Spoken Word Assignment

Here is the link to a spoken word piece titled "Coded Language" by Saul Williams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzY2-GRDiPM

why does the piece work?how does it work?what's to admire?what's no so good?how is it a 'poem' as well as a performance?

This is a great piece of performance poetry for several reasons. One thing that makes this such a great poemto perform is the fact that it is so rhythmic. The artist uses several techniques to add to the musicality of the poem. Rhyme, both internal and slant, are used throughout the piece. Also, Williams heavily relies on repetition to make this piece more musical. The rhythm and music in this piece make it a strong example of performance poetry.

Williams is also successful because he is able to connect with his audience. He repeats the word "We" at the beginning of many sentences throughout the piece. This helps him to connect with the audience and draw them in. The idea of shared experience and identity is used to help Williams create a relationship with the audience. The list of names that he recites is also a powerful way to capitalize on the collective knowledge and understanding of the audience.

The interaction and energy that Williams creates when speaking to an audience, as well and the delivery of the piece make it a performance poem. Without the cheering and interaction the audience provides, the piece would not have as much energy and would not be as effective. Also, the piece is one to be performed because it ends with such a strong call to "flip the conscienceness of the entire world." The call to action at the end shows that this piece is not one to be left in a drawer. This is a piece that is meant to be shared. These are some of the things that make Williams' piece so successful.

Performance Poetry Lesson Plan:
Objectives:
1. Students will write a poem about themselves as a way to connect with classmates
2. Students will perform a poem to the class, focusing on rhythm and musicality.
Directions:
1. Students will warm up by brainstorming adjectives that describe themselves. Students will mingle around the room, sharing their adjectives with classmates.
2. Students will use these adjectives, and other ideas to write a bio-poem. Students should try to write a poem that focuses on being musical, so look to add rhyme, rhythm, repetition, etc.
3. Students will rehearse their poem, trying different styles, speeds and places to put emphasis in their poem.
4. Students will share their poem with classmates at a poetry slam.

Bio-poems
Line 1 Your first name only
Line 2 4 traits that describe you
Line 3 Sibling of...(or son/daughter of)
Line 4 Lover of...(three people or ideas)
Line 5 Who feels...(three items)
Line 6 Who needs...(three items)
Line 7 Who gives...(three items)
Line 8 Who fears...(three items)
Line 9 Who would like to see...(three items)
Line 10 Resident of (your city, street or state)
Line 11 Your last name only.

Example:
Kaitlan
Petite, bubbly, happy and energetic.
Daughter of Greg and Missy
Lover of gymnastics, roses and cheerleading.
Who feels happiness with friends, loneliness at night, and joy at ball games.
Who needs friends, love and acceptance.
Who gives friendship, love and encouragement.
Who fears pain, death and losing friends.
Who would like to see the world, the future and neverending joy.
Resident of Stigler, Oklahoma
Kasbaum.

My poem for the week:
The Lone Ranger
It piles up.
Stacks and stacks surround me until there is no air.
There is no air to breathe or space to move.
My chest is tight under the weight of my mile long to-do list.
No one hears my cries for help through the rubble
Of grading and planning and advocating and intervening and disciplining and recommending and coaching and mothering and caring and loving.
Because that is what we are told to do.
Because we love them.
So I grade and plan and advocate and discipline and recommend and coach and mother and care and love.
And I go home and the end of the night
Through the half-lit hallways
And I ask myself - Am I the only one here?
Am I really the Lone Ranger?
Or does it just feel that way?

Poetry and Lesson Plans

I jump at the startling, yet satisfying, smash as the glass hits the floor.
Glass bits hit the tile with a musical quality,
Tinkling like rain in our kitchen.

It was a wedding gift,
Full of promise - new and perfect when we opened it.

That day the glass I took down from the cabinet
Was chipped and etched,
Worn down by daily use.

Finally, it was flung into pieces,
Set free from the mold it was pressed into.

Objectives:
Students will use a poem as a mentor text and imitate the style to create their own work of poetry.

Directions:
1. Read "This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams
2. Make a special note of the length of the lines and other stylistic features of the poem
3. Brainstorm things you have done that you weren't really sorry for
4. Write a poem about that instance, imitating Williams' style
5. Be sure you finish the poem with the reason why you're not really sorry
6. Proofread your poem for fluency and any errors
7. Be prepared to share you poem with classmatesThis is Just to Say
-William Carlos Williams

I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe iceboxand whichyou were probablysavingfor breakfastForgive methey were deliciousso sweetand so cold

Objectives:
Students will write a five line poem describing an emotion using figurative language.

Directions:
1. Think of an emotion that you have experienced and feel strongly about
2. Now write a five line poem using the format below:

The first line of the poem involves an emotion: sadness, anger, confusion, hurt.
For Example - I was hurt when my mother forgot my birthday
Or - The anger rose inside me, making my hands ball into fists
The second line describes the emotion as a color.
For example - My anger was red as a stop sign
Or - Happiness as pink as a puppy's tongue
The third line starts with "It happens when . . .."
For example - Anger happens when I'm told to get up in the morning
Or - Confusion happens when I have a test but don't do my homework
The fourth line begins with "It sounds like . . .."
For example - Sadness sounds like a kitten left out in the rain
The last line of the poem repeats the original emotion.

Prose Poem/ Poetry Assignment

An Inconvenient Birthday

I pushed through the door with a hastily wrapped gift and an un-hung birthday banner. I was calculating the minutes I had to celebrate while noisily throwing clothes from my gym bag to the hamper when, from my peripheral vision, I saw you staring at me. You handed me a clean towel to put into my bag, and I accepted in without meeting your eyes, the pain in the back of my throat swallowing all of my apologies.

Poetry Lesson Plan

Objectives:
1. Students will read background information on the Holocaust and Elie Wiesel.

2. Students will begin to write poetry using found language in a Found Poem.

Activities:
1. Read the handouts on the victims of the Holocaust, the survivor story, and Elie Wiesel's acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize.

2. For each text, write a short 1/2-1 page reaction/reflection about what you read. Keep these on the same piece of paper and label each with the title of the text.

3. Then, go back to the text and look for words and phrases that catch your eye or that seem to contradict each other if you take them out of context. Look for repeated words and see what the text is trying to emphasize.

4. Select words and phrases from the text, and begin to arrange them on your own page. Try to keep them in order, even if you are leaving out phrases or sentences in between.

5. Look for poetic interest in these words. Look for ways to cut and arrange them to point out contrasting ideas or contradictions. Look for images that they provide.

6. Sometimes identifying an emotion you sense in the text or feel when or after reading can help you better select words and phrases to use in your poem.

7. Arrange your selected text into a 10-20 line found poem. Be prepared to share your poem with a small group or maybe the entire class.