Two complete lessons on Chapter 2 of The Woman in Black. The focus is on foreshadowing in the chapter, and the lessons encourage plenty of close analysis.
The term ‘foreshadowing’ is thoroughly introduced in the first lesson, and pupils are encouraged to see how this is done through the use of pathetic fallacy. In the second lesson, pupils work on close analysis of extracts from the text, and then are asked to write a mini-essay summing up the foreboding in the chapter, with an opportunity for peer review at the end.
A series of three lessons on Chapter 5 of Of Mice and Men, with a focus on Curley’s Wife. These consider whether she is a victim or villain.
With chapter 5 of this novel, I think it’s important to read the chapter all in one go. As such, the first of these lessons focuses on what our previous opinions were of her, and then has a reading session. At the end of the lesson, pupils are asked to summarise what Curley’s wife’s dream was in a paragraph.
In the second lesson, pupils start to consider their own ideas about whether she can be considered a victim or a villain. Starting by looking at what other characters think of her, pupils consider that there are different perspectives from which to look at her character. From there, pupils can use a worksheet to find quotations to back up both sides of the argument, before summarising opinions of her in a paragraph.
Attached to this download is an extract, looking at the description of her shortly after she has been killed. I find this works rather well as a homework task, as pupils work independently to analyse the extract and pick out quotations that prove different ideas about her, before writing a paragraph considering how she can be considered to be misunderstood.
The third of these lessons looks at practising persuasive writing skills: pupils are tasked to write a persuasive speech, arguing whether Curley’s wife was a villain or a victim. The lesson starts with a short example piece of persuasive writing, which is about Curley, and pupils are asked to identify the persuasive techniques within it as a starter activity. From there, pupils discuss whether she is a villain or a victim (you might want to make two separate lists on the board during this). The majority of the lesson looks at persuasive writing, with pupils producing their own speech. You could end this lesson with self or peer assessment, with pupils spotting the persuasive techniques in their work, as they did in the starter activity.
I’ve designed these lessons for a lower-ability GCSE class, so therefore they could easily suit KS3 too. You could comfortably make them more challenging by removing some of the examples given.
A lesson looking at Banquo’s murder and ghost in Act 3 of Macbeth. The lesson starts with some context about Banquo, and goes on to look at Act 3 Scene 4.
This lesson focuses on how we can see Macbeth starting to show signs of madness in Act 3, and includes links to three different productions of the scene.
There is detailed historical context about the history of Macbeth and how this was relevant to James I- very important for a lot of exam boards!
Pupils have the opportunity to see how Macbeth is starting to show signs of madness, and then also consider his relationship with his wife.
There is a choice of two tasks at the end looking at his relationship with Lady Macbeth, one looking at a more advanced comparison-style paragraph, and one more simple asking for separate paragraphs- these work particularly well for homework and can be tweaked to suit the ability of pupils.
A series of four lessons on chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men, with focuses on Slim, Candy’s dog, dreams, and the fight at the end of the chapter.
This series of lessons starts with a lesson on Slim, which compares him to Curley and then goes on to look at why Slim has as much power as he does. There is opportunity for pupils to analyse some key quotations, which therefore provides a useful quotation list for revision.
The second lesson looks and Candy’s dog’s death and the concept of survival of the fittest, and ends with a comparison between the relationship between Candy and his dog with that between George and Lennie, allowing pupils the possibility to predict what will come later in the novel.
The third lesson focuses on the description of the dream that we see in this chapter, in which George goes into much more detail about what their plans are. There is a worksheet with an extract for pupils to annotate, with some questions to guide their annotation as a support.
Finally this series of lessons ends with a look at the fight scene at the end of the chapter, and considers how Candy, who has been an observer for much of the action of this chapter, has reacted to it all with a diary task.
I’ve used these lessons for a couple of years now, with classes of mixed ability. Prompt questions can be removed to make things more challenging for the more able. Moreover, I’ve used these lessons when we’ve been working in the classroom and remotely, and have found that they’ve translated quite well into remote-learning: for example, the annotation activity can be done on Google Docs or similar, with pupils using the comments function to make their notes.
A handout to help pupils structure newspaper articles. The sheet is structured as a triangle, to steer pupils through the gradual build-up of information that a newspaper article requires.
I’ve used this with KS3 and KS4 pupils and it works well; the triangle structure is memorable.
A series of three lessons on the final chapter of Of Mice and Men, with the chapter being read in the first, and the following lessons looking at themes.
As the final chapter of the novel is the shortest, and the fastest-paced, I feel it makes sense to read it in its entirety in one lesson, which isn’t my usual style with this novel. The first of these lessons includes reading time, and then a chance to reflect on the use of foreshadowing within the novel.
The second lesson looks more closely at the imagery of light and dark in the novel, and asks pupils to look at a quotation about light and dark and consider what it means. You could make this easier or harder by choosing whether or not to tell them where in the novel this quotation can be found. To do this on paper, I’d just print the slides and ask pupils to write directly onto them; it can also work digitally by sharing the powerpoint with pupils.
The final lessons focuses on dreams and the characters’ different dreams, thinking specifically about why none of them work out. There are two different versions of the worksheet, one where the quotations have already been provided for a bit of support, and another where pupils are expected to find them themselves.
Two lessons on chapter 5 of The Woman in Black, focusing on description in the novel, of Eel Marsh House and the woman herself, with opportunity for creative writing.
The first lesson focuses on description of the landscape, and asks pupils to create their own description of the house as they walk up towards it, scaffolded with a planning sheet.
The second lesson looks at the extract in which Kipps describes the woman, and considers what we learn about her and her character.
A series of four lessons on chapter 2 of Of Mice and Men, looking at characters, hierarchy and building up to writing an essay - with an example.
The first of these lessons focuses on the setting, with pupils comparing the setting of the second chapter to the more tranquil and peaceful opening.
In the second lesson, pupils focus on the concept of hierarchy, and as they start to meet characters they start putting them into hierarchical order.
