@The Arts Unit Creative Classes
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Learn about the art of performance poetry and compose your own slam poem
Learn about the art of performance poetry and compose your own slam poem
Student public speaking resource developed by The Arts Unit
Years 3 to 6 public speaking
What will I learn?
What will I learn?
You will:
explore slam poetry
view examples of slam poetry
compose a poem
perform your poem.
Welcome to the class
Duration: 00:29Before you begin
Before you begin
You will need:
a device to watch the videos
pencil and paper for writing.
You may also want to download and print the planning worksheets (PDF 253KB).
Combined worksheets - Painting pictures with words @The Arts Unit Creative Classes.pdf- Explore
Are you ready to explore the powerful art of slam poetry?
Watch an example of slam poetry from the 2019 Schools Spectacular.
Write down or discuss:
What do you think slam poetry is?
How do you think slam poetry is different from written poetry?
Why do we create poetry?
Schools Spectacular 2019 slam poetry
The Universe in Us by Diya GoswamiDuration: 03:07People use their voices to communicate or to entertain. They use their voices to perform drama, public speaking or stand-up comedy. Some people read poems aloud, others rap verses or sing. These are all ways that you can use your voice to tell a story or to communicate with others.
When you read a poem out loud we call it ‘spoken word poetry’ or ‘performance poetry’. Some poets like to perform in a competition called a poetry slam. For this reason, we can also call it ‘slam poetry’.
Drama workshop - The Arts Unit
Watch the videos to learn more about slam poetry.
State Drama Festival Photo credit: Anna Warr
Behind the News: Performance poetry
Duration: 02:57Sydney Story Factory: Why do we create poetry?
Duration: 02:252. Analyse
2. Analyse
Watch the following examples of slam poetry, then answer the questions.
Discuss:
What was each slam poem about?
Which slam poem did you like the best? Why?
What other art forms does slam poetry remind you of?
What do you need to practise to become a slam poet?
What topics are suited to slam poetry?
What do you think is more important – what you say or how you say it?
Education Week 2019 launch – slam poetry
This is Who I Am by Tyler and AmaliaSt Marys North Public SchoolDuration: 02:39Solli Raphael – Australian Poetry Slam Champion 2017 Youth – Embrace Our Differences
Duration: 02:36Don't – POEM – Kids Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen
Duration: 01:10The Word – Alice Eather Poem – Yuya Karrabura
Duration: 03:003. Compose
3. Compose
Compose a slam poem. Use the following 5 steps to assist you:
Step 1 – type of poem
Step 1 – type of poem
What type of poem would you like to write?
Storytelling – tell the audience a story, real or imagined.
Persuasive – convince the audience about something.
Comedy – make the audience laugh.
Informative – describe or explain a topic in an interesting way.
Step 2 – main idea
Step 2 – main idea
What is the main idea of your poem?
the environment
your family or culture
your favourite food or animal
a celebration or event
a season
a sport or activity that you enjoy
a story from your life
an emotion or a feeling
your own idea!
Step 3 – plan and write
Step 3 – plan and write
Brainstorm all the ideas and words that come to mind for your poem.
Use your brainstorm to start writing sentences and phrases.
Write the first draft of your poem.
Step 4 – edit your poem
Step 4 – edit your poem
Read your poem out loud.
Edit your poem to make improvements.
Think:
Does it make sense?
Does it sound interesting?
Am I using interesting descriptive words?
Have I used different senses?
Will it make my audience laugh, cry, think or be entertained?
Continue to read your poem aloud and edit it, until it is the best version it can be.
Step 5 – final version
Step 5 – final version
Re-write your final version of your poem.
4. Rehearse and perform
4. Rehearse and perform
Think about how you are going to perform your slam poem. Watch the following video for some tips.
Michael Rosen's top tips for performing poems and stories
Duration: 06:14Experiment with different performance techniques. Use the performance checklist to help you.
Slam poetry performance checklist (PDF 158KB)
Performance checklist - Painting pictures with words @The Arts Unit Creative Classes.pdfPractise, practise, practise!
Try to memorise your poem so you can perform it with emotion. Read and perform your poem over and over again!
When you are rehearsing, make sure you also practise the different hand gestures and how your voice changes. This will add emphasis to your poem.
You may also want to practise in front of a friend or family member.
Perform
When you are ready, perform your poem to an audience.
Your teacher will let you know how to share your work.
Well done!
You're now a poet!
You have completed this @The Arts Unit Creative Class.
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Third-party content attributions
Third-party content attributions
Schools Spectacular 2019 images, photographer: Anna Warr.
State Drama Festival images, photographer: Anna Warr.
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