the class brain dump. Remind students to write their inference of the meaning in the margins. Then allow students time to annotate. 

Once students have completed their Why-Lighting, move to slide 17 and distribute the CER handout to students. Explain to students that they will write CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) statements to answer the question, “How are these songs a reaction/response break-up song?” Allow students time to work. Remind students that they will need evidence from both songs. After they have completed the activity, ask for volunteers to share some of their claims and reasoning.

Move to slide 18. Facilitate a class discussion about examples of oversharing in the songs and how break-up songs in general may or may not lead to artists being “cancelled.” Note: If you’re using the songs provided see the “Teacher’s Note” below for more details about this example. If you are using your own examples, consider having evidence on hand to help answer these questions for students.

Evaluate

25 Minute(s)

Display slide 19 and introduce the Two-Voice Poem strategy. Explain that students will use this to showcase the perspectives of two different sides to a break-up. Pass out the attached Let’s Talk About It handout to each student pair. Each partner should choose one side of the poem to write their perspective while using the middle box to write about a shared perspective they both have. Invite students to take out their Break Down of Break-Ups handout again and flip to the back. Explain that they can use the space provided to brainstorm the content for their poem/song. Remind them to refer back to the list of characteristics they made earlier as a class with the class brain dump. 

After allowing students to work, ask for any volunteers to share their poems. Then move to slide 20 and facilitate a class discussion by asking students to reflect on the essential question: Does being an artist provide a shield from cancel culture or provide a “free pass” to overshare?

Resources

Publisher

K20 Center

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Downloads

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Standards

Oklahoma Academic Standards: English Language Arts (Grade 12)
12.3.R.5: Evaluate how authors writing on the same issue reached different conclusions because of differences in assumptions, evidence, reasoning, and viewpoints, including examining rhetorical appeals, bias, and use of logical fallacies.

Facilitator Resources

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  • Lesson Slides—Bitter Break-Ups

Learner Handouts

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  • Break Down of Break-Up Songs—Bitter Break-Ups
  • CER—Bitter Break-Ups
  • Card Sort—Bitter Break-Ups
  • Let's Talk About It—Bitter Break-Ups
  • Lyrics—Bitter Break-Ups

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