K20 LEARN | The History of Spoken Word Poetry

Summary

In this lesson, students evaluate the historical and cultural perspectives behind spoken word poetry. Students review several spoken word poems and analyze their historical, cultural, and social connections while studying the history of spoken word poetry. Students then demonstrate and justify their understanding of the concept of spoken word poetry and its influences and perspectives with a creative final product. This is a multimodality lesson, which means it includes face-to-face, online, and hybrid versions of the lesson. The attachments also include a downloadable Common Cartridge file, which can be imported into a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Canvas or eKadence. The cartridge includes interactive student activities and teacher's notes.

Essential Question(s)

What impact does history have on literature? How does literature shape or reflect culture?

Snapshot

Engage

Students respond to questions after watching a spoken word poetry video.

Explore

Students analyze several spoken word poetry videos.

Explain

Students read and discuss The History of Spoken Word Poetry.

Extend

Students evaluate a spoken word poem and make inferences about the poet’s perspective and influences.

Evaluate

Students use the Color, Symbol, Image strategy to demonstrate their understanding of the history and influences of spoken word poetry.

Instructional Formats

The term "Multimodality" refers to the ability of a lesson to be offered in more than one modality (i.e. face-to-face, online, blended). This lesson has been designed to be offered in multiple formats, while still meeting the same standards and learning objectives. Though fundamentally the same lesson, you will notice that the different modalities may require the lesson to be approached differently. Select the modality that you are interested in to be taken to the section of the course designed for that form of instruction.

Face-to-Face

Materials

Lesson Slides (attached)
Note Catcher handout (attached; one for each student)
The History of Spoken Word Poetry Resource Page (attached; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image handout (attached; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image Rubric (attached; one for each student)
Writing paper
Pencil or pen
Highlighters (optional)
Art supplies

Online

Materials

Common Cartridge (attached)
Note Catcher handout (linked; one for each student)
The History of Spoken Word Poetry Resource Page handout (linked; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image handout (linked; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image Rubric (linked; one for each student)
Writing paper
Pencil or pen
Art supplies (only needed if the Color, Symbol, Image strategy is done by hand)

Hybrid

Materials

Common Cartridge (attached)
Lesson Slides (attached)
Note Catcher handout (attached; one for each student)
Resource Page—The History of Spoken Word Poetry. (attached; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image handout (linked; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image Rubric (linked; one for each student)
Writing paper
Pencil or pen
Highlighters (optional)
Art supplies (only needed if the Color, Symbol, Image strategy is done by hand)

Hybrid

Engage (face to face)

15 Minute(s)

Use the attached Lesson Slides to follow along with this lesson. Display slide 3. Read aloud the essential questions. Ask students to consider the questions and volunteer any thoughts they might have. Move to slide 4 and briefly discuss the lesson objective.

Display slide 5. Play the video on the slide:

Display slide 6. Review the questions on the slide with students. Ask students to consider the questions on the slide and share with an Elbow Partner. After an appropriate amount of time has passed for discussion, ask for volunteers to share their thoughts with the class. Follow up with a whole class discussion.

Online

Engage

15 Minute(s)

In this activity, students watch a spoken word poetry video and answer a couple of questions. They respond to at least two other students to encourage discourse.

In your post, provide students with a brief overview of the lesson and the procedure to follow, as detailed below.

Communicate the following to students:

Overview: In this first activity, watch a spoken word poetry video by Jonathan Lykesd titled "Perception." As you watch the video, think about why he might have written this and why he decided to perform his poem rather than just write it down.

Next, share the following procedure along with these links:

This information may be embedded in an LMS or may be shared in a virtual classroom such as Google Classroom.

Procedure:

Watch this video. As you watch the video, keep these questions in mind:
- Why do you think Mr. Lykesd wrote and performed this poem as spoken word?
- What in his life might have motivated or influenced him to write it?

When you have finished viewing the video, answer the questions from above on the Discussion Board.

Read through your classmates’ posts. Think about their answers to the questions and respond with at least two original thoughts. Remember, "This is cool," or "Awesome!" are not good examples of constructive comments. Consider what you like about a particular post—or perhaps whether it made you consider a new angle. You could start off your comment with something like, "I really like how you…" or "I agree with what you said about (blank) because…"

Remember your online discussion etiquette when commenting. If you need a reminder, here is a short video to help with that.

Face-to-Face

Engage

15 Minute(s)

Use the attached Lesson Slides to follow along with this lesson. Display slide 3. Read aloud the essential questions. Ask students to consider the questions and volunteer any thoughts they might have. Move to slide 4 and briefly discuss the lesson objective.