In the third lesson, we meet Curley’s wife and Slim, and consider how they are presented as characters that the reader is supposed to either like or dislike. There is opportunity to discuss the extent to which the reader’s opinion of Curley’s wife is tainted by the expectations we have of her following Candy’s description of her as a ‘tart’ previously.
In the fourth of these lessons, pupils plan and prepare to write an essay looking at the society of the ranch. They return to the previous ideas about ranch hierarchy and there is opportunity to see if their ideas about the hierarchy have changed now that they have read a little more: you could make this as interactive as you like, depending on the class.
I’ve provided a planning sheet with clear paragraph ideas, and an example essay that perfectly matches it: you could use it prior to writing the essay, or use it as a self-assessment tool following essay writing.
I’ve created these lessons for GCSE pupils, and they could be easily tweaked up or down to suit your group.
Two lessons and an essay plan + example about chapter 4 and Crooks in Of Mice and Men.
The first lesson starts with a close look at the opening description of Crooks’ room, asking pupils to pick out lines which give us a clue about his personality from just the first couple of pages.
From there, pupils read up to Candy’s arrival in the chapter, and are challenged to consider what themes Crooks teaches us about. Key quotations relating to the themes are picked out, which make for good starters for discussion and are also important quotations for pupils to annotate and learn. From there, pupils answer questions about how Crooks relates to these themes.
The second of these lessons focuses more on the novel’s context. Pupils are taught about the Jim Crow laws and the concept of lynching, before going on to read the remainder of the chapter and discussing how we can see evidence of this treatment of black people in the novel.
From there, pupils are challenged to plan and write an essay about Crooks and his importance in the novel. These resources include a suggested planning sheet (I’ve written this for a lesson when I know I’ll be absent, so pupils should be able to work through that fairly independently), and the start of an example essay (intro and first two paragraphs). You could use the example in various ways: you could give the opening to pupils and challenge them to carry on, or you could use it as an example once you’ve marked the essays and challenge pupils to improve their own work.
I’ve written these lessons for a fairly low ability GCSE class, hence the structured essay plan. You could easily make this more challenging by providing less structure for the essay, or asking them to come up with their own discussion points about how Crooks relates to the novel’s themes.
A series of three lessons looking at chapter 4 of the Woman in Black, with a focus on superstition and Kipps’ position as a rational protagonist.
These lessons start with a focus on superstitions and ask pupils to consider whether they are superstitious and why (always makes for an interesting discussion!). After reading a section of the chapter, pupils are asked to look at the character Mr Jerome, and then closely consider a passage relating to Kipps and his position as a rational protagonist. The lessons end with a consideration of what various characters think of each other.
I’ve done this in three lessons with a LA year 9 class; I imagine you could make it work in two lessons if you wanted to pick up the pace.
Two lessons on the first chapter of Of Mice and Men, focusing on Lennie and George’s characters, and what we learn about their dream, relating to context.
(These would form my second and third lessons on the novel overall, following an initial introduction to the historical context.)
The first of these two lessons includes some close analysis of the opening passage of the novel, asking pupils to pick out language that makes it seem idyllic. Following a section of reading, pupils are asked to analyse some quotations about Lennie and George, considering what we learn about their personalities and their relationship. This is structured for a lower ability class, but this could easily be made more challenging by removing some of the hints and pre-filled boxes on the worksheet. Consistent links are made to historical context throughout, and pupils are asked at the end to find all the evidence they can which suggests these two are typical migrant workers. The lesson ends setting a homework task, writing up their ideas about the characters.
NOTE: I tend to start this lesson with a recap on the context learned previously, and there is a nice matching activity here: https://www.teachitenglish.co.uk/resources/ks4/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/prose/of-mice-and-men-match-the-contextual-information/8558
I obviously can’t sell it as my own, but it’s pretty useful!
The second of these lessons focuses more on the end of the opening chapter of the novel, in which Lennie and George discuss their dreams. After a discussion about dreams, which should be steered towards getting pupils to understand the desire to own stuff and be one’s own boss, read the end of the chapter while noting the ideas about the dream as you go. Pupils can then be split into teams for a game: using the sheet with a list of points about the dream, cut up into separate slips of paper, each team needs to find a quotation that matches each point. It’s a great activity to get pupils thinking about how their evidence actually proves their point, thus improving their analytical writing. Each team sends one member to the teacher to explain their idea, and then is issued the next slip of paper to go and work on. These slips can then be used in the written activity at the end of the lesson. I’ve provided an example paragraph, and focused on discussing the context of the novel as relevant to the question.
I’ve designed these lessons for a lower-ability GCSE class, but they could easily be tweaked by removing scaffolds to make them more challenging, and they would be useful at KS3 too for schools who no longer teach OMAM at GCSE level.
Two lecture-style lessons for A Level on the context of Brave New World, with the first looking at life at the time, and the second moving onto life since.
Across these two lessons, designed for when pupils have already read the book, a range of ideas about historical context are considered. The first looks at what was going on at the time when Huxley was writing, considering mass production, eugenics, and conditioning, whereas the second moves into considering how we have started to move towards that world in the 90 years since Huxley wrote the novel: changes in technology and what it means to be human.
Knowledge of context (both when the text was written and has been received) is imperative at A Level and I’ve found both of these lessons have really helped my pupils to get a good grounding in what they need to know.
A full series of lessons with powerpoints and resources for a GCSE or KS3 scheme of work on Of Mice and Men.
Lessons are adaptable for different abilities. Huge range of activities, including essay-writing, creative writing, quotation hunts, persuasive speeches, and much more.
All lessons are complete with all the material you need for success, including model answers for paragraphs, allowing pupils the opportunity to see how a strong answer is put together.
I’ve had proven success with this scheme of work with various classes, so I’m pleased to be able to share it.
Activities and notes on My Last Duchess which form the basis of two lessons. Includes full annotations of the poem and options of analytical and creative writing.
These lessons start with a look at the title of the poem, and then include opportunities to pick information out of the poem, analyse it all together, and then respond.
