Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Classes
Find your voice
Learn about, compose and perform a slam poem
Student public speaking resource developed by The Arts Unit
Years 7 to 10 public speaking
What will I learn?
Find your voice and share your story using the powerful medium of slam poetry.
You will:
explore the art of spoken word poetry
analyse examples of slam poetry
compose a spoken word poem
rehearse and perform your poem.
Before you begin
You will need:
a device to watch the videos
paper and a pen.
For a more scaffolded lesson, download the accompanying worksheets:
- Explore
Explore the powerful art of slam poetry.
People use their voices to share stories and experiences, to persuade, to communicate and to entertain. Some people recite stories, others do stand-up comedy or present powerful speeches. Some read poems aloud, others rap verses or sing lyrics. These are all powerful forms of verbal communication.
Poetry spoken aloud is known as ‘spoken word poetry’ or ‘performance poetry’. Often, poets will present their poems in a slam poetry competition. For this reason, spoken word poetry is also referred to as ‘slam poetry’.
Watch the following 2 videos, A short history of spoken word poetry and Come to a poetry slam! to learn about the origins of slam poetry and to see a poetry slam in action.
A short history of spoken word poetry
Duration: 02:18Come to a poetry slam!
Duration: 06:042. Analyse
View and analyse examples of slam poetry
Watch the following 4 examples of slam poetry, then answer the questions below.
Fireflies by Omar Musa
Duration: 03:35Yuya Karrabura by Alice Eather
Duration: 03:00Dear Future Generations Sorry
Duration: 06:02 (ends at 4:48)Dear Young Woman by Britta B
Duration: 02:53Compare and analyse the 4 examples of slam poetry above by answering the following questions:
Which performance did you find the most thought-provoking? Why do you think it was effective?
Which performance did you enjoy the most? Explain why.
What did all the performances have in common? How did they differ?
What other artforms does slam poetry remind you of?
Do you feel that slam poetry is an effective way to communicate something to an audience? Explain your answer.
Which do you think is most important: what you say or how you say it?
Using poetic devices
Watch the video The Universe in Us of Diya Goswami performing her slam poem at the 2019 Schools Spectacular.
Schools Spectacular 2019 – The Universe in Us
Duration: 03:06Complete the following Poetic devices activity to identify some of the poetic devices Diya used in her poem.
An annotated copy of the poem is available on the teachers' notes page.
Poetic devices activity - Find your voice.docx3. Compose
Watch the video Composing a slam poem with Diya Goswami for some tips on how to compose a slam poem.
Composing a slam poem with Diya Goswami
Duration: 06:17Read the slam poetry planning guide to help you compose your own slam poem.
Alternatively, you can follow the step-by-step guide below.
Slam poetry planning guide – Find your voiceStep-by-step guide
Step 1: Decide on your subject
Determine the subject, theme or main idea of your poem. Make sure it is something you are passionate about.
Consider current affairs and personal experiences.
Step 2: Determine your purpose
Your poem should have a purpose. What message are you trying to convey?
How do you want your audience to feel?
Step 3: Research
Be informed about the topic.
Consider what experts, the media and other artists have said on the matter.
Step 4: Begin your poem
Brainstorm all the ideas, words and phrases that come to mind for your poem.
Use your brainstorm to write interesting sentences and phrases. Try re-arranging the words in different ways.
Write the first draft of your poem.
Step 5: Add in poetic devices
Think about which poetic devices will enhance your poem.
Consider the structure, language, imagery, movement and sounds that you want to use.
Step 6: Edit your poem
Read your poem aloud. Reflect on how it sounds.
Think – does it make sense? Does it sound interesting? Is my poem evoking the intended emotions? What do I need to remove? What should I add?
After you have reflected on your poem, go make and make some improvements. Continue to read your poem aloud and edit it until it is the best version it can be.
Re-write the final draft of your poem.
4. Rehearse and perform
Consider your dynamics and body gestures
Slam poetry is a performance – you don’t just read the words aloud. You want to make your audience think and feel. How are you going to do this?
Consider using a variety of dynamics:
volume
emphasis and emotion
pausing
speed and tempo
pitch
gestures and movement.
Use the slam poetry performance checklist to help you determine which techniques suit your poem.
Slam poetry performance checklist – Find your voice.docxRehearse
Try to memorise your poem so it can be performed with maximum impact. Read and perform it over and over again!
When you are rehearsing, make sure you also rehearse the dynamics and body gestures along with the words of your poem.
When you are ready, perform your poem to a small audience. Two or three friends can give you some feedback on your delivery.
Prepare your voice
Your voice is your instrument. Make sure you prepare before performing – you might want to try a few tongue twisters or make different sounds to move the different muscles in your mouth (for example, “ahhhhh”, “mmmm”, “eeeeee” and “oooo”).
Perform
Once you feel confident your teacher may be able to organise a poetry slam with your class or with another class, so that you can really feel the atmosphere of performing a slam poem.
Your teacher will let you know how you will be presenting your work.
Congratulations!
You have completed this
Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Class.
