Amendments Through Music: Suffrage Ballads
Muse Machine 2025 Summer Institute-Inspired Lesson Plan
Developed by Valerie Folz
Butler Tech School of the Arts
Fairfield Township, OH
Lesson Plan Summary:
Teachers of American government often seek engaging ways to help students retain essential content. Inspired by the 2025 Summer Institute Storytelling and the Folk Arts Spirit: The Roads that Lead to Home, Valerie Folz of Butler Tech School of the Arts challenged students to write and perform ballads about suffrage amendments. Student groups researched the historical problems each amendment addressed, then composed songs to teach their peers. With choice in amendment, song, and rubric criteria, students eagerly performed their work, and Valerie’s assessments showed the ballads were both effective and engaging.
Instructor: Valerie Folz
Title of Lesson: Amendments Through Music: Suffrage Ballads
Subject Area & Grade Level: American Government, 11th Grade
Summer Institute Inspiration: Songs That Tell a Story with Rick Good