Pupils are asked to pick out what information they have learned about the Duke and the Duchess in the poems: there are two options for this sheet, as one has prompts so that pupils can fill in with just quotations, while another is more challenging without the prompts. You can increase challenge by choosing to do this activity prior to annotating the poem, too, which works well with top sets.
Pupils are then asked to imagine that they are the listener, and consider how they would respond to the Duke’s monologue: would you let this man marry again? Again, you could make this more challenging by removing the prompt questions at each stage.
There is an opportunity for analytical, essay-style writing at the end (could form the basis of a homework).
A series of three lessons on Chapter 1 of The Woman in Black. Focusing on the concept of ghost story, and then moving on to look at close analysis of extracts describing setting.
Pupils are engaged by setting the scene, reading a traditional ghost story by firelight (personally I always use the log fire on Netflix to try and recreate this!) and in later lessons analyse two separate extracts in detail. Includes a detailed teacher example of an analytical paragraph, so that progress is scaffolded to support weaker students.
A full scheme of work for KS3 on Reginal Rose’s play Twelve Angry Men. This scheme focuses on the characters, and builds up analytical writing skills.
This fourteen-lesson SOW gradually builds up writing skills, helping pupils to structure analytical paragraphs and pick out high-value quotations about the characters. One activity to help this is ‘paragraph speed-dating’, in which pupils are given either a point or a quotation, and they need to find their partner: I’ve found this really helps with classes who pluck quotations from the text at random without considering whether they actually evidence the point they’ve made.
I’d suggest creating a ‘guilty/not guilty’ scale somewhere in the classroom, and then you can write each juror number on a post-it note and move them around as they change their minds about the boy on trial.
This scheme of work builds up to writing two complete essays: one comparing jurors 3 and 8, and another considering whether juror 8 can be considered a hero.
A lesson looking at Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 of Macbeth, with a focus on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s differing attitudes towards Duncan’s murder.
This lesson takes a look at Macbeth’s hallucination, and later asks pupils to search for quotations summing up Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s varying responses to the murder of King Duncan, which are recorded on hands! I’ve always found pupils are really engaged in this lesson as it’s a bit different to the usual quotation-hunting.
Worksheet good for a homework, asking pupils to write a persuasive letter based on events in Chapter 4 of Animal Farm.
Task asks pupils to write a letter persuading other farms to take up Animalism.
Sheet provides structure and ideas to include, as well as reminders about layout, paragraphing etc.
An introductory lesson on John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, looking at context and asking pupils to consider the lives of migrant workers.
The lesson introduces the key terms: American Dream; migrant workers; Great Depression; Dust Bowl; mass migration.
Each term is explained as part of the story that led to the historical setting of the novel, with imagery for pupils to reflect on and consider what life must have been like for the people involved: you can make this as interactive as you like, and there’s mileage in printing the photos and asking pupils to look at them to consider what they can learn about the Great Depression from them.
Pupils are asked to consider what the dreams and hopes of a migrant worker would be, and there is a structured activity asking pupils to write a diary entry from their perspective, with scaffolded suggestions of paragraph topics.
The lesson ends with a quick look at Robbie Burns’ ‘To a Mouse’, to understand the source of the novel’s title.
I’ve designed this lesson for a lower-ability GCSE class, but it could definitely work at KS3 too, or be tweaked up to suit higher-attaining pupils.
A lesson with poetry annotation on Exposure by Wilfred Owen. This lesson includes detailed analysis and annotation of the poem, and asks some thought-provoking questions.
I’ve used this at A Level when teaching the work of Wilfred Owen, but this could also be used at GCSE level.


The 1619 Project's lyrical picture book in verse chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renee Watson. A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders. But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived. And the people planted dreams and hope, willed themselves to keep living, living. And the people learned new words for love for friend for family for joy for grow for home. With powerful verse and striking illustrations byNikkolas Smith, Born on the Water provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.
The 1619 Project K-12 Curriculum GuideThis guide serves as a comprehensive overview of the two 1619 Project books, Born on the Water and A New Origin
Story It covers the major themes and key takeaways from each book and explains how they might be used together as
well as in tandem with other elements of The 1619 Project to create meaningful learning for students at all grade levels.
The 1619 Project Education Materials CollectionIn partnership with The New York Times, the Pulitzer Center is building learning communities around The 1619 Project. We’re developing programs for K12 Classrooms, out-of-school time programs, and higher education programs. Explore this site to find teaching resources, program information, and ways to connect.
A fun-filled, action-packed middle grade novel about a boy who learns about protecting the environment, finding real friends, and living in the now while spending the summer on a remote island. Sometimes it's hard to be Milton P. Greene. He says all the wrong things, his family is falling apart, and everyone at school avoids him because of the very embarrassing Bird Brain Incident. But when Milton plays his video game Isle of Wild, he becomes someone else--Sea Hawk, the brave and brilliant naturalist explorer who conquers danger at every turn. Then Milton's parents ship him off to the remote Lone Island for the summer, where his uncle Evan is an environmentalist researcher. The island is chock-full of spectaculous species, and Milton realizes this is his chance to become the brave and brilliant naturalist he's always wanted to be--and even meet some fellow explorers! But as it turns out, the future of the Lone Island is in some pretty serious peril, and the only thing that can save it is a field guide full of cryptic clues. If Milton and his unexpected new friends are going to protect the island, they'll have to trust each other, discover new truths, and embark on a wild and wondrous adventure all their own. The Adventure is Now is a dazzling, fun-filled story from Jess Redman.
The Adventure is Now Teacher's GuideThis guide is aligned with Common Core Standards for 5th grade, but it can be applied for grades 3-8. You will find pre-reading questions, questions for each part of
the book, big picture questions, and extension activities that include creative writing, research projects, and visual arts.
A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel featuring a girl with severe allergies who just wants to find the perfect pet! At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with getting ready for a new baby, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie loves animals and thinks a new puppy to call her own is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She's severely allergic to anything with fur! Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet? With illustrations by Michelle Mee Nutter, Megan Wagner Lloyd uses inspiration from her own experiences with allergies to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.
