Lesson Plan
Class: English
Grade Level: 9th grade
Unit: Spoken Word Poetry
Teacher: Desiree Tamez
Objectives
Students will be able to define Spoken Word Poetry and construct their own spoken word
poem. Students will be able to analyze the importance of spoken word poetry.
Common Core State Standard(s)-CCSS
Writing Standards :
 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or
characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is
experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
Iowa Core Curriculum-Subject Area Standard
Writing:
 Uses knowledge of purpose, audience, format, and medium in developing written
communication.
 Is able to write on demand
Speaking :
 Considers audience and variables in the speaking situation
 Demonstrates control of delivery skills.
21st Century Skill(s)
Creativity and Innovation
Think Creatively
 Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as
brainstorming)
 Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical
concepts )
Essential Question
What is Spoken word Poetry? What makes spoken word poetry different form other types
of poetry?
Anticipatory Set
 The anticipatory set will just be some questions asking students what they know
about spoken word poetry. As students are saying their answers, write some of
them down on the board for them to see. This in a way is a start to a modified
KWL.
 Questions to ask the students to get the lesson going:
o Have you ever learned about spoken word poetry before?
o
o
o
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Why is spoken word poetry different from other forms of poetry?
What is spoken word poetry?
Has anyone ever seen or performed spoken word?
How do you believe that spoken word poetry is connected to your “I
Believe” final essay?
 Don’t give students the correct answers yet. This set is just a way to see what the
students know about the topic. It is the K part of KWL.
 After questions are asked share a short Spoken Word Poetry Performance
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg0UfweQOyc “Death of YOLO “
 Debrief on Performance
(10 min )
Teaching: Activities
 Through today’s lesson students will be learning about spoken word poetry,
analyzing a poet’s poem on paper, and then watching it performed to compare the
two. Students will also be constructing their own spoken word poem to prepare
them for reading their “I Believe” essay out loud for their final.
Activity 1:
 Lecture of Spoken Word Poetry-Powerpoint
 For the lecture, just follow the slides. If they have additional questions, they free
too look them up if teacher does not know the answer. Instead of saying you don’t
know the answer, tell the student to find the answer to engage them in the lecture
and then have them share it with the class.
 Slide 1 : What is Spoken Word Poetry
o Poetry written on a page but performed for an audience.
o Utilizes a heavy sense of rhythm , improvisation, word play, and slang
o More aggressive compared to other forms of poetry
o Contains a message about something that the poet believes in
o Form of expression
 Slide 2 : Important aspects of Spoken Word
o The way the poem is performed
o Attitude
o Repetition
o Gestures while performing
o Use of concrete language
 Slide 3: A Little History of Spoken Word
o Inspired by the Harlem Renaissance
o Came from margins of cities like Chicago and New York
o Inspired by Slam poetry
 Slide 4 : Famous Spoken Word Poets
o Andrea Gibson- performs all over the place, activist she performed in
Dubuque last year, one of her Spoken Word poems is “Birthday”
o Sarah Kay – performs on Ted Talk, founder and co-director of Project
VOICE which is dedicated to using spoken word as an educational and
inspirational tool. One of her most famous poems is “If I Had A Daughter”
 After the PowerPoint, teacher will share their own experiences with Spoken word
poetry if they have some.
15 min
Activity 2:
 Students will see an example of Spoken word poetry being performed. The first
one that they will watch is Sarah Kay’s- Def
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuAbGJBvIVY

Once the video clip is done ask the students:
o What did you notice about her performance?
o Is there a difference when a poem is performed like this compared to
reading it on paper?
o What was the message of her poem?
o Do you think that you would have been able to get the same message is
you just read it on paper and never saw it performed?
10 min
Activity 3:
 Once students are done watching Sarah Kay’s clip, pass out another one of Sarah
Kay’s poems to everyone in the class. - “B”
 Students will analyze the poem.
 Explain to students that they need to find poetic devices and the poem’s meaning.
They can work together in groups, but they need to be talking about the poem.
 After about 10 min have the class come back together as a whole and have the
students share what they discussed about the poem.
 Give the students about 10 min to discuss the poem as a class.
 Once students are done discussing then, show the students Sarah Kay’s
performance of the poem poem that they just read.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Ks1ceHkus
 Once students watch performance then ask them the following questions:
o What did you think about the performance?
o Did your view of the poem change after seeing the poem performed,
compared to just reading it on paper?
o Why do you think that is?
o Why do you think that Spoken word reaches more people then paper ?
o What do you think about spoken word now that you have seen spoken
word performances?
 The discussion is not limited to these questions and students can discuss other
aspects of the poem as well.
 Have the discussion last for about 15-20 min depending on how it is going
Activity 4 :
 Once students are done with the group discussion and explain to them that they
will now be creating their own version of a spoken word poem. This spoken word
poem can be shorter than the ones that the students have watched, since this is just
a quick in class activity.
 Criteria to explain to students: ( pull up criteria PowerPoint slide while explaining
directions so students will be able to see them as well )
o Choose something that you believe in.
1. The point of choosing of something you believe is to get
your minds thinking about topics you would like to discuss
in your final “I Believe” paper.
2. This does not mean this is the topic you have to write on,
but if you pick a topic now and realize that you don’t like
writing about it or sharing it with others, then this is the
time when it can be eliminated instead of the night that you
are actually writing your paper.
3. Performing the Spoken Word poem will also help you with
practicing sharing your work in front of the class, before
you have to read aloud your final paper.
o Write a spoken word poem that is at least 30 sec long.
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o
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Your spoken word poem needs to have a message
You will perform your poem in front of the class
Remember that spoken word is about the way the poem is performed
If you need to look up more examples of spoken word performances
you are more than welcome too on your computers.
o You can work by yourself or in groups of 2 or 3
(20 min )
Activity 5:
 Students will perform their poems. Try to get through as many as possible before
the end of the period.
(Rest of class period )
Closure
 When there is 5 min left in class students will watch one more clip of Spoken
Word Poetry .
 “Why I hate school, but love Education”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI
Independent Practice

Brainstorm more ideas for their “I believe” final paper.
Assessment
Informal Assessment :
1. Assessment will be taken during their class discussion and while students perform
their poems
Formal Assessment:
1. Assessment will be taken on their performance of their final “I believe” essay
Materials
Computer
Paper
PowerPoint
Duration
90 min