Display slide 5. Play the video on the slide:

Display slide 6. Review the questions on the slide with students. Ask them to consider the questions and share with an Elbow Partner. After an appropriate amount of time has passed for discussion, ask for volunteers to share their thoughts with the class. Follow up with a whole class discussion.

Face-to-Face

Explore

45 Minute(s)

Display slide 7. Pass out a copy of the attached Note Catcher handout to each student. Explain to students that they will be watching six spoken word poetry videos. For each video, assign them to take notes on their Note Catcher handout.

Have them consider the following questions as they watch the videos:

Whom is the poet speaking to (Who is their audience)?
From whose perspective is the poet speaking?
What is the subject/topic of the poem?
How is the topic culturally relevant?
How is the topic historically relevant?
How is the topic socially relevant?
What strategies do the poets use to make their poems relevant?

Review the definition of culturally, historically, and socially relevant, if necessary.

Display slide 8. Play the first video. Allow students time to complete their Note Catcher for each video before moving on to the next presentation.

Display slides 9-13. Continue with the same process of asking students to take notes during each of the videos.

Discuss as a class what stood out in each of the presentations. Ask for volunteers to share any questions about any of the videos. Encourage students to share anything they find interesting, disturbing, or familiar in any of the poems.

Online

Explore

60 Minute(s)

In this activity, ask students to watch six spoken word poetry videos. There is mild language in a couple videos, so previewing before assigning may be necessary. As the students watch the video, have them complete a Note Catcher with guiding questions. After viewing the videos, ask students to respond with one interesting thing they noticed and one question they have on a Discussion Board.

Communicate the following to students:

Overview: This activity has two parts. First, watch several spoken word poetry videos. As you watch the videos, think about what might have influenced the poets to write their poems. What were their influences? Who are they speaking to? What are they talking about? Consider where their inspiration for their poem came from. Were they influenced by their culture? Society? History? After watching the videos and completing your notes, add your response to the prompts provided to the discussion board. Discuss with your classmates what their thoughts are about the videos.

Next, share the following procedure along with these links:

Note Catcher
Alex Dang "What kind of Asian are you?" by Alex Dang

A Muslim girl and a Jewish girl Washington DC team

Spoken Word to His Mother by Brandon Leake

Love you some Indians by Rowie Shebala

Rise by Amanda Gorman

To This Day by Shane Koyczan

This information may be embedded in an LMS or may be shared in a virtual classroom such as Google Classroom.

Procedure:

Part 1

Open the Note Catcher and print a copy of it.

Use the Note Catcher to take notes as you view the following videos. Consider these questions as you complete your Note Catcher:

Who is the poet speaking to (their audience)?
What is the subject/topic?
Is the topic culturally relevant? Historically relevant? Socially relevant? How so? (Socially relevant - how people lived, trends, and what people believed at that time;
Culturally relevant - the arts and popular interests associated with a particular time and place or common experiences (religion, race, geography, ethnicity, etc.);
Historically relevant - what was happening in the world when the poem was written or other historical events in the past)

View each of these videos:

Alex Dang "What kind of Asian are you?" by Alex Dang

A Muslim girl and a Jewish girl Washington DC team

Spoken Word to His Mother by Brandon Leake

Love you some Indians by Rowie Shebala

Rise by Amanda Gorman

To This Day by Shane Koyczan

4. Submit your Note Catcher when you have completed it.

Part 2

Using your notes you took from the videos, respond to the following prompts on the Discussion Board:

What is one interesting thing you wrote in your notes?
What is one question you have about the videos?

Once you have made your post on the Discussion Board, respond to one or two of your classmates’ posts. Did they notice the same thing you noticed or did they notice something completely different? Can you answer the question they asked or do you have that same question? Remember your discussion post etiquette rules.

Hybrid

Explore (face to face)

45 Minute(s)

Display slide 7. Pass out a copy of the attached Note Catcher handout to each student. Explain to them that they will be watching six spoken word poetry videos. For each video, have them take notes on their Note Catcher handout. Ask them to consider the following questions as they watch the videos:

Whom is the poet speaking to (their audience)?
From whose perspective is the poet speaking?
What is the subject/topic?
Is the topic culturally relevant? Historically relevant? Socially relevant?
How so?

Review the definition of culturally, historically, and socially relevant, if necessary.

Display slide 8. Play the first video. Allow students time to complete their Note Catcher for each video before moving on to the next video.

Display slides 9-13. Continue with the same process throughout the video slides.

Ask the students to discuss as a class what stood out to them in the videos. Ask for volunteers to share any questions they may have about any of the videos or whether or not anything interesting stood out to them.

