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TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE: SPOKEN WORD FIELD TRIP

Community engagement and education programs at PlayhouseSquare are made possible by the generous support of foundations, corporations and donors.

The lessons and activities in this guide support the 6-12 Academic Content Standards (2002) and the Common Core Standards (2010) which ensure all students are college and career ready. The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language define general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations that must be met for students to be prepared to enter college and workforce training programs ready to succeed.

21st century skills of creativity, critical thinking and collaboration are embedded in drama. Theater is a natural vehicle to engage students. Seeing live theatre encourages students to read, develop critical and creative thinking and be curious about the world around them.

This teacher resource guide includes background information, questions and activities that can stand alone or work as building blocks toward the creation of a complete unit of classroom work.

Pre-Program

Overall Program Objectives & Standards Alignment

Writing Activities

History of Slam Poetry

Youth Slam Movement

Performance Activities

Post-Program

Types of Slam Competitions

How to Hold a School Poetry Slam

Resources

OVERALL PROGRAM OBJECTIVES & STANDARDS ALIGNMENTStudents will: Develop a concept, produce written work and apply a wide range of strategies to interpret and evaluate written work;

Discover how the intention of gestures adds a deeper meaning to telling a story to a live audience;

Integrate verbal and non-verbal communication to produce a cohesive piece of work with impact and purpose;

Take risks, engage in literate behaviors and participate in a creative, reflective community.

Ohio Department of Education Academic Content Standards English Language Arts Benchmarks

• Writing Processes (8-10) A. Formulate writing ideas and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience.

B. Determine the usefulness of organizers and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks.

D. Edit to improve sentence fluency, grammar and usage.

• Writing Processes (11-12) A. Formulate writing ideas and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience.

C. Use a variety of strategies to revise content, organization and style, and to improve word choice, sentence variety, clarity and consistency of writing.

• Communication: Oral and Visual (8-10) D. Demonstrate an understanding of effective speaking strategies by selecting appropriate language and adjusting presentation techniques.

• Communication: Oral and Visual (11-12) C. Select and use effective speaking strategies for a variety of audiences, situations and purposes.

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Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing (6-12)• Text Types and Purposes

3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

• Production and Distribution of Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening (6-12)• Comprehension and Collaboration

1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

21st Century Skills Learning and Innovation Skills

• Communication - Using spoken, written or non-verbal language to obtain information or express ideas and arguments

• Collaboration - Interacting effectively with a diverse range of people to come up with new ways of thinking

• Creativity - The capacity to make or express things that didn’t exist before or to solve problems in new ways

Life and Career Skills • Productivity & Accountability - Demonstrating diligence

and a positive work ethic. • Social & Cross-Cultural Skills - Working appropriately

and productively with others

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What’s in a Name?Students create a poet name that connects to them on a personal level and expresses who they are as individuals.

1. After discussing the history of slam poetry and the upcoming Spoken Word Field Trip, tell students they will each create a poet name that will identify them and be used during the following activities.

2. Provide students with several examples of poet names and discuss what each of the names mean to the students. Here are several examples:

PhoenixD’Nile-the poet -i- StormMental Graffiti Uninvitedrep life

3. Have students create a short list of adjectives that describe who they are as an individual poet.

4. Students should be creative and have fun!

5. Have each student make a nametag and use their poet names for the remainder of the activities and during the Spoken Word Field Trip.

6. Ask students to re-introduce themselves to the class.

7. Option: Have students perform a physical action that coincides with their name. For example, D’Nile may say, “My name is D’Nile because I flow like the river in Egypt” as he moves his arm like a river flowing.

Poetic DevicesStudents demonstrate knowledge of poetic devices by using them in the creation of original poems.

The following activities incorporate the use of poetic devices including alliteration, descriptive writing, simile, metaphor, personification, repetition and imagery. A student handout may be found in the Resource section of this guide.

Community JournalsStudents express themselves through the creative process of journaling.

1. Introduce the idea of sustained silent writing.

2. Tell students, at the beginning of each class period, they have the option of writing in their own private journal or in one of several Community Journals.

3. Community Journals are available during the first ten minutes of class during sustained silent writing. Students determine if they would like to add to a journal and to which one. They are not required to make daily journal entries.