This 2021 National Jewish Book Award finalist by author Megan Hoyt and illustrator Iacopo Bruno brings to light the inspiring, true story of Gino Bartali, a beloved Italian cyclist and secret champion in the fight for Jewish lives during World War II. Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning one cycling race after another, including the 1938 Tour de France. Gino became an international sports hero! But the next year, World War II began, and it changed everything. Soldiers marched into Italy. Tanks rolled down the cobbled streets of Florence. And powerful leaders declared that Jewish people should be arrested. To the entire world, Gino Bartali was merely a champion cyclist. But Gino's greatest achievement was something he never told a soul--that he secretly worked with the Italian resistance to save hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children, and others, from certain death, using the one thing no authority would question: his bicycle. This compelling nonfiction picture book for elementary-age readers offers a unique perspective on World War II history. It's a strong choice for units on the war and for biographies of lesser-known heroes in history and in sports.
Girl power scores a goal in this uplifting story of teamwork, new beginnings, and coming together to fight for what's right--perfect for fans of Lisa Graff and Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Bea and her mom have always been a two-person team. But now her mom is marrying Wendell, and their team is growing by three boys, two dogs, and a cat. Finding her place in her new blended family may be tough, but when Bea finds out her school might not get the all-girls soccer team they'd been promised, she learns that the bigger the team, the stronger the fight--and that for the girls to get what they deserve, they're going to need a squad behind them. Lauded as "remarkable" by the New York Times Book Review, Lindsey Stoddard's heartfelt stories continue to garner critical acclaim, and her latest novel will have fans new and old rooting for Bea as she discovers that building a new life doesn't mean leaving her old one behind.
In this full-color middle grade graphic memoir for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jerry Craft, Yehudi Mercado draws inspiration from his childhood struggle with his weight while finding friendship with his imaginary mascot, Chunky, as he navigates growing up in a working class Mexican-Jewish family. Hudi needs to lose weight, according to his doctors. Concerned about the serious medical issue Hudi had when he was younger, his parents push him to try out for sports. Hudi would rather do anything else, but then he meets Chunky, his imaginary friend and mascot. Together, they decide to give baseball a shot. As the only Mexican and Jewish kid in his neighborhood, Hudi has found the cheerleader he never had. Baseball doesn't go well (unless getting hit by the ball counts), but the two friends have a great time drawing and making jokes. While Hudi's parents keep trying to find the right sport for Hudi, Chunky encourages him to pursue his true love--comedy. But when Hudi's dad loses his job, it gets harder for Hudi to chart his own course, even with Chunky's guidance. Can Chunky help Hudi stay true to himself or will this friendship strike out * A TLA Maverick Graphic Novel of the Year *
Calling all Raina Telgemeier fans! Introducing an irresistible new middle-grade graphic novel series about growing up, friendship, heroes, and cats (lots of cats!)--perfect for fans of Guts, Awkward and Real Friends (not to mention anyone who loves cats!) Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp--something that's way out of Katie and her mom's budget, UNLESS Katie can figure out a way to earn the money for camp herself. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life get interesting. First, Madeline has 217 cats (!) and they're not exactly . . . normal cats. Also, why is Madeline always out EXACTLY when the city's most notorious villain commits crimes?! Is it possible that Katie's upstairs neighbor is really a super villain? Can Katie wrangle a whole lot of wayward cats, save a best friendship (why is Beth barely writing back? And who's this boy she keeps talking about?!), AND crack the biggest story in the city's history? Some heroes have capes . . . Katie has cats!
Life on Mars is pretty standard.... until a mysterious virus hits. Don't miss this timely and unputdownable novel from the bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish. Bell has spent his whole life--all eleven years of it--on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid--he loves cats and any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't they have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell--a regular kid in a very different world--to uncover the truth and save his family...and possibly unite an entire planet. Mars may be a world far, far away, but in the hands of Jennifer L. Holm, beloved and bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish, it can't help but feel like home.
From award-winning author Eve L. Ewing comes an illustrated middle grade novel about a forgotten homemade robot who comes to life just when aspiring fifth-grade scientist Maya needs a friend -- and a science fair project. Maya's nervous about fifth grade. She tries to keep calm by reminding herself she knows what to expect. But then she learns that this year won't be anything like the last. For the first time since kindergarten, her best friends Jada and MJ are placed in a different class without her, and introverted Maya has trouble making new friends. She tries to put on a brave face since they are in fifth grade now, but Maya is nervous! Just when too much seems to be changing, she finds a robot named Ralph in the back of Mr. Mac's convenience store closet. Once she uses her science skills to get him up and running, a whole new world of connection opens up as Ralph becomes a member of her family and Maya begins to step into her power. In this touching novel, Eve L. Ewing melds together a story about community, adapting to change, and the magic of ingenuity that reminds young readers that they can always turn to their own curiosity when feeling lost.
A lyrically told, exquisitely illustrated biography of influential Jewish artist and activist Ben Shahn A 2022 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner A 2022 Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Picture Book "The first thing I can remember," Ben said, "I drew." As an observant child growing up in Lithuania, Ben Shahn yearns to draw everything he sees--and, after seeing his father banished by the Czar for demanding workers' rights, he develops a keen sense of justice, too. So when Ben and the rest of his family make their way to America, Ben brings both his sharp artistic eye and his desire to fight for what's right. As he grows, he speaks for justice through his art--by disarming classmates who bully him because he's Jewish, by defying his teachers' insistence that he paint beautiful landscapes rather than true stories, by urging the US government to pass Depression-era laws to help people find food and jobs. In this moving and timely portrait, award-winning author Cynthia Levinson and illustrator Evan Turk honor an artist, immigrant, and activist whose work still resonates today: a true painter for the people.
