Spoken Word for Empowerment (Middle School)
Spoken Word for Empowerment (Middle School)
Subjects: Language Arts, Reading, Poetry, Spoken Word
Grade Level: 6-8
Time Required: This curriculum layout is designed to fit the needs and goals of the school community. Hence, some parts can be split into multiple lessons.
Objective: Spoken Word for Empowerment was created by poet and performer Tayllor Johnson. The foundation of the Spoken Word for Empowerment is arts integration, community-based development, and social justice. Based on her own experience as a poet, her research, and case studies she conducted during her time at Mount Holyoke College, Tayllor believes the performance poetry is a profound and effective way for young people to find and explore their voices and their world. With this curriculum, students will learn the basics of writing, editing, and performing poetry, as it connects to the school curriculum. Along the way, they will explore their own world, current events, and their voice with a critical and curious lens through, interactive activities and discussions. Students will support each other, work together, create together, and will be invited into the experience as holistic people. Over the course of the curriculum, students will explore poetry’s many faces, as well as the many facets of their own community and school culture. At the conclusion of the curriculum, students will have the opportunity to share their work, epiphanies, and ideas with their school community or beyond.
Scope of Work: During the course of the the curriculum, students will be introduced to poetry performance through workshop, discussion, reading, multimedia, guest speakers, and writing exercises. At the beginning of each session students will have an opportunity to check in and write based on a given prompt or free choice before diving into the activity for the day.
Part 1: What is Poetry?
This lesson meets the following Common Core ELA learning standard(s):
After students get a chance to get to know each other and we co-create community guidelines for a safe space, students will be introduced to poetry and the difference between the written and spoken word. Together we will discuss what poetry can and will be for the time we spend together. By the conclusion of the lesson they should be able to articulate difference and similarities between the written and spoken word.
Part 2: Poetry & Me: How do I Write Poetically?
This lesson meets the following Common Core ELA learning standard(s):
Students will be introduced to the concept of colorful, descriptive, and figurative language, and organization of poems. They will have a chance to apply these skills to their world through writing exercises and sharing. By the end of the lesson students will have written and completed one poem with figurative language and shared it with a partner
Part 3: Introduction to Response Poems:
This lesson meets the following Common Core ELA learning standard(s):
The purpose of this lesson is to offer an additional process to poetry writing: the response poem. Through student discussion and multimedia examples, students will be able to see how response poems are utilized in the media. We will share our thoughts on those examples and then write our own response poems. By the end of this lesson, students will have written and shared 2 response poems.
Part 4: Writer's Marathon (Assessment):
This lesson meets the following Common Core ELA learning standard(s):
The purpose of this lesson is to assess what we've learned with a writer's marathon activity where students lead free-writes and share their work. As a community, we will check-in on our process and experience so far. By the end of the lesson, students will have various poems on different topics.
Part 5: The Art of Editing:
This lesson meets the following Common Core ELA learning standard(s):
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the editing process. Students will compare and contrast editing, as they know it in school, and the key to constructive and respectful critique. Together, the class will edit a poem before looking at their own work and lastly, working in partners.
Part 6: Performance 101:
This lesson meets the following Common Core ELA learning standard(s):
Students will be introduced to performance and the difference between spoken word and written poetry. Through student discussion and multimedia examples, students will be able to see the many ways spoken word can be performed. By the end of the lesson students will choose a poem that they would like to turn into a performance and articulate how they envision their performance.
Part 7: Performance 201 (Assessment):
This lesson meets the following Common Core ELA learning standard(s):
The purpose of this lesson is to give students the opportunity to practice writing and performance. After a free-write session, Students will begin to workshop their poems in small groups, preparing to perform and share their process/progress. Depending on the school community goal: Interested students will prepare to share their work with the wider community. By the end of this lesson students will have a poem (or poems) prepared for performance.
Part 8: I am Poetry: This last lesson will be a conclusion and result of what spoken word can do for young people. This event and lesson will be the mission statement for the entire unit as young people who are offered voices to speak their truth, truly speak. This last session can be a community event or a poetry afternoon with faculty, students, and parents. Students should feel comfortable and safe to share their work.