4. Responses to what others write must be constructive and positive in nature. Entries must be signed and dated.

5. Separate community journals are created by topic. Topic ideas include: FeelingsDaydreamsI Remember . . . Favorite ThingsHot TopicsQuestions I Can’t AnswerGazing into the FutureInside My MindInside My HeartInside My SoulOther People, Other LivesFaraway Places The Soundtrack of My Life Random Poetry

6. Struggling writers will benefit from choosing to write and respond in classroom Community Journals.

Adapted from an idea presented through The National Writing Project, Kent State University, Dr. Diana Snyder, Creative Writing Teacher, Cleveland School of the Arts.

WRITING ACTIVITIES

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“I Am” PoemStudents formulate “I Am” poems based on personal characteristics.

1. An “I Am” Poem is a great introduction to hesitant writers. It allows students to write from what they know.

2. “I Am” poems are written in three stanzas.

3. Provide students with the following format: I am (2 special characteristics you have)I wonder (something that makes you curious)I see (an imaginary sight)I want (a wish)I am (repeat the first line of the poem)

I pretend (something you pretend to do)I feel (a feeling)I touch (something you can actually touch)I worry (something that bothers/scares you)I cry (something that makes you sad)I am (repeat the first line of the poem)

I understand (something you know is true)I believe (something you believe in)I dream (a dream you have)I hope (something you hope for)I am (repeat the first line of the poem)

4. Students may share their poem or have another student read the poem aloud to the class.

5. Extension: Create an anthology of student poems.

Add a LineStudents work as a group to create a shared poem.

1. Divide the class into two groups and have each group sit in a circle.

2. Write the following opening line on the board, “Words create worlds.”

3. Distribute one piece of paper to each group with the opening line written across the top.

4. In silence, the first student adds a line to the poem followed by each student thereafter.

5. Once the poem has come full circle, a shared poem has been created.

6. Have both groups share their poem with each author reading their contribution.

7. Reflection: How did it feel to build the poem as a group?

Photo WriteStudents use precise words, details and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of an experience, setting, event or character.

1. Choose a photograph from a magazine such as National Geographic or Time. You may also choose a photograph that is connected to a theme or topic of current study or interest.

2. Have students closely examine the photograph and focus on using their senses to experience the scene.

3. Provide students 10-20-minutes to free write. Stress the use of descriptive words based on their senses.

4. Next, ask students to use those words to create an original poem conveying details of the photograph.

5. Reflection: How does using your five senses enhance your writing?

Building a PoemStudents create a poem using random nouns, adjectives and verbs.

1. Based on the number of students in your class, prepare three stacks of cards (noun, adjective, verb). For example, if you have 30 students, you will need 30 different nouns, 30 adjectives and 30 verbs.

2. Next, separate the three stacks.

3. Shuffle each deck and instruct students to pick one card from each of the three stacks.

4. Students create a poem based on their three unique cards.

5. You may choose to provide a structure to the poem such as haiku, sonnet, acrostic poem or allow students to write in free verse.

6. Extension: Have students choose two cards from each stack and incorporate all six words into one poem.

Mad Lib PoemPairs of students create original poems based on the word game Mad Libs.

Mad Libs (from ad lib, a spontaneous improvisation) is a phrasal template word game where one player prompts another for a list of words to substitute for blanks in a story, usually with funny results.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Libs

1. Bring in a Mad Lib game and explain the premise with your students.

2. Divide students into pairs.

3. Provide each pair with a sample Mad Lib.

4. Working together, students complete the template creating interesting and funny poems.

5. Ask students to share their new creations with the class.

6. Extension: Have students create a Mad Lib template of their own.

Magazine MayhemStudents formulate poems using words from magazines illustrating visual emphasis on chosen words.

1. Provide students with an array of magazines.

2. Explain that they will create an original poem using only words found in the magazines.

3. They may cut out words that are larger, in bold, or a bright color to place a certain emphasis on that word just as advertisers do to grab our attention.

4. Using scissors, construction paper and glue, students rearrange the words to design their poem.

5. Once completed, students recite another student’s poem placing vocal emphasis where indicated by visual emphasis.

6. Extension: Ask several students to recite the same poem. Observe how they place emphasis on different words or in a different manner. Discuss the idea of interpretation.

Teacher Resource Guide playhousesquare.org/eduresources

Teacher Resource Guide playhousesquare.org/eduresources

Emotional WorkshopStudents write a five-line poem based on their emotions.