"With a deft hand, Johnson shows us there's no such thing as "too young" when it comes to questioning big ideas like manhood, or even family." -Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Look Both Ways and Stamped Literary powerhouse and Coretta Scott King Honor- and Boston Globe / Horn Book Honor-winning author of The Parker Inheritance Varian Johnson explores themes of toxic masculinity and family legacy in this heartfelt, hopeful story of one boy discovering what it really means to be a man. SECRETS ARE ALWAYS A GAMBLE Ten-year-old Anthony Joplin has made it to double digits! Which means he's finally old enough to play in the spades tournament every Joplin Man before him seems to have won. So while Ant's friends are stressing about fifth grade homework and girls, Ant only has one thing on his mind: how he'll measure up to his father's expectations at the card table. Then Ant's best friend gets grounded, and he's forced to find another spades partner. And Shirley, the new girl in his class, isn't exactly who he has in mind. She talks a whole lot of trash -- way more than his old partner. Plus, he's not sure that his father wants him playing with a girl. But she's smart and tough and pretty, and knows every card trick in the book. So Ant decides to join forces with Shirley -- and keep his plans a secret. Only it turns out secrets are another Joplin Man tradition. And his father is hiding one so big it may tear their family apart...
Book Discussion GuideThis resource was developed by CU students for the 2021 Children’s Book Festival hosted by the University
of Colorado Boulder’s School of Education and Boulder Book Store. It is an open educational resource.
This heartfelt picture book biography illustrated by the Caldecott Honoree Ekua Holmes, tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an African American opera singer turned environmentalist and the legacy she preserved. MaVynee loved going to the beach. But in the days of Jim Crow, she couldn't just go to any beach--most of the beaches in Jacksonville were for whites only. Knowing something must be done, her grandfather bought a beach that African American families could enjoy without being reminded they were second class citizens; he called it American Beach. Artists like Zora Neale Hurston and Ray Charles vacationed on its sunny shores. It's here that MaVynee was first inspired to sing, propelling her to later become a widely acclaimed opera singer who routinely performed on an international stage. But her first love would always be American Beach. After the Civil Rights Act desegregated public places, there was no longer a need for a place like American Beach and it slowly fell into disrepair. MaVynee remembered the importance of American Beach to her family and so many others, so determined to preserve this integral piece of American history, she began her second act as an activist and conservationist, ultimately saving the place that had always felt most like home.
Educator GuideWith input from a STEM-certified administrator and K-5 elementary teacher, the
guide features research-based strategies and activities that can be integrated
across the curriculum on topics such as environmentalism, music, resilience, art,
citizenship, and African American history.
* "Nguyen's heartfelt tale is perfect for animal-loving fans of Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan and Rosanne Parry's A Wolf Called Wander."--School Library Journal, starred review A middle grade graphic novel adventure based on a true story, in which a young conservationist overcomes the odds to save and return a sun bear to its natural habitat. When endlessly curious and tenacious Chang discovers a bear bile farm near her home in Vietnam, she decides to do everything she can to save wild animals--by becoming a conservationist! After teaching herself survival skills, documenting each rainforest plant and animal she sees in her field notebook, and disproving the critics who think she isn't old enough or strong enough, Chang is finally accepted as a rescue center volunteer. But her toughest challenge yet comes when she's tasked with returning Sorya--the sun bear she raised from infancy--back into the wild. Because despite being a different species, Sorya is Chang's best friend. And letting a friend go is never easy . . . even when it's the right thing to do. With breathtaking art and STEM facts galore, Chang's daring story is for any young reader, animal lover, and intrepid explorer!
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"Shark Summer is bursting with vibrant, expressive art....The characters are distinct and relatable...It's a lovely read!"--Molly Knox Ostertag, author of the Witch Boy series "Eloquently chronicled in Marcks's cinematic panels, friendships are formed and repaired, parental relationships articulated, and inner conflicts expressed and resolved. A winning production." --Kirkus When a Hollywood film crew arrives on Martha's Vineyard with a mechanical shark and a youth film contest boasting a huge cash prize, disgraced pitcher Gayle "Blue Streak" Briar sees a chance to turn a bad season into the best summer ever. After recruiting aspiring cinematographer Elijah Jones and moody director Maddie Grey, Gayle and her crew set out to uncover the truth of the island's own phantom shark and win the prize money. But these unlikely friends are about to discover what happens when you turn your camera toward the bad things lurking below the surface.
In 1964, Shirley Chisholm took her voice and leadership to politics, becoming the first Black woman elected to the New York State Assembly, and the first Black woman elected to Congress. Then in 1972, she became the first Black woman to seek the presidency of the United States.Shirley Chisholm, a woman of many firsts, was an unforgettable political trailblazer, a candidate of the people and 'catalyst of change' who opened the door for women in the political arena and for the first Black president of the United States
A humorous and heartwarming bounce-to-the-beat underdog story about a young rapper whose rhymes help bring his community together, from America's favorite rapping teacher. As featured on Good Morning America! Eleven-year-old Simon Barnes dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper that everyone calls Notorious D.O.G. But for now, he's just a Chicago fifth grader who's small for his age and afraid to use his voice. Simon prefers to lay low at school and at home, even though he's constantly spitting rhymes in his head. But when his new teacher assigns the class an oral presentation on something that affects their community, Simon must face his fears. With some help from an unexpected ally and his neighborhood crew, will Simon gain the confidence to rap his way to an A and prove that one kid can make a difference in his 'hood? Dwayne Reed is a Chicago teacher, whose viral back-to-school music video "Welcome to the 4th Grade" took the internet by storm. His debut novel, Simon B. Rhymin' , inspires young readers everywhere to use their voice to create change within their communities.
Can Sona be the best big sister ever when she's not sure she even wants a baby sister or brother? Brimming with warmth and charm, this story set in India will resonate with new older siblings everywhere. Sona Sharma's house is full of three generations of people who joke often and argue sometimes. Relatives come over unannounced, the phone rings frequently, and friends drop by all the time. Then one day Amma tells Sona that she is going to have a baby. Is that good? Sona isn't so sure. She doesn't want to share her room or her things with a new baby, not to mention the attention of Amma, Appa, Thatha, and Paatti. And despite Amma's assurance that the sky always has room for new stars, Sona doesn't feel stretchy or bighearted like the sky. But when she learns there will be a baby-naming ceremony, she's determined to find the best name for her new brother or sister--one as nice as her own, a Hindi word for "gold." Perfectly pitched to young readers, this tale of warming up to change is followed by a glossary of words from India to explore in the story.
