Week 5 Day Two: Ballad Writing

Students today were to take a real story of a murder, preferably one that involved a love triangle and were to write their own ballad around the story following the guidelines for writing a ballad. My balladeers were phenomenal. Here is a sampling from the class based on the Scott Peterson story.

A tale of woe on Christmas Eve
Missing was Laci Peterson
Her home she did not choose to leave
But without a doubt she was gone

She was pregnant with a baby boy
So that makes two lives destroyed
At first Scott was thought to be innocent
But his story was inconsistent

Scott was having an affair with Amber Frey
And 15 days before Christmas Day
He told her he had lost his wife
But at this time she was still alive

Scott Peterson was arrested
And through circumstantial evidence
Scott was found to be guilty
And was given the death penalty

Mason B.

Here's one by Samantha S. that has a wicked but funny twist:

Who’s that knocking on the door?
That’s not a knocking,
That’s Lisa Freiburg fallen to the floor.
She probably slipped while mopping.

What’s that hammer doing in the yard?
That’s little Zachary’s toy.
He must be using it to play watch guard.
It’s been a couple days, where is that boy?

What’s that screaming in the middle of the night?
I heard it all the way down the street.
Baby Savannah must have woke with a fright.
I hope she can get back to sleep.

Do you hear that thumping sound?
Don’t worry it’s just the Freiburg pup.
I always liked that hound.
But all the water is gone from his cup.

They’re such a nice bunch;
All except for Edward Covington,
I once heard he threw Lisa a punch.
I heard he’s been arrested for stealing drugs by the ton.

Sadly none of this is the case,
They found Edward hiding from the police,
With scratches and a cut on the face.
He’ll be charged with murder and hopefully never released.

12 knives and two hammers.
Here’s an arm and there’s a leg under the bed,
Well that explains all of the clamor.
Oh look! Someone is missing a head.

-Samantha S.

Here is another ballad based on the Scott Peterson story by Ian R.

She once was a woman,

with so many ambitions

wanting a child, a career

to add to the decisions



One day she came across,

a young man named Scott

but little did she know,

she was in for a long shot



The couple became engaged,

then decided to get married

soon she was pregnant,

now her life starts to vary



There was no indication,

no clues and nothing further

that her husband would one day,

commit the ultimate murder



Now Scott can think about,

imagine, and vision

what life would be like,

outside of San Quentin State Prison

Ian R.

Finally, here is Erica's ballad based on the story of John Sweeney and Dominique Dunn.

This is the sad tale

Of Dominique Dunn

A beautiful young actress

Who dies much too young



She was a good friend

Who was kind to all

But fate saw it different

And her life took a fall



It was love, she would say

With John Sweeney, the chef

Then abuse came too often

So she ran, yes she left



But the break was too much

For this chef, we can tell

For an argument ensued

Strangling her till she fell



In a coma she stayed

For a long, long 6 days

Her family knew she

Would, at best, live in haze



So they pulled all the plugs

Her life came to an end

The finale of kindness

The finale of a friend



John Sweeney admitted

The fate he had brought

Received 6 years in prison

But a lifetime was fought



In just 2 ½ years

He was free once again

As a man, as a chef

But where was our friend?



She will never be free

To move on in our world

But her memory will live

As long as any spoken word



Life has its own way

Of changing all paths

So be kind, be a friend

With much love and much laughs

Erica R.


How would I do this lesson differently? I would have the students write a short summary of the story they chose to write the ballad on. Also, I would have them provide a title for the story.

All in all, I am tickled pink with the results of this exercise.