Educators may enjoy this lesson plan, Teaching Poetry Through Rap, which uses music as a model to teach metaphors and other literary techniques. The lesson opens with a game, "Rapper or Shakespeare?" modeled off of a TED Talk given by Akala (a British educator and rapper). The video of Akala's talk is embedded for reference. Next, the lesson examines popular "literary elements," including similes, hyperboles, and rhyme. These elements are defined and then exemplified through popular rappers and poets. The lesson concludes with an optional assignment to give students, where they write their own literary rap. Definitions and examples are provided as a free downloadable PDF. Educators may also want to check out the How Other People Have Used This Lesson section at the bottom of page, where they can view a couple of additional examples that combine lyrics and literature. This curriculum was created by Paul Carl Gallipeau who used it in a high school classroom through the Nazareth College/Hillside Work-Scholarship Connect Homework Helpers program. It was originally created in 2014 and was updated in 2018.