1. The activity is designed to get students’ creativity flowing by using what they know – their emotions.

2. Provide students with the following five-line format:

The first line of the poem involves an emotion: sadness, anger, confusion, joy.

The second line describes the emotion as a color. For example, a student might describe anger as “read as a stop sign;” happiness might be “as pink as a puppy’s tongue.”

The third line starts with “It happens when…” For example, “Anger happens when I’m told to get up in the morning.” “Confusion happens when I have a test but don’t do my homework.”

The fourth line begins with “It sounds like…” For example, “Sadness sounds like a kitten left out in the rain.”

The last line of the poem repeats the original emotion.

3. Review the format and share an example of your own.

4. Provide students with ample time to complete their poems and share with the class.

5. Allow students to illustrate their poems. This will enhance the experience and allow them to visualize their writing.

Source: Elizabeth Thomas, UpWords Poetry

Performance ActivitiesStudents adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks.

The following activities incorporate the use of P.I.P.E.S. (projection, inflection pacing, eye contact, and stance). A student handout may be found in the Resource section of this guide.

Warm-UpStudents develop plasticity in the facial muscles and tongue.

1. Have students stand in a circle.

2. One student begins by making the craziest face possible.

3. He/She “passes” this face to the next person in the circle who takes the face (repeats it) and changes it to the extreme opposite.

4. The next person “passes” this face to the subsequent person who in turn changes it to yet another extreme opposite.

5. This process continues throughout the circle.

6. Extension: Have students shake each arm, hand, leg and foot individually to a count of eight.

Tongue TwistersStudents repeat tongue twisters to practice diction.

1. Standing in a circle, each student offers a tongue twister to the whole group (see box for examples).

2. The whole group repeats the phrase in unison.

3. You will notice the group will need to slow their speech in order to articulate all sounds clearly.

4. Practice speaking slowly as a group.

5. As the group increases their diction, increase the rate of speed.

Tongue Twisters for DictionUnique New YorkBabbling baby BobbyDon didn’t do the difficult dangerous deedsThick thistles throbbed in Thelma Thimble’s

thumbFew folks find the fine flavorPopular people, people popular placesSuzy Sampson is surrounded by her

sousaphone

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Vocal ExerciseStudents effectively use their breath when speaking.

1. Many students hold their breath when they are nervous. Have students stand up straight and take a deep breath.

2. Pointing their index finger, have students pull back their arm so the index finger is close to their ear.

3. Keeping their arm level, have students say a short sentence, such as “Mary had a little lamb,” as their index finger slowly points forward resulting with the right index finger pointing directly straight in front of them as they complete the sentence.

4. The index finger should stop simultaneously with the period in the sentence and the arm should stay level.

5. Demonstrate the proper way to complete the exercise.

6. Now demonstrate the improper ways including running out of breath before finishing the sentence, speeding up, pointing low to the ground and pointing upward which will sound similar to asking a question.

Zip Zap ZopStudents accept a phrase to maintain focus and pacing.

1. Starting in a circle, the teacher begins by making eye contact, pointing at a student and saying, “Zip.”

2. That person in turn looks at someone else, points and says “Zap.”

3. That person in turn looks at someone else, points and says “Zop.”

4. Continue around the circle. 5. As students improve, pick up the pace!

Focus PleaseStudents adapt eye contact and voice projection as they perform a poem.

1. Pair students in twos.

2. Have each student choose a short poem, preferably one they can easily memorize.

3. Ask one pair to stand 20 feet apart facing one another.

4. On your count, each student begins to deliver his/her poem at the same time each reciting a different poem.

5. Both students continually repeat their poem until the end of the activity.

6. At different points, the teachers calls out “CLOSER!” at which time each student takes one giant step closer to the other maintaining eye contact and continuing to perform their poem.

7. Reflection: What was the most difficult part of this activity? What adjustments can be made to maintain better eye contact, focus and voice projection?

Pre-Program

HISTORY OF SLAM POETRY What is slam poetry? Slam poetry is a form of performance poetry that occurs within a competitive poetry event, called a “slam,” at which poets perform their own poems that are “judged” on a numeric scale by randomly picked members of the audience. Slam poetry gives audience members the power to become part of each poem’s presence, thus breaking down the barriers between poet/performer, critic and audience.

