This is where I introduce “punctuation annotations.” Students read through the poems and mark up the lines with hearts, exclamation marks, question marks, etc. Give students room to respond to the poems in a way that suits them. The former helps students access the content (the WHAT of the poem) while the latter gives students a way to analyze the craft moves made by the poet (the HOW of the poem). Help students identify the difference between first and second draft reading. Introduce the genre with a high interest slam poem (You can never go wrong with Touchscreen).Get them reading, writing, and talking about them. Immersion Phase: Expose to students to the mentor texts. Finally, students use specific texts and techniques to revise and deliver their poems.
The next step asks students to “write under the influence” of the mentor texts. Students begin by “immersing” themselves in slam poems. The poems here deal with topics such as: anxiety, depression, grief, ADHD, race, gender, substance abuse, technology, and religion.īasic Instructional Sequence: The basic instructional sequence for this unit is adapted from the mentor text model described by Katie Wood Ray in Study Driven. For some of the poems I give a content warning and provide students with a chance to sneak out first. Every poem in this mentor text packet has a corresponding YouTube video of the poet delivering (or ‘slamming’) their poem.Ĭontent Warning: If you plan on using these poems, make sure you read through them first. To that end, I’ve collected every slam poem I’ve ever used into a mentor text packet for you to make a copy of. Mentor Texts: Ten years of teaching English Language Arts has taught me that providing students with engaging, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive mentor texts from the “real world” is the most essential component of a successful unit. write, revise, and edit original poetry that that incorporates word choice, imagery, and literary devices (7.7d, g, j).
analyze the themes of various poems (7.5a).describe the impact of word choice, imagery, and literary devices on different poems (7.5d).I’m sure most states/Common Core have something similar. While students do not have to present, they are encouraged. Time Length: Five weeks of 42 minute class periodsįinal Product: Students will write, revise, and submit an original slam poem. Unit Title: Speaking Your Truth through Slam Poetry Without vulnerability, slam poetry is nothing. That way I’ve had time to build and sustain a sense of classroom community with students. Because it requires students to be vulnerable, I typically save the unit for the back half of the school year. This unit combines “just right” mentor texts with rock solid instructional activities. What follows is my basic blueprint for my annual slam poetry unit. I’ve taught this unit three years in a row, and it never fails to produce some of my students’ strongest writing of the year. And thanks to the internet, teachers now have access to cutting edge slam poetry written by people that look and sound like their adolescent students. Students responded immediately to slam poetry’s relevance, topics, and overall style. The thought of analyzing the theme of “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” or any of the other nature themed poems that regularly pop up on standardized tests makes my eyes slide back inside my head.Ī few years ago I began teaching a unit on slam poetry.
#SPEAK UNIT ANDERSON FULL#
One of the easiest ways to make a room full of middle schoolers groan is to say the word “poetry.” I don’t blame them. “We’re doing poetry? I haaaaaaate poetry! It’s SO boring, Mr.
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