WHAT IS IT?
"Simply put, a poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they're saying and how they're saying it. A poetry slam is an event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience." (EducationWorld.com, 2008)
"Poetry offers mastery of language, and stocks the mind with vivid images and ideas in unforgettable words and phrases." (Poetry Out Loud, 2014)
"Poetry lets us see through the eyes of others, and equips us imaginatively and spiritually to face the joys and challenges of our lives." (Poetry Out Loud, 2014)
Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.
Tupac Shakur
Check out the inspirational videos below
POETRY activities
POETRY AROUND
Students sit in a circle. The first person says one phrase, like “My dog is small.” They can say any phrase they want. Then they pass a “talking stick” to the next child in the circle, who says another phrase. When it gets back to the first person, he or she ends the poem. You can make this more challenging by requiring phrases to rhyme or by doing just one word at a time. You can also record it on an audio recorder and play it back, or write down their poem as they create it.
POETRY PROMPTS
My super power is....
I am a thunderstorm.....
If my dog could talk.....
If I ran the world....
TIPS and PROCEDURES
Students can write their own poem or recite a poem from a poet
Students can perform a 2 voice poem click here for more information
All poems should only be 2-3 minutes in length
Students can use props when they perform. Students can create a power point presentation to be displayed while they recite their poetry.
The poetry slam is open to any student who wishes to participate -- each class will hold a mini poetry slam in their class and select three students to represent the class in the school-wide event.
Make sure students practice reciting their poems in front of an audience before the slam.
Encourage students to be as dramatic as possible when they read their poems. Use hand gestures.
Credits:
Created with images by Hannibal8height - "letters texture writing" • BarbaraBonanno - "typewriter typing black and white" • Taokinesis - "poet literature poetry" • skeeze - "mold growing petri dishes" • //sugar - "summer" • juliejordanscott - "Black out poetry September 7" • juliejordanscott - "black out poetry" • summonedbyfells - "POETRY SOCIETY POSTCARD" • sara biljana - "Reflecting the sunken memories" • femava - "violet sky star"