1. Front Page
  2. Introduction
  3. Slam Poetry
  4. Open-Mic Poetry Reading
  5. Emotional Responses to SWP
  6. Using SWP in the Classroom
  7. SWP Lesson Plans
  1. Links
  2. Personal Homepage
  3. ENGL 3372 Main Page
  4. ENGL 3372 Student Works
  5. Bibliography
Poetry Lesson Plan: Using Spoken Word Poetry in the Classroom

Summary:

This lesson plan will help the teacher introduce his or her students to the concept of spoken word poetry, and the affect it has on both the audience and the poet. The lesson plan will allow for the students to first get accustomed to spoken word poetry, and poetry in general. Then it will allow them to write their own poetry, working up to a poem that will be used in a Slam that will finish the lesson.

Objectives:

Students will…

…practice and become familiar with writing poetry in different forms.
…improve their reading, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar skills.
…become more confident in group interactions and in their ability to write poetry.
…become familiar with the origin, rules, judging, and techniques of a poetry slam.
…learn and understand the difference between a poetry slam and an open-mic reading.

Materials:

A couple of poems pre-selected by the teacher to demonstrate the differences between poetry that was meant to be read on the page, and poetry that was meant to be spoken. Possibly select two pieces from classic poets, such as Ben Johnson or John Donne, and two pieces from contemporary poets, such as Marc Smith or Saul Williams. If possible, obtain copies of the contemporary poets reading their own poetry to give the students a better feel for the emotion of the piece.

Several poetry anthologies, either checked out for use as a classroom set, or just reserved in the library.

A place that students can read poetry. Students standing in front of the class in the classroom will do, but having it someplace outside of the classroom can add to the affect of the reading.

Procedure:

  1. First explain to the students the difference between poetry that was meant to be spoken and poetry that was meant to be read on the page. Use the selected pieces to demonstrate the difference. Possibly put the poems on an overhead, or provide them in a packet for the students to look at, but not while the teacher is reading them.
  2. Allow the students twenty to thirty minutes to look through the poetry anthologies and select a poem that they enjoy reading. Remind them to keep in mind the difference between a poem meant to be spoken and a poem meant to be read.
  3. Once the time is up, explain to the students the concept of an open-mic reading. Remind them that they will all read, and that they should show the same appreciation for each reader as they would expect of the audience. Have the students draw numbers, or randomly select their names. As each student's turn comes up, they must come to the front of the room and read the poem they selected.
  4. Once everyone has been given a turn at reading, the teacher will begin teaching the students about the concept of a poetry slam and the type of poetry that is presented at a slam. At this time it would be a good idea to show one of the films that focus on the poetry slam, a few examples are Slam and SlamNation. Also, locating other audio resources or poems written specifically for a slam event.
  5. Allow the students sufficient time to write their own version of a slam poem. Possibly start them off writing shorter poems, focusing on one specific issue that the student might have strong emotional feelings about. Once they have written a piece that will fill the three minutes that a slam poet is allowed, allow sufficient time for the students to edit and rehearse their poetry.
  6. As a side activity, the teacher can introduce the concept of a group poem, and encourage students to work together to create a group piece, possibly offering extra credit for their extra effort.
  7. Once the students have finished with their poems, you will be holding a slam of your own. Explain the rules of the slam to the students, and let them know when the slam will take place.
  8. The slam will probably take place over a few days, depending on how many students the teacher allows to go on between rounds. Get outside people to come in and judge the slam; consider librarians, administrators, or even principals, but make sure they will be available to judge the entire event.
  9. Another possibility that the teacher might consider is having a local slam poet come to be the "featured poet" or even to possibly host. If no local slam poet is available, the teacher should act as the host, and as all good hosts do, the teacher will "sacrifice" himself or herself by reading the first slam poem, and allowing the judges to score them.
  10. Once the slam is over, a slam master will be chosen, and that person will win some sort of prize, be it a chapbook or a free missed homework certificate. If there are some group pieces, make sure that they are judged separately.

Assessment:

The assessment part of this lesson will pertain totally to the amount of effort that they put into the project. Do not let the judge's scores guide the grades for each student, because the scores from the judges are totally subjective.

The evaluation can also come from the quality of the poetry written and performed by the students. The teacher should remain neutral towards the subject matter covered in the poetry, unless it oversteps any boundaries defined by the teacher and/or the administration.

Portions of this lesson plan were taken in part from Poetry Lesson Plan 1.