Hybrid

Explain (face to face)

30 Minute(s)

Display slide 14.

When students have discussed the videos, announce to them that they are going to read a short history of spoken word poetry. As they read, they should be thinking about any the questions they may have about the videos that the article may answer. When they finish reading, ask them to write down the most significant or important point they learned from the text. If needed, review the POMS strategy with the students. Pass out copies of the Resource Page—History of Spoken Word Poetry. Prompt students to highlight important words or points or take notes in the margins.

Ask students to discuss what they wrote in small groups and then share out to the whole class. Be sure to address any misconceptions students may have at this time.

Online

Explain

30 Minute(s)

Have students read a brief History of Spoken Word Poetry. They ask them to tell what the most significant point of the reading was to them using the POMs strategy.

Communicate the following to students:

Overview: Do you know the history of spoken word poetry? Would it surprise you to know it’s been around much longer than the internet or even television? In this activity, read a short selection to uncover the beginnings of spoken word and how it has changed over the years. Think about any questions you had from the last activity and determine whether or not they are answered in the reading.

Next, share the following procedure along with this link:

The History of Spoken Word Poetry Resource Page

This information may be embedded in an LMS or may be shared in a virtual classroom such as Google Classroom.

Procedure:

Open The History of Spoken Word Poetry Resource Page file.

As you read the short selection, highlight important words or points or take notes in the margins.

When you have finished reading, think about the most significant or the most important point you learned about spoken word poetry.

Create a discussion post with your most important point. Use these questions to help develop your post:

What was most significant in the reading that helped you understand the history of spoken word poetry?
Did anything in the reading answer the question you had in the last activity?

Read your classmates’ posts and respond to one or two with original comments. Consider what they think is the most important point. Is it the same as yours? Completely different? Did they answer any question you still have? Remember your discussion post etiquette when responding.

Face-to-Face

Explain

30 Minute(s)

Display slide 14.

When the class has discussed the videos, assign the handout Resource Page—History of Spoken Word Poetry.

Prompt students to highlight important words or points or take notes in the margins as they read. Ask them to identify any questions the videos may have generated. When they finish reading, ask them to write down the most significant or important point they learned from the text. If needed, review the POMS strategy with the students.

Ask students to discuss their points of significance in small groups and then share out to the whole class. Be sure to address any misconceptions students may have at this time.

Face-to-Face

Extend

30 Minute(s)

Display slide 15. Have students choose one of the videos they viewed earlier in the lesson. You may need to review them. Alternatively, they could choose another spoken word poem if they have a favorite. Ask students to watch the video again and answer these questions about their chosen poem:

What clues to the poet’s culture can you identify?
What historical references does the poet use?
What social issue is the poet addressing?
What does the poet think society expects from them?
Why did the poet chose spoken word poetry over other mediums of expression?

Ask students to consider these questions carefully, to write their answers to the questions on a sheet of paper (students could also use a Google Doc, if you prefer) with the name of the video they chose, and turn in.

Online

Extend

30 Minute(s)

Students choose one of the spoken word poetry videos from earlier in the lesson or a favorite spoken word poem of their own. They are asked to infer what the poet’s history or time period, culture, or social issue is from their poem. They are also asked to discuss what might have affected the poet’s perspective and why they chose spoken word poetry as a medium of expression.

Communicate the following to students:

Overview: In the next activity, you choose one of the spoken word poetry videos from earlier in this lesson or choose another of your favorite spoken word poems. You are then asked to think about what you have learned about spoken word poetry and what you already know from your experience. Finally, you use that information to make an inference and draw a conclusion about the poet’s history or the time period, culture, and/or social positioning and what perspective may have influenced their choice of spoken word poetry over other mediums of expression.

Next, share the following procedure with your students. This information may be embedded in an LMS or may be shared in a virtual classroom such as Google Classroom.

Procedure:

Choose one of the spoken word poetry videos from earlier in the lesson or choose another favorite poem.
Open a new Google Doc and type the title of your poem, the poet’s name, and your name.

Watch the video and keep these questions in mind:
- Are there some clues to the poet’s culture?
- Does the poet use any references to history in their poem?
- What is the social issue the poet is addressing or what does society expect from them?
- Why do you think the poet chose spoken word poetry over other mediums of expression?

When you have finished the video, think about those questions again. Use that information and what you have learned about spoken word poetry to make an inference and draw conclusions to answer the questions. Write 3-5 sentences answering those questions and record that on your Google Doc.
Submit your Google Doc when finished.

