Rockin' Out to Poetry

Subject Area(s):

• K-12: Language Arts

Grade Level(s):

• 10th Grade

Description:

In collaboration with the tenth grade English teacher, students will gain an understanding and appreciation of slam poetry. Students will use the library's resources, including books and websites, to complete a worksheet that will provide the background needed for a slam poetry performance that will take place in the English classroom.

Goals & Objectives:

Instructional Goals:

• Students will gain sufficient knowledge to be able to organize a poetry slam in English class
• Students will appreciate the art of performance poetry.

Learning Objectives:  

The 10^th grade class will:

• Search the library’s books and Internet to answer specific questions on provided worksheet to gain knowledge of a poetry slam
• Establish what role they would like to take in a poetry slam

Motivational Goals:

• To generate an interest in slam poetry
• To motivate students to organize and perform slam poetry in their English classroom

Materials:

Slam Poem to be performed with movement and a beat: “I’m standing here in the library… introducing you to a form of poetry….You may be wondering what that could be….I call it slam poetry.”

K-W-L Chart on whiteboard

Poetry Slam worksheet, books, computers

Procedures:

Introduction:                                      

Perform a short slam poem pertaining to the topic.

 Body:

1. Ask students what they know about poetry slams.
2. Ask students if the class were to put on a poetry slam what steps would need to be taken? What types of poetry? Location? Technology (microphone? Etc.)
3. Explain to students that their English teacher wants the class to perform a poetry slam, but before this she wants them to have background and sufficient knowledge to organize and hold one in the classroom.
4. Instruct students to find a partner with whom they can work well.

 Conclusion:

1. Go over directions on worksheet
2. Students will each complete their own worksheet, but they work with their partner to answer the questions.
3. Monitor progress by circulating around the room. Answer any questions and help out with research process as needed.
4. Go over questions with students.
5. Go back to the “L” part on the chart and ask what information they learned to help them organize a poetry slam in English class.
6. Go around the room and ask what role each student would like to play in the poetry slam.

Assessment:

Observations throughout the lesson, completed worksheets, verbal answers to what participator they would like to be in a poetry slam.

Supporting Files:

• ReganSecondaryworksheet.doc
  

Standards:

National Information Literacy Standards (K-12)

Accesses information efficiently and effectively.

• Recognizes the need for information.
• Identifies a variety of potential sources of information.
• Develops and uses successful strategies for locating information.

Evaluates information critically and competently.

• Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand.

Uses information accurately and creatively

• Organizes information for practical application.
• Integrates new information into one's own knowledge.

Appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

• Is a competent and self-motivated reader.
• Derives meaning from information presented creatively in a variety of formats.

Information Skills and Subskills (K-16)

Definition

• Identifies requirements of research task
• Determines amount/type of information needed to complete research task

Planning

• Formulates a search strategy
• Identifies potential information sources

Exploration

• Uses indexes and search engines
• Locates and accesses information resources
• Explores range of information resources

Collection

• Selects most appropriate information sources
• Skims/scans information sources
• Locates relevant information within selected sources
• Identifies and extracts relevant information from selected sources
• Recognizes when sufficient information has been obtained

Organization

• Filters out irrelevant information
• Summarizes/synthesizes/classifies final information
• Subject: K-12: Language Arts

National Content Standards (K-12)

Reading

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts