poetry slams

Following on from a very hard-hitting critique of the current Education Secretary - in the form of poetry:
Jay Doubleyou: school reforms in england - a teacher's response
we have a little more...

The five best poetry slams with a message
Posted by Emma Welton Friday 11 April 2014
Jess Green's spoken word poem Dear Mr Gove has become a web sensation – what other political poetry had a similar impact?



Punch lines … Jess Green in performance Photograph: Charlie Carr-Gomm/theguardian.com

"Anything can be a slaaaam poooeeeem if you say it like thiiis," says Amy Poehler's formidable character Leslie Knope in NBC's Parks and Recreation. Style can often trump substance in performance poetry, but Jess Green has managed to buck this trend with Dear Mr Gove...

The five best poetry slams with a message | Books | theguardian.com

The origins of poetry slamming lie in the USA and Alan Ginsberg from the 1950s Beat Generation:
Performance poetry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And it has a distinctly political history:

This Slam Poet Totally Nails Why Kids Learn Best in Their Native Language

With a string of powerful similes, poet Dylan Garity lets us know what life is like for Boston students who are trying to learn English.

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by Nur Lalji

posted Oct 04, 2013

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Dylan Garity - "Rigged Game" (NPS 2013) - YouTube

The 4.6 million English language learners in the United States public school system are in trouble, according to poet Dylan Garity. Calling them "good organs in a sick body," he believes that their ability to succeed in the U.S. school system is endangered by policies around English education and he's using the power of the pen—or, in this case, the poetry slam—to get the word out about it.

In 2002, Massachusetts residents voted to replace transitional bilingual education with an English-only curriculum.

Garity, assistant director of the nonprofit organization Button Poetry, performed the piece "Rigged Game" for the 2013 National Poetry Slam competition in Boston. The poem pairs a personal narrative about Garity’s sister’s experience as a teacher in Boston with a critique of No Child Left Behind’s impact on students trying to learn English.

The poem derives much of its power from its comparisons:

Learning to read in a new language when you can't even read in your own is like trying to heal a burn victim by drowning them.

We are telling these children who have spent their whole lives in the deep end that they'll learn how to swim if they just float out a little farther.

Though the individual children Garity names in his piece do not exist, they reflect the real experiences of his sister's students. Many of them come into her fourth-grade class lacking the ability to read in their native language, or with no knowledge of English whatsoever.

Garity believes that education in the students' native language is the best place to start, but a new law actively prevents that. In 2002, Massachusetts residents voted to replace transitional bilingual education with an English-only curriculum, which meant that ESL teachers like Garity's sister are no longer allowed to help students with their Spanish in any way. Yet the students are still expected to perform at grade level by the end of the school year.

This Slam Poet Totally Nails Why Kids Learn Best in Their Native Language by Nur Lalji — YES! Magazine
Slam Poet Dylan Garity Describes Everything He Thinks Is Wrong With ESL Education In 3 Minutes

But it doesn't have to be 'political' - but it can be very 'liberating' for the student.

Here are some links from an ESL website:

Classroom Poetry Slams

Become a slam poet in five steps
In this animated TED-Ed video (3:32), International Slam Poet Champion Gayle Danley presents 5 steps for writers. Follow links to assessment, additional resources.

A Brief Guide to Slam Poetry
This page includes a short essay and related links.

An Incomplete History of Slam
Background to slam, arranged chronologically. Click on "Index" for organization by topic.

Poetry Slam
Frequently Asked Questions, rules, and other resoures from Poetry Slam Incorporated.

Poetry Slam
Students will locate a poem of their choice from a designated website to interpret. Students will then search the Internet for performances of the poem they select. In addition to creating a written interpretation of the poem, including references to websites they visited to view other performances, students will perform the poem of their choice before a live audience. Prior to their performance, students will create posters using Glogster to advertise the slam. As audience members, students will evaluate the performance of their peers.

A Poetry Slam Cures the Midwinter Blahs
A teacher reflects on a poetry slam held in her classroom. Scroll down for links to additional information.

Poetry Slam: PowerPoint Style
Students select poems, create slide presentations that use graphics and text to enhance those poems, and then display their presentations as they read their poems aloud.

Slam! Bringing Poetry to Life
This page presents rationales for using a poetry slam in the classroom, including standards, materials, and career connections.

Stage a Poetry Slam!
Definition and tips for planning a poetry slam, and related national standards.

What to Expect at a Poetry Slam
Tips for newbies, related links.

Poetry Slams @Web English Teacher
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