Hybrid

Extend (virtual)

30 Minute(s)

Have students choose one of the spoken word poetry videos from earlier in the lesson or a favorite spoken word poem of their own. They are asked to infer what the poet’s history or time period, culture, or social issue is from their poem. They are also asked to discuss what might have affected the poet’s perspective and why they chose spoken word poetry as a medium of expression.

Communicate the following to students:

Overview: In this activity, choose one of the spoken word poetry videos from earlier in this lesson or choose another of your favorite spoken word poems. After you have selected your poem, think about what you have learned about spoken word poetry and what you already know from your experience. Use that information and knowledge to make an inference and draw a conclusion about the poet’s history or the time period, culture, and/or social positioning and what perspectives may have influenced their choice of spoken word poetry over other mediums of expression.

Next, share the following procedure with your students. This information may be embedded in an LMS or may be shared in a virtual classroom such as Google Classroom.

Procedure:

Choose one of the spoken word poetry videos from earlier in the lesson or choose another favorite poem.
Open a new Google Doc and type the title of your poem, the poet’s name, and your name.

Watch the video and keep these questions in mind:
- Are there some clues to the poet’s culture?
- Does the poet use any references to history in their poem?
- Do you know the social issue the poet is addressing or what society expects from them?
- Why do you think the poet chose spoken word poetry over other mediums of expression?

When you have finished the video, think about those questions again. Use that information and what you have learned about spoken word poetry to make an inference and draw conclusions to answer the questions.
Write 3-5 sentences answering those questions and record that on your Google Doc.
Submit your Google Doc when finished.

Hybrid

Evaluate (virtual)

60 Minute(s)

Instruct students to use the Color, Symbol, Image strategy to represent their understanding of spoken word poetry in this activity. Their choices should reflect what they have learned in the previous activities about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry. Students write a brief statement about why they chose each piece.

Communicate the following with students:

Overview: In this final activity, use the Color, Symbol, Image strategy to demonstrate what you have learned about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry. Think about what color might represent the concept of spoken word poetry and then explain your choice. You do the same for a symbol and an image. Your color choice might represent the mood or tone of the concept. A symbol might be something like two lines crossing or a circle or a thumbs up. Think metaphorically when you think about a symbol, but more concretely for an image.

In other words, if I asked you to show me a color, a symbol, and an image for the concept of love, you might choose red for the color because it is typically associated with love. Your symbol might be the shape of a heart because when you love somebody you feel it in your heart and the symbol of a heart is often used to represent love. Your image might be a family having fun at a park or gathering around a new baby, or maybe hugging a grandparent, or a picture of a home because when you think about love you might think about your family. That memory reminds you of a time when you felt loved.

Remember to explain your choice. It must make sense. If you had chosen red for the color of love, but said it was because red is your favorite color of car, you will need more explanation as to why that color represents love. Take your time with this assignment and be creative!

Next, share the following procedure along with these links:

This information may be embedded in an LMS or may be shared in a virtual classroom such as Google Classroom.

Procedure:

Here is a rubric to help guide the completion of your CSI (Color, Symbol, Image).

You can choose how you want to complete this assignment. You could either hand draw the assignment, or you could use this Color, Symbol, Image slide to create a digital version of your CSI. If you choose to hand draw the assignment, you will need to take a picture of it and upload it as a file.

When you have chosen each piece of the CSI, explain why you chose those to represent your understanding. Remember to consider this question when choosing your color, symbol, and image:
- What have you learned about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry?

When you have finished your assignment, submit your file.

Online

Evaluate

60 Minute(s)

Assign students to use the Color, Symbol, Image strategy to represent their understanding of spoken word poetry in this activity. Emphasize to them that their choices should reflect what they’ve learned in the previous activities about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry. Have students write a brief statement about why they chose each piece.

Communicate the following with students:

Overview: In this final activity, use the Color, Symbol, Image strategy to demonstrate what you have learned about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry. In this strategy, think about what color might represent the concept of spoken word poetry and then explain your choice. You do the same for a symbol and an image. Your color choice might represent the mood or tone of the concept. A symbol might be something like two lines crossing or a circle or a thumbs up. Think metaphorically when you think about a symbol, but more concretely for an image.

In other words, if I asked you to show me a color, a symbol, and an image for the concept of love, you might choose red for the color because it is typically associated with love. Your symbol might be the shape of a heart because when you love somebody you feel it in your heart and the symbol of a heart is often used to represent love. Your image might be a family having fun at a park or gathering around a new baby, or maybe hugging a grandparent, or a picture of a home because when you think about love you might think about your family, and that is a memory you have when you felt loved. Remember to explain your choice. It must make sense. If you had chosen red for the color of love, but said it was because red is your favorite color of car, you will need more explanation as to why that color represents love. Take your time with this assignment and be creative!