May/June 2021 Kids' Indie Next List · Featured in Today Show's AAPI Heritage Month list · A Kirkus Children's Best Book of 2021 · A National Council of Teachers of English Notable Verse Novel · Jane Addams 2022 Children's Book Award Finalist · 2021 Nerdie Award Winner · 2021 Muslim Bookstagram Award Winner For fans of Other Words for Home and Front Desk, this powerful, charming immigration story follows a girl who moves from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Georgia, and must find her footing in a new world. Reem Faruqi is the ALA Notable author of award-winning Lailah's Lunchbox. "A lyrical coming of age story exploring family, immigration, and most of all belonging." --Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound "This empowering story will resonate with people who have struggled to both fit in and stay true to themselves." --Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor author of The Night Diary "A gorgeously written story, filled with warmth and depth." --Hena Khan, author of Amina's Voice When her family moves from Pakistan to Peachtree City, all Nurah wants is to blend in, yet she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah's accent, floral-print kurtas, and tea-colored skin make her feel excluded, until she meets Stahr at swimming tryouts. And in the water Nurah doesn't want to blend in. She wants to win medals like her star athlete brother, Owais--who is going through struggles of his own in the U.S. Yet when sibling rivalry gets in the way, she makes a split-second decision of betrayal that changes their fates. Ultimately Nurah slowly gains confidence in the form of strong swimming arms, and also gains the courage to stand up to bullies, fight for what she believes in, and find her place.
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards for Author and Illustrator A Caldecott Honor Book A Sibert Honor Book Longlisted for the National Book Award A Kirkus Prize Finalist A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book "A must-have"--Booklist (starred review) Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa's Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community. News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future. Download the free educator guide here: https://lernerbooks.com/download/unspeakableteachingguide
From #1 New York Times bestseller Katherine Applegate, a singular middle-grade novel about a girl who risks everything to help a handmade creature who comes to life. The earth is old and we are not, and that is all you must remember . . . Eleven-year-old Willodeen adores creatures of all kinds, but her favorites are the most unlovable beasts in the land: strange beasts known as "screechers." The villagers of Perchance call them pests, even monsters, but Willodeen believes the animals serve a vital role in the complicated web of nature. Lately, though, nature has seemed angry indeed. Perchance has been cursed with fires and mudslides, droughts and fevers, and even the annual migration of hummingbears, a source of local pride and income, has dwindled. For as long as anyone can remember, the tiny animals have overwintered in shimmering bubble nests perched atop blue willow trees, drawing tourists from far and wide. This year, however, not a single hummingbear has returned to Perchance, and no one knows why. When a handmade birthday gift brings unexpected magic to Willodeen and her new friend, Connor, she's determined to speak up for the animals she loves, and perhaps even uncover the answer to the mystery of the missing hummingbears. A timely and timeless tale about our fragile earth, and one girl's fierce determination to make a difference.


A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Europe, and later in Australia, North Africa, North America and South America.
While ballads have no prescribed structure and may vary in their number of lines and stanzas, many ballads employ quatrains with ABCB or ABAB rhyme schemes, the key being a rhymed second and fourth line. Contrary to a popular conception, it is rare if not unheard-of for a ballad to contain exactly 13 lines. Additionally, couplets rarely appear in ballads.
Many ballads were written and sold as single-sheet broadsides. The form was often used by poets and composers from the 18th century onwards to produce lyrical ballads. In the later 19th century, the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song and is often used for any love song, particularly the sentimental ballad of pop or rock music, although the term is also associated with the concept of a stylized storytelling song or poem, particularly when used as a title for other media such as a film.
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally "dancing songs" (L: ballare, to dance), yet becoming "stylized forms of solo song" before being adopted in England. As a narrative song, their theme and function may originate from Scandinavian and Germanic traditions of storytelling that can be seen in poems such as Beowulf. Musically they were influenced by the Minnelieder of the Minnesang tradition. The earliest example of a recognizable ballad in form in England is "Judas" in a 13th-century manuscript.
Ballads were originally written to accompany dances, and so were composed in couplets with refrains in alternate lines. These refrains would have been sung by the dancers in time with the dance. Most northern and west European ballads are written in ballad stanzas or quatrains (four-line stanzas) of alternating lines of iambic (an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable) tetrameter (eight syllables) and iambic trimeter (six syllables), known as ballad meter. Usually, only the second and fourth line of a quatrain are rhymed (in the scheme a, b, c, b), which has been taken to suggest that, originally, ballads consisted of couplets (two lines) of rhymed verse, each of 14 syllables. This can be seen in this stanza from "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet":
The horse | fair Ann | et rode | upon |
He amb | led like | the wind |,
With sil | ver he | was shod | before,
With burn | ing gold | behind |.
There is considerable variation on this pattern in almost every respect, including length, number of lines and rhyming scheme, making the strict definition of a ballad extremely difficult. In southern and eastern Europe, and in countries that derive their tradition from them, ballad structure differs significantly, like Spanish romanceros, which are octosyllabic and use consonance rather than rhyme.
Ballads usually are heavily influenced by the regions in which they originate and use the common dialect of the people. Scotland's ballads in particular, both in theme and language, are strongly characterised by their distinctive tradition, even exhibiting some pre-Christian influences in the inclusion of supernatural elements such as travel to the Fairy Kingdom in the Scots ballad "Tam Lin". The ballads do not have any known author or correct version; instead, having been passed down mainly by oral tradition since the Middle Ages, there are many variations of each. The ballads remained an oral tradition until the increased interest in folk songs in the 18th century led collectors such as Bishop Thomas Percy (1729–1811) to publish volumes of popular ballads.
