Lesson Title:  You Bleed, You Learn?
Grade Level: 9th grade, but adaptable for 10-12th 
Objectives for students:
--to understand the concept of inference
--to connect with student knowledge of popular music
--to develop skills in evaluating one's learning process in order to
produce better results in the future (error analysis of one's own
written work, poor test taking results, etc) and to encourage self
evaluation, reflection and planning
--to value error as a learning tool

Materials:  Alannis Morisette CD or cassette: Jagged Little Pill, and
handouts of words to the song "You Learn" (CD song #7) (Words included
at end of lesson with possible connotations)
NOTE:  Some songs on this CD are not appropriate for minors because of
offensive language, but I have used one other song entitled "Ironic"
from this CD to teach irony.

Anticipatory Set: 
--Ask students to consider mistakes, faults, errors in judgement, action
or words.  How do these feel when they happen to us?
--Encourage brief discussion on how we deal with these?  (sample
reactions: run, hide, bury your head in the sand, etc.)
--Ask if anyone has ever really asked themselves what that mistake meant
in their lives.
--Write the terms: INFERENCE, DENOTATION, AND CONNOTATION on the board
and define each.  Ask students to consider these as they listen to a
song.

Play the song "You Learn" by Alannis Morissette (Jagged Little Pill)

Assign students to groups and ask them to infer the meaning of each line
of the chorus, providing the denotation (literal meaning), a connotation
or inferred meaning, and an example provided by group disussion.
	For example:  The chorus words "You bleed, you learn" might
		bring the following results:

	denotation:  you are physically hurt, bleeding, and you learn 		not to
		do that particular action again since it draws blood.

	connotation: you may have taken an emotional risk, got hurt in
	 	someway and learned not to let others hurt you in that way 
		again.  example: when a first boyfriend dumps you for someone 
		else, you are really cautious about having another boyfriend 
		again.

Return to Class discussion--
--Have student groups share results.  Discuss similar and contrasting
inferences.
--Direct discussion back to student experiences.  Consider a test or
writing assignment that students did not do very well on.  Ask students
to give you denotative strategies they used to approach this test or
writing assignment.  How did they prepare themselves for the test?  How
did they feel about their organization skills in the writing
assignment?  Use this as a starting point to infer meaning from
established learning strategies as a class.  
	
	For example: Denotative action: I stayed up late to cram for the 	
			test

	connotative: I didn't spend much time reviewing notes or
 			lecture material as each was studied in class.

	inference: I need to devote some time to understanding each
		 	concept as I learn it, rather than letting it go for 
			too long.

Skills Practice:

Ask students to do two things as an extension of the day's lesson:

1.  Evaluate an assignment that you did not feel very proud of.  Include
a denotation, a connotation, and an inference of meaning in a one page
self reflection. Title it "Process Journal Entry #1".  These Process
Journal entries will enable you to infer meaning and better plan for the
future.  (Future process journals ask the question: How did you attack
or feel attacked by this assignment/test?)

2.  In an essay, select a time in your life when you made a mistake, an
error in judgement, action or word, that affected you in a memorable way
(we all have them!)  In your introductory paragraph, use one of the
chorus lines from Alannis Morissette's song, "You Learn" and explain how
and what you have learned from this error.  In your first body
paragraph, tell the basic situation (denotation), in your second
paragraph, develop the connotation (what this error has meant to your
life, how it has changed your direction, if at all) and in the third
paragraph, discuss the inference (how can the rest of us learn from your
experience).  In your concluding paragraph, restate the chorus line from
the song that you chose in your introductory paragraph, and discuss how
this is true for all our mistakes, how we can learn from them, and what
the value of error is to humanity.


The words:
"You Learn" by Alannis Morissette

I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone,
I recommend walking around naked in your living room
Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles

Chorus:				(Possible Connotations)
You live you learn	--experience teaches us
You love you learn	--relationships teach us to trust...or not
You cry you learn		--sadness or grief develops inner strength
You lose you learn	--loss provides awareness of life's essentials
You bleed you learn	--greatness comes from rational risks 
You scream you learn	--ask for help, some will come, others may not

I recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyone
I certainly do
I recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time
Feel Free
Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind)
Hold it up (to the rays)
You wait and see when the smoke clears

Repeat chorus

Wear it out (the way a three year old would do)
Melt it down (you're gonna have to eventually anyway)
The fire trucks are coming up around the bend

Repeat chorus

You grieve you learn
You choke you learn
You laugh you learn
You choose you learn
You pray you learn
You ask you learn
You live you learn