Scottish Poetry Library Quick Resource
Slam Poetry(P7-S6)
Create a poetry battle in your classroom!
This background information comes from Urban Dictionary:
What is a poetry slam?
A poetry slam is a competitive event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. Everyone who signs up has the opportunity to read in the first round; the lineup for subsequent rounds is determined by the judges' scores.
What are the rules?
Though they vary from slam to slam, the basic rules are:
* Each poem must be of the poet's own construction.
* Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score.
* The poet may not use props, costumes or musical instruments.
* Of the scores the poet received from the five judges, the high and low scores are dropped and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score of 0-30.
The role of the audience
Slam is engineered for the audience, whereas a number of open mike readings are engineered as a support network for poets. Slam is designed for the audience to react vocally and openly to all aspects of the show, including the poet's performance, the judges' scores, and the host's banter. Audiences can boo or cheer at the conclusion of a poem, or even during a poem.
The best poetry slams include a wide variety of writing and performance styles. This, of course, depends on who shows up to compete and-- beyond the first round-- what the judges see fit to hear more of.
The history of slam
Slamcombines movement, voice, drama and the written word for an unforgettable spoken word experience. Slam made its debut back in the late 1980’s in Chicago when a local poet named Marc Smith grew tired of the stale presentations of poetry that seemed to pervade the coffee shops and libraries around town. Thus slam was born as a way of expressing oneself briefly, powerfully and impactfully.
Critics of slam
Slam is regularly criticized by academia, but it appeals to young people because it often draws on matters they can identify with and feel strongly about –racial, social, gender and economic injustices. The trick is to make both the content and the performance meaningful…
Creating a meaningful slam poem
Older students might respond well to this TED-Ed lesson on the creation of a meaningful poem which can then be performed as part of a slam session:
Slam founder Marc Smith
If you have access to YouTube, older pupils might enjoy Marc Smith’s vibrant performance from The Green Mill in Chicago in 1993,vividly capturing aspects of a train journey, past and present, and giving a flavour of how engaging a slam performance can be:
Scottish Poetry Library Quick Resource