In all traditions most ballads are narrative in nature, with a self-contained story, often concise, and rely on imagery, rather than description, which can be tragic, historical, romantic or comic. Themes concerning rural labourers and their sexuality are common, and there are many ballads based on the Robin Hood legend. Another common feature of ballads is repetition, sometimes of fourth lines in succeeding stanzas, as a refrain, sometimes of third and fourth lines of a stanza and sometimes of entire stanzas.
Scholars of ballads have been divided into "communalists", such as Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803) and the Brothers Grimm, who argue that ballads are originally communal compositions, and "individualists" such as Cecil Sharp, who assert that there was one single original author. Communalists tend to see more recent, particularly printed, broadside ballads of known authorship as a debased form of the genre, while individualists see variants as corruptions of an original text. More recently scholars have pointed to the interchange of oral and written forms of the ballad.
The transmission of ballads comprises a key stage in their re-composition. In romantic terms this process is often dramatized as a narrative of degeneration away from the pure 'folk memory' or 'immemorial tradition'. In the introduction to Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802) the romantic poet and historical novelist Walter Scott argued a need to 'remove obvious corruptions' in order to attempt to restore a supposed original. For Scott, the process of multiple recitations 'incurs the risk of impertinent interpolations from the conceit of one rehearser, unintelligible blunders from the stupidity of another, and omissions equally to be regretted, from the want of memory of a third.' Similarly, John Robert Moore noted 'a natural tendency to oblivescence'.
European Ballads have been generally classified into three major groups: traditional, broadside and literary. In America a distinction is drawn between ballads that are versions of European, particularly British and Irish songs, and 'Native American ballads', developed without reference to earlier songs. A further development was the evolution of the blues ballad, which mixed the genre with Afro-American music. For the late 20th century the music publishing industry found a market for what are often termed sentimental ballads, and these are the origin of the modern use of the term 'ballad' to mean a slow love song.
The traditional, classical or popular (meaning of the people) ballad has been seen as beginning with the wandering minstrels of late medieval Europe. From the end of the 15th century there are printed ballads that suggest a rich tradition of popular music. A reference in William Langland's Piers Plowman indicates that ballads about Robin Hood were being sung from at least the late 14th century and the oldest detailed material is Wynkyn de Worde's collection of Robin Hood ballads printed about 1495.
Early collections of English ballads were made by Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) and in the Roxburghe Ballads collected by Robert Harley, (1661–1724), which paralleled the work in Scotland by Walter Scott and Robert Burns. Inspired by his reading as a teenager of Reliques of Ancient English Poetry by Thomas Percy, Scott began collecting ballads while he attended Edinburgh University in the 1790s. He published his research from 1802 to 1803 in a three-volume work, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. Burns collaborated with James Johnson on the multi-volume Scots Musical Museum, a miscellany of folk songs and poetry with original work by Burns. Around the same time, he worked with George Thompson on A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs for the Voice.
Both Northern English and Southern Scots shared in the identified tradition of Border ballads, particularly evinced by the cross-border narrative in versions of "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" sometimes associated with the Lancashire-born sixteenth-century minstrel Richard Sheale.
It has been suggested that the increasing interest in traditional popular ballads during the eighteenth century was prompted by social issues such as the enclosure movement as many of the ballads deal with themes concerning rural laborers. James Davey has suggested that the common themes of sailing and naval battles may also have prompted the use (at least in England) of popular ballads as naval recruitment tools.
Key work on the traditional ballad was undertaken in the late 19th century in Denmark by Svend Grundtvig and for England and Scotland by the Harvard professor Francis James Child. They attempted to record and classify all the known ballads and variants in their chosen regions. Since Child died before writing a commentary on his work it is uncertain exactly how and why he differentiated the 305 ballads printed that would be published as The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. There have been many different and contradictory attempts to classify traditional ballads by theme, but commonly identified types are the religious, supernatural, tragic, love ballads, historic, legendary and humorous. The traditional form and content of the ballad were modified to form the basis for twenty-three bawdy pornographic ballads that appeared in the underground Victorian magazine The Pearl, which ran for eighteen issues between 1879 and 1880. Unlike the traditional ballad, these obscene ballads aggressively mocked sentimental nostalgia and local lore.
Broadside ballads (also known as 'broadsheet', 'stall', 'vulgar' or 'come all ye' ballads) were a product of the development of cheap print in the 16th century. They were generally printed on one side of a medium to large sheet of poor quality paper. In the first half of the 17th century, they were printed in black-letter or gothic type and included multiple, eye-catching illustrations, a popular tune title, as well as an alluring poem. By the 18th century, they were printed in white letter or roman type and often without much decoration (as well as tune title). These later sheets could include many individual songs, which would be cut apart and sold individually as "slip songs." Alternatively, they might be folded to make small cheap books or "chapbooks" which often drew on ballad stories. They were produced in huge numbers, with over 400,000 being sold in England annually by the 1660s. Tessa Watt estimates the number of copies sold may have been in the millions. Many were sold by travelling chapmen in city streets or at fairs. The subject matter varied from what has been defined as the traditional ballad, although many traditional ballads were printed as broadsides. Among the topics were love, marriage, religion, drinking-songs, legends, and early journalism, which included disasters, political events and signs, wonders and prodigies.
Literary or lyrical ballads grew out of an increasing interest in the ballad form among social elites and intellectuals, particularly in the Romantic movement from the later 18th century. Respected literary figures Robert Burns and Walter Scott in Scotland collected and wrote their own ballads. Similarly in England William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge produced a collection of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 that included Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Keats were attracted to the simple and natural style of these folk ballads and tried to imitate it. At the same time in Germany Goethe cooperated with Schiller on a series of ballads, some of which were later set to music by Schubert. Later important examples of the poetic form included Rudyard Kipling's "Barrack-Room Ballads" (1892-6) and Oscar Wilde's The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1897).
In the 18th century ballad operas developed as a form of English stage entertainment, partly in opposition to the Italian domination of the London operatic scene. It consisted of racy and often satirical spoken (English) dialogue, interspersed with songs that are deliberately kept very short to minimize disruptions to the flow of the story. Rather than the more aristocratic themes and music of the Italian opera, the ballad operas were set to the music of popular folk songs and dealt with lower-class characters. Subject matter involved the lower, often criminal, orders, and typically showed a suspension (or inversion) of the high moral values of the Italian opera of the period.