Next, share the following procedure along with these links:

This information may be embedded in an LMS or may be shared in a virtual classroom such as Google Classroom.

Procedure:

Here is a rubric to help guide the completion of your CSI (Color, Symbol, Image).

You can choose how you want to complete this assignment. You could either hand draw the assignment, or you could use this handout to create a digital version of your CSI. If you choose to hand draw the assignment, you will need to take a picture of it and upload it as a file.

When you have chosen each piece of the CSI, explain why you chose those to represent your understanding. Remember to consider this question when choosing your color, symbol, and image:
- What have you learned about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry?

When you have finished your assignment, submit your file.

Face-to-Face

Evaluate

45 Minute(s)

Display slide 16. Review the CSI: Color, Symbol, Image strategy with students if needed.

Pass out a copy of the Color, Symbol, Image handout and the Color, Symbol, Image Rubric to each student. Explain to students that they will reflect on what they have learned about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry using a color, a symbol, and an image. They will also write a brief statement explaining why they chose that color, symbol, and image to represent their thinking.

Resources

Brown, A., & Otuteye, M. (2018, April 10). The Bread Loaf School of English toolkit for teaching spoken word & slam poetry. https://nanopdf.com/download/teaching-slam-poetry_pdf
Dang, A. (2014, January 29). What kind of Asian are you? Button Poetry. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoP0ox_Jw_w
Gorman, A. (2020, March 4). Rise. Vital Voices Global Partnership. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdBT9JBV09k
Inkbottle Press. (n.d.) History of spoken word poetry. https://www.inkbottlepress.com/interesting/history-of-spoken-word-poetry.html
K20 Center. (n.d.). CSI: Color, Symbol, Image. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/161
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow Partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
K20 Center. (n.d.). Jigsaw. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/179
K20 Center. (n.d.). POMS: Point of Most Significance. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/101
K20 Center. (January 27, 2021). Online Discourse Etiquette. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPUXQAuhD3E&t=1s
K20 Center. (n.d.). Online discussions. Pedagogy. https://k20center.ou.edu/pedagogy/online-discussions/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Padlet. External apps tutorial. https://k20center.ou.edu/externalapps/padlet/
Koyczan, S. (2013, February 19). To This Day. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY
Leake, B. (2020, September 1). Spoken word to his mother. America’s got talent. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaM-OrZi6IA
Lykesd, J. (2007). Perception. Facing History and Ourselves. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yyrSq7OcOA
Miazga, M. (1998). The spoken word movement of the 1990s. https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/CreativeWriting/323/Spoken%20Word%20Movement.htm
NanoPDF.com. (2018). Word & slam poetry. https://nanopdf.com/download/teaching-slam-poetry_pdf
Roth, B. (2018, December 25). Where and how did spoken word poetry originate? Quora. https://www.quora.com/Where-and-how-did-spoken-word-poetry-originate/answer/Bryan-Roth-5
Shebala, R. (2014, October 27). Love you some Indians. All def poetry. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJQmGBOP6mc
Skitterphoto. (2017, November 7). Silver-colored microphone. [Digital image]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/silver -colored-microphone-675960/
Smithsonian Folkways. (n.d.) Say it loud. African American spoken word. https://folkways.si.edu/say-loud-african-american-spoken-word/struggle-protest/article/smithsonian
The Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). An introduction to the Black arts movement. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/148936/an-introduction-to-the-black-arts-movement
Washington D.C. Team. (2013, August 9). 2013 Brave new voices - A Muslim girl and a Jewish girl. Youth speaks. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=tv00xjClbx0
Wikipedia. Griot. (2021, May 13). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griot

Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

The History of Spoken Word Poetry

Historical and Cultural Perspectives in Literature

Summary

Essential Question(s)

Snapshot

Instructional Formats

Materials

Materials

Materials

Engage (face to face)

Engage

Engage

Explore

Explore

Explore (face to face)

Explain (face to face)

Explain

Explain

Extend

Extend

Extend (virtual)

Evaluate (virtual)

Evaluate

Evaluate

Resources

Publisher

Downloads

Standards

Facilitator Resources

Learner Handouts

Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

Summary

Essential Question(s)

Snapshot

Instructional Formats

Materials

Materials

Materials

Engage (face to face)

Engage

Engage

Explore

Explore

Explore (face to face)

Explain (face to face)

Explain

Explain

Extend

Extend

Extend (virtual)

Evaluate (virtual)

Evaluate

Evaluate

Resources

Publisher

Downloads

Standards

Facilitator Resources

Learner Handouts

Related Resources