Amplifying Student Engagement and Voice through Slam and Spoken Word Poetry
By: Katie Katkich
Imagine this: You flip open your teacher planner. You scan the pages and notice that today you will begin a new unit within your classes. Poetry. Excited to get your kids inspired and engaged, you prepare for the week to come. Organizing activities and texts, you know that this unit will be one where voices are heard, students find their power, and even the quietest of students find themselves dancing with the words on the page in front of them.
On the first day, there is an undeniable energy buzzing within the room. As the week progresses, you find your desk scattered with poetry collections and sticky notes from students covered in ideas – each one a spark ready to catch fire and to be explored. Poets ready to emerge from the ashes and take flight. As students explore the likes of Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, their eyes sparkle and they are entranced by the power of the spoken word, eager to shape their own words in just the same way.
Does this sound like your classroom, or are you smirking yet? Far too often this is anything but the reality English teachers find themselves in when introducing poetry to students. Simply utter the word, and students dramatically throw themselves to the ground kicking and screaming. The word is more often than not met with skepticism, boredom, and panic. Students can be seen visibly sinking in their seats, bracing for what they assume will be weeks of forced rhyming and the dissection of poems they “just don’t get.” Groans will be heard as a few optimists gleefully sit quietly amongst their peers, individuals burying their excitement beneath the collective dread.
For many students, poetry feels abstract, intimidating, or worse, irrelevant. They cringe at the slightest mention of it and drag themselves through the readings, assignments, and activities with heavy sighs and reluctant groans. That’s where slam and spoken word poetry come in – poetry that isn’t just locked away in some dusty textbook or written in a language that appears to be from another century or world for its young readers. Slam is intense and jarring. It is alive and pulsing with emotion. It is raw and relevant. It engages with an audience, evoking energy and passion, pushing limits, and demanding a response. Because slam and spoken word poetry combine the elements of writing, performance, and audience participation, these elements bring new life to an artform students consider to be dead. When students hear individuals sharing their stories, their struggles, their feats, and their lives, something shifts. There is a seismic jolt in how poetry is viewed, consumed, and respected. Students quickly realize that poetry is much more than just identifying rhyme schemes and a poet’s use of metaphor. It is about expression. It is about shared stories. It is about sucking the marrow out of life and sharing it with others to consume.
Introducing slam and spoken word poetry into the classroom creates a bridge to the poetic world. It allows poetry to become palatable for students, and to close the initial gap of resistance. It promotes engagement, turning poetry into something that they have to study and into something that they then get to experience. With each line written or explored, a classroom becomes a place where voices matter, words carry weight, and where poetry becomes a tool for connection. Slam and spoken word poetry serves as a window and a door, allowing students to see themselves, to see others, and to immerse themselves into worlds they have yet to explore. In order to create these connections, slam poetry and spoken word’s power can be tapped into through the fostering of self-discovery, prioritizing individual stories, and building an environment that is supportive and encouraging. These aspects create a powerhouse that allows for students to interact with poetry on a relevant, meaningful, and engaging level. More importantly, it serves the needs of each student in developing an understanding and respect for the world and others around them. Curating and implementing activities that foster these skills is the cornerstone of effective slam and spoken word integration.
Developing Unique Voices & Fostering Self Discovery Activities
- “This I Believe” Poem: Adapted from NPR’s “This I Believe” essays, students craft and perform a spoken word piece about a core belief that shapes their worldview.
- "Dear Future Me" or "Dear Past Me" Letters to Spoken Word: Students write letters to their past or future selves, turning them into spoken word pieces that explore growth, change, and self-discovery.
- The Unfinished Sentence: Students are provided with sentence starters and then expand their response into a spoken word piece that explores personal truths.
- Snapshot of My Life Photo Response: Students explore personal photos and choose a single moment from their life that represents a larger theme and tell it as a spoken word piece. The implementation of vivid sensory details and strong emotions are encouraged to bring the moment to life.
Prioritizing Individual Stories Activities
- My Name, My Story: Inspired by Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, students explore the meaning of their name, its history, how they feel about it, and how it reflects their identity. They then transform their reflections into a spoken word performance.
- Portrait Poem: Students create a portrait of their culture that includes insight and exploration of their traditions and deeply held beliefs through the use of descriptive language. This writing exercise can be paired with the creation of a physical portrait they create.
- Soundtrack of my Life: Students think about the soundtrack of their life, choosing sounds (not just music, but laughter, sirens, whispers, arguments) that have shaped them. They then build a spoken word piece incorporating these sounds to tell their personal story.
- Six Word Memoirs: Students start with a six-word memoir, expand it into a free-write, and transform it into a spoken word performance that delves into personal experiences and emotions.
Supportive and Encouraging Environment Activities
- Community Agreements Brainstorm: Before diving into performances, students co-create a list of guidelines for a respectful, supportive space. This can include active listening, snapping instead of clapping, giving constructive feedback, and respecting different perspectives.
- Affirmation Graffiti Wall: After performances, students write positive words or phrases on a large sheet of paper about what they connected with in their classmates' pieces. This creates a visual reminder of support and appreciation.
- Story Swap Pair Writing: Students pair up, share a personal story verbally, and then write a poem inspired by their partner’s experience. This can build empathy and help students see the power of different perspectives.
- In House Slam or Poetry Cafe: Hold your own in house slam or cafe reading! Throw on some smooth jazz, bring the hot tea and delicious treats, and enjoy each others’ stories and insights!
So, imagine this: You flip open your teacher planner once more, but this time, something has shifted. Poetry is no longer met with groans and rolling eyes. Instead, it is alive, buzzing, and deeply personal. Your classroom hums with a newfound energy. Students are engaged and on-task. They are feverishly typing or writing. They are even fluttering around the room, eagerly sharing their work and their stories. They are providing support to one another and driving each other towards success as they provide feedback and insight into each other's observations, descriptions, and ideas. The sticky notes, once tentatively sparks, are now ablaze in the heat of collective creativity and passion.
Poetry is a force of nature. It strikes cords and prompts individuals to move and for others to be moved. It holds a power that once tapped into, can become a catalyst for personal growth, community building, and much more. This transformation happens when the study of poetry steps outside of the dusty textbooks, and becomes a lived experience. An experience, where poetry provides a platform for students to explore their emotions, build empathy, and amplify their voices. Slam and spoken word poetry is a tool that bridges the gap between literature and life. By doing so, it allows for self-expression, social-emotional learning, and cultural awareness to be fostered and spread. It ultimately redefines what poetry can be. More importantly, it redefines ways in which individuals can connect, empower, and create change. So, the next time you turn to that poetry unit in your planner, try not to brainstorm ways in which you can teach poetry to your students, but rather brainstorm ways in which how you can ignite poetry for them – turning your classroom and their time spent with it into a place where they can warm their souls and light the world around them.
