Activity Introduction
Quick summary: In this lesson students will be engaging with Kenny Roger’s song ‘Coward of the County’, using a double-entry journal to reflect on the meaning and intent of the lyrics. Students will consider a modern Australian context, and the repercussions of violence on individuals and the community, looking to rewrite the lyrics of the song to better reflect the morals and ideals of this context.
The STOP the Coward Punch education package aims to spread awareness about the devastating effects of the coward punch on our community. This education package was developed by a team of experts, including a youth worker, education specialist and specialist teachers and references the latest research and laws on coward punches.
Learning intentions:
- Students will understand the meaning and message of ‘Coward of the County’ by Kenny Rogers
- Students will understand the repercussions of violence on individuals and the broader Australian community.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 10 English:
- Understand how language use can have inclusive and exclusive social effects and can empower or disempower people (ACELA1564)
- Compare and evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1639)
- Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)
- Create literary texts with a sustained ‘voice’, selecting and adapting appropriate text structures, literary devices, language, auditory and visual structures and features for a specific purpose and intended audience (ACELT1815)
- Create imaginative texts that make relevant thematic and intertextual connections with other texts (ACELT1644)
Syllabus outcomes: EN5-3B, EN5-5C, EN5-6C EN5-7D, EN5-8D
General capabilities: Literacy
Relevant parts of Year 10 achievement standards:
Students develop and justify their own interpretations of texts. They evaluate other interpretations, analysing the evidence used to support them. Students create a wide range of texts to articulate complex ideas.
Topic: Social Issues
This lesson is part of the wider unit of work STOP the Coward Punch: English – Years 7 to 10.
Time required: 120 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – teacher will need to facilitate discussion and prompt thinking and reflection.
Resources required:
- Device capable of presenting a video to the class
- Student Worksheets – one copy per student.
Related professional development: Strategies for Dealing with Aggressive and Violent Behaviours
Keywords: coward punch, Coward of the County, Kenny Rogers, masculinity, lyric, double-entry journal
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