Poetic dueling has existed since ancient times with stories and culture passed down through the oral tradition. Themes of love, struggle, comedy & tragedy and messages of social change have remained the same in the modern framework. Marc Kelly Smith is recognized as the creator and founder of the poetry slam movement, for which he received the nickname Slam Papi. In 1984, the construction worker and American poet started a poetry reading series at a Chicago jazz club looking for a way to breathe life into the open mic poetry format. The series’ emphasis on performance would lay the groundwork for the poetry slam. Smith is considered responsible for several key features of slam including the selection of judges from the audience. In 1990, the first National Poetry Slam took place and has since grown to include more than 75 international teams.

According to Smith, “The very word ‘poetry’ repels people. Why is that? Because of what schools have done to it. The slam gives it back to the people.... We need people to talk poetry to each other. That’s how we communicate our values, our hearts, the things that we’ve learned that make us who we are.”

Smith has several philosophies for the slam poetry movement: The performance of poetry is an art -- just as much an art as the art of writing it.

The purpose of poetry (and indeed all art) in not to glorify the poet but rather to celebrate the community to which the poet belongs. (This idea is paraphrased from the works of Wendell Berry).

The points are not the point, the point is poetry. (Alan Wolfe)

No audience should be thought of as obligated to listen to the poet. It is the poet’s obligation to communicate effectively, artfully, honestly, and professionally so as to compel the audience to listen.

YOUTH SLAM MOVEMENT Younger voices have a strong presence in the slam movement. Slam poetry provides youth a voice to speak out against social injustice, share their hopes and dreams or simply ruminate over teen angst and homework. Youth Speaks, Inc., a non-profit literary organization founded in 1996, serves as one of the largest youth poetry organizations in the country. Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam Festival was created by Youth Speaks, Inc. and is the largest ongoing spoken word event in the world.

Major cities have responded to the growing youth slam movement including New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and Cleveland. Urban Word NYC provides education and performance opportunities for teens and holds the largest youth slam in New York City drawing more than 500 young people. In Chicago, Young Chicago Authors (YCA) offers workshops, mentoring, and competition opportunities and holds Louder Than a Bomb, the world’s largest team-based youth poetry slam in the country. Louder Than a Bomb is also the subject of the HBO documentary by the same name.

Sources: Wikipedia.comslampapi.com/new_site/background/slam_timeline.htmwordiq.com

Teacher Resource Guide playhousesquare.org/eduresources

Teacher Resource Guide playhousesquare.org/eduresources

The Open Slam refers to the most common type of slam, in which competition is open to all who wish to compete. In the case that there are more slammers than slots/time available, competitors will often be chosen at random from the signup list. The opposite of this, predictably, is an Invitational Slam.

A Theme Slam is one in which all competitors are required to have written within a certain theme or genre.

A Dead Poet Slam allows competitors to read or recite the works of deceased poets. The slam is not restricted to any particular time period, as some poets have chosen to read Lord Byron, while others prefer Dr. Seuss.

The Low-Ball Slam rewards the poets with the worst scores. This is a rarely-seen but largely hilarious event.

“King of the Hill” or “Taos Bout” Style involves a direct face-off between two poets, which in some cases resemble poetry boxing matches but take on the look of tennis tournaments from a distance. The losing poets are eliminated, and the winning poets face each other in subsequent rounds. Bouts have a history that predates slam and have been running continuously since their inception in Taos, New Mexico.

The “1-2-3” Slam enforces time penalties and begins with a round of one-minute poems, followed by a round of two-minute poems and concluding with a round of three-minute poems, with the number of poets in each subsequent round reduced by elimination. The theory is that the poet earns the right to do a longer poem by first proving that he can do a shorter one well.

The Team Slam (aka “Grudge Slam”) involves two or more slam teams, usually (though not always) from different cities, each usually consisting of four or five poets. The two teams then take turns sending poets to battle it out for the prize, which is usually boasting rights.

The Props Slam allows competing poets to use props and costumes, which are under ordinary circumstances, against the rules of slam.

Style-Specific Slams include the Limerick Slam and the Haiku.

The National Slam is a week-long event held in a different city each year, where teams of four poets each represent their city for the opportunity to win the national slam championship.

Source: WordIQ.com

Post-Program

TYPES OF COMPETITION

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When conducting a Poetry Slam in a school setting, it helps to temper competition by taking a team approach. Winning or losing is spread across the team and one single individual is not identified as it is a team effort. This is also a great opportunity to talk with students about winning and losing graciously.

Below are the established rules of the Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Slam competition.

The Rules:

4-6 members per team.