The first, most important and successful was The Beggar's Opera of 1728, with a libretto by John Gay and music arranged by John Christopher Pepusch, both of whom probably influenced by Parisian vaudeville and the burlesques and musical plays of Thomas d'Urfey (1653–1723), a number of whose collected ballads they used in their work. Gay produced further works in this style, including a sequel under the title Polly. Henry Fielding, Colley Cibber, Arne, Dibdin, Arnold, Shield, Jackson of Exeter, Hook and many others produced ballad operas that enjoyed great popularity. Ballad opera was attempted in America and Prussia. Later it moved into a more pastoral form, like Isaac Bickerstaffe's Love in a Village (1763) and Shield's Rosina (1781), using more original music that imitated, rather than reproduced, existing ballads. Although the form declined in popularity towards the end of the 18th century its influence can be seen in light operas like that of Gilbert and Sullivan's early works like The Sorcerer as well as in the modern musical.
In the 20th century, one of the most influential plays, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's (1928) The Threepenny Opera was a reworking of The Beggar's Opera, setting a similar story with the same characters, and containing much of the same satirical bite, but only using one tune from the original. The term ballad opera has also been used to describe musicals using folk music, such as The Martins and the Coys in 1944, and Peter Bellamy's The Transports in 1977. The satiric elements of ballad opera can be seen in some modern musicals such as Chicago and Cabaret.
Some 300 ballads sung in North America have been identified as having origins in Scottish traditional or broadside ballads. Examples include 'The Streets of Laredo', which was found in Britain and Ireland as 'The Unfortunate Rake'; however, a further 400 have been identified as originating in America, including among the best known, 'The Ballad of Davy Crockett' and 'Jesse James'. They became an increasing area of interest for scholars in the 19th century and most were recorded or catalogued by George Malcolm Laws, although some have since been found to have British origins and additional songs have since been collected. They are usually considered closest in form to British broadside ballads and in terms of style are largely indistinguishable, however, they demonstrate a particular concern with occupations, journalistic style and often lack the ribaldry of British broadside ballads.
The blues ballad has been seen as a fusion of Anglo-American and Afro-American styles of music from the 19th century. Blues ballads tend to deal with active protagonists, often anti-heroes, resisting adversity and authority, but frequently lacking a strong narrative and emphasising character instead. They were often accompanied by banjo and guitar which followed the blues musical format. The most famous blues ballads include those about John Henry and Casey Jones.
The ballad was taken to Australia by early settlers from Britain and Ireland and gained particular foothold in the rural outback. The rhyming songs, poems and tales written in the form of ballads often relate to the itinerant and rebellious spirit of Australia in The Bush, and the authors and performers are often referred to as bush bards. The 19th century was the golden age of bush ballads. Several collectors have catalogued the songs including John Meredith whose recording in the 1950s became the basis of the collection in the National Library of Australia. The songs tell personal stories of life in the wide open country of Australia. Typical subjects include mining, raising and droving cattle, sheep shearing, wanderings, war stories, the 1891 Australian shearers' strike, class conflicts between the landless working class and the squatters (landowners), and outlaws such as Ned Kelly, as well as love interests and more modern fare such as trucking. The most famous bush ballad is "Waltzing Matilda", which has been called "the unofficial national anthem of Australia".
Sentimental ballads, sometimes called "tear-jerkers" or "drawing-room ballads" owing to their popularity with the middle classes, had their origins in the early "Tin Pan Alley" music industry of the later 19th century. They were generally sentimental, narrative, strophic songs published separately or as part of an opera (descendants perhaps of broadside ballads, but with printed music, and usually newly composed). Such songs include "Little Rosewood Casket" (1870), "After the Ball" (1892) and "Danny Boy". The association with sentimentality led to the term "ballad" being used for slow love songs from the 1950s onwards. Modern variations include "jazz ballads", "pop ballads", "rock ballads", "R&B ballads" and "power ballads".
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- "Songs of Protest, Songs of Love: Popular Ballads in Eighteenth-Century Britain | Reviews in History". www.history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
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- Gregory, E. David (April 13, 2006). Victorian Songhunters: The Recovery and Editing of English Vernacular Ballads and Folk Lyrics, 1820-1883. Scarecrow Press. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-1-4616-7417-7. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- D. Gregory, '"The Songs of the People for Me": The Victorian Rediscovery of Lancashire Vernacular Song', Canadian Folk Music/Musique folklorique canadienne, 40 (2006), pp. 12-21.
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References and further reading
- Dugaw, Dianne. Deep Play: John Gay and the Invention of Modernity. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Press, 2001. Print.
- Middleton, Richard (13 January 2015) . "Popular Music (I)". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- Randel, Don (1986). The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-61525-5.
- Temperley, Nicholas (25 July 2013) . "Ballad (from Lat. ballare: 'to dance')". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- Winton, Calhoun. John Gay and the London Theatre. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1993. Print.
- Witmer, Robert (14 October 2011) [20 January 2002]. "Ballad (jazz)". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- Marcello Sorce Keller, "Sul castel di mirabel: Life of a Ballad in Oral Tradition and Choral Practice", Ethnomusicology, XXX(1986), no. 3, 449- 469.
- The British Literary Ballads Archive
- The Bodleian Library Ballad Collection: view facsimiles of printed ballads
- The English Broadside Ballad Archive: searchable database of ballad images, citations, and recordings
- Welsh Ballads resource guide
- The Traditional Ballad Index
- Black-letter Broadside Ballads Of The years 1595-1639 From the Collection of Samuel Pepys
- Smithsonian Global Sound: The Music of Poetry—audio samples of poems, hymns and songs in ballad meter.
- The Oxford Book of Ballads, complete 1910 book by Arthur Quiller-Couch
- English Broadside Ballad Archive—an archive of images and recordings of over 4,000 pre-1700 broadside ballads
- A Book of Old English Ballads public domain audiobook at LibriVox