No more than 4 members involved in any one poem during the slam competition itself.

Teams must prepare at least one individual poem per member.

All of the work used in the Slam must be original writing by the individuals slamming.

Group pieces constructed and performed as duets, trios, and quartets are not only permissible, but also encouraged. Each performing member of a group piece must have participated in the writing of the group piece.

The Slam is about the poet(s) and the mic(s). Props may not be used in the Slam. Props are defined as any non-body piece of equipment. Musical accompaniment (excluding mouth/body percussion) may not be used in the Slam.

Each individual and group piece must be under three minutes in length. There is a 30 second grace period, after which significant time penalties will incur.

If individuals or teams go over the time limits, their scores will be penalized .5 for each 10 seconds beyond 3:30 minutes, starting at 3 minutes 40 seconds. (e.g. up to 3:39 – no penalty; 3:40 to 3:49 - .5 point penalty; 3:50 to 3:59 – 1 point penalty, etc.)

Five judges are randomly selected from the audience. You may also choose to have several teachers serve as judges. Poems are scored on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest score. Decimals may be used. Judges may use small dry erase boards to record each poet’s score. Once the poet has finished, judges hold up their scores so the audience can see (and react to) the scores.

You will need two scorekeepers to write down each poet’s scores from all five judges. Once the poet is finished, the scorekeeper eliminates the highest and lowest scores then totals the remaining three scores. The final total is immediately shared with the audience. You will need a calculator on hand as it can become difficult if decimals are used.

A timekeeper is necessary to ensure all poets stay within the 3-minute time period. A stopwatch is most accurate. Timekeeping begins at the first utterance from the poet.

Audience members are encouraged to participate and cheer teams on as they try to influence the judges’ decisions. Besides applauding, many groups snap their fingers. The judges daunting task is to try not to be influenced by the audience. Remember, this should be fun!

A teacher, or responsible student, acts as the emcee. The emcee introduces the poets, never comments on a poem or a poet, keeps the slam moving, the energy level high, and announces all final scores provided by the scorekeepers.

Each school district has guidelines for what is and is not appropriate in the school environment. Discuss these with your students and provide examples such as use of profanity, language choice, etc. Although slam is often uncensored, the idea is to be supportive of one another, never to speak against any one individual or group.

HOW TO HOLD A SCHOOL POETRY SLAM

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Poetry Slam, Inc. www.poetryslam.com

Youth Speakswww.youthspeaks.org

Louder Than a Bombhttp://www.louderthanabombfilm.com/

Young Chicago Authorswww.youngchicagoauthors.org

Urban Wordwww.urbanword.org

UpWords Poetrywww.upwordspoetry.com

Write Out Loudwww.write-out-loud.com

Using a Poetry Slam to Teach the Mechanics of Poetryhttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june00/poetryboxlessonplanone.html

Web English Teacher: Classroom Poetry Slamshttp://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetryslam.html

Verbs On Asphaltwww.verbsonasphalt.com

Kent State University National Writing Projectwww.nwp-ksu.org

Poem of Quotes: 55 Types of Poetryhttp://www.poemofquotes.com/articles/poetry_forms.php

Mayhem Poetswww.mayhempoets.com

RESOURCES

Teacher Resource Guide playhousesquare.org/eduresources

GLOSSARY OF TERMS: STUDENT HANDOUTSpoken-word poetry: poetry that is meant to be spoken, usually with a purpose; conveys a strong message about people and society

Poetry slam: a competition in which poets perform their poems and are scored by a panel of judges

Poetic Devices Simile: comparing two things using “like” or “as” Metaphor: comparing two things using “is” Personification: giving life to an inanimate object or animal by describing it with human-like characteristics Repetition: repeating a word or phrase to add emphasis Imagery: using sensory details that describe how something looks, tastes, feels, sounds, or smells Alliteration: refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words and/or phrases

Delivery Techniques Enunciation: clear pronunciation and delivery of words Crescendo and Decrescendo: a change in the volume of delivery (crescendo is a gradual increase; decrescendo, a gradual decrease), which is used to build emotion in a poem Emphasis: a strong force used with certain words or phrases to draw attention to them Tempo: the speed of speech; changing it adds variety and creates a feeling or mood in certain parts of a poem Pause: a moment of silence that lets the words soak in Rhythm: the distinct beat and rhythm of a poem, distinguishing it from a monotone narrative

Adapted from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association