Poetry Unit. Part One: Louder Than a Bomb, Greg Jacobs and John Siskel, 2010

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1 Part One: Louder Than a Bomb, Greg Jacobs and John Siskel, 2010 I. About the Film For the past twelve years, teenagers from over sixty Chicago schools gather for the world s largest youth poetry slam, Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB). Rather than emphasize individual poets and performances, the structure of LTAB demands that participants work collaboratively with their peers in teams, presenting, critiquing and rewriting their pieces. This documentary presents four teams preparing for and competing in the 2008 festival. This is not high school poetry as we often think of it; this is language as a joyful release, crafted by irrepressibly talented teenagers obsessed with making words dance. How and why they do it, and the community they create along the way, is the story at the heart of this inspiring film. II. Vocabulary Poetry Slam: A poetry slam is a live competition in which poets perform original poetry and are judged by preselected audience members. The focus of poetry slam is not exclusively the written word; rather, it is a celebration of the art of oral interpretation and performance with emphasis on the interaction between the poet and the audience. Emerging from inner-city Chicago in the mid-1980s, the poetry slam has made its way into mainstream America, attracting diverse crowds and avid followers. Spoken Word: Spoken word is a category of performance art that is primarily word-based, yet may include collaborations with other kinds of art, such as music, theater or dance. Spoken word performances consist of storytelling and poetry, often focusing on social commentary.

2 Part One: Louder Than a Bomb Choose five questions and answer them in 2-3 clear and concise sentences. 1. Which student in the film do you find the most captivating? Why are you drawn to this student? Is it his or her poetry, his or her personality, or both? 2. Nate s mother comments that he was a quiet child, yet he is a strong writer and performer. How do you think poetry can help someone find their voice? Is there something that you do (writing, music, dance, film) that helps you speak your mind and express yourself? 3. What are similarities between slam poetry/spoken word performance and hip-hop/rap? How are they different? 4. A single line or phrase from a poem can be inspiring. Is there a particular poem or moment in the film that inspires you or is most memorable for you? Discuss why. 5. Why do you think the Louder Than a Bomb program and competition is important and helpful for students? 6. How do the families of the poets influence their stories? Consider Nate s nephew, Nova s brother, and Adam s grandmother. 7. How do you think your life affects how you respond to this film? How might people with different backgrounds and experiences respond to this film?

3 Part Two: In Part Two, you will choose three of the four poetry topics and write at least three poems. Poem One: Childhood Memorabilia A. Terminology to know: 1. Free Verse/Open Form: does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern. It tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. 2. Simile: Comparison of two unalike objects by using like or as. 3. Metaphor: Comparison of two unalike objects without like or as. B. Requirements: You will write a poem about a memorable object from your childhood. The object should symbolize or be metaphoric for something like a special memory that exposes feelings of love, happiness, regret, or sadness. The poem should be nostalgic. Your poem should follow these basic guidelines: o Free Verse/Open Form o Lines or 4-8 Stanzas o Two Similes o One metaphor

4 Poem Two: Portrait Poem A. Make a list of five people you love: B. Pick one person from the list in section A. Then write the answers to the following questions about the person you chose: 1. What do you think is the person s greatest obstacle? 2. What do you think is the person s greatest fear? 3. What is the person s greatest accomplishment? 4. What are three things you hope for this person? 5. What are three questions you d like to ask this person? C. Write three strong, stark, separate images of places where you can see or imagine that person. For example your grandfather sitting alone at the airport, giving out holiday presents, coming home from work D. Using the lists you created in B. and C, write your own portrait poem. Feel free to mix the lists to make something fresh, but make sure you always come back to images. The layout below will help you write three separate, five-line stanzas.

5 STANZA 1 STANZA 2 STANZA 3 E. Need help? Here s an example Start with a question, move to obstacle, then a wish; or start with an image, the person s greatest accomplishment, and then a hope

6 Poem Three: American Dream/8 th Grade Experience A. You will pick one of the following topics: 1. American Identity what does it mean to be an American? How do you define your American identity? What are your American dreams and aspirations? How do you define the American Dream? Is the America dream different for different types of Americans? 2. 8 th Grade what does it mean to be an 8 th grader at Voorhees Middle school. What does it mean to be a successful or unsuccessful 8 th grader? Who judges success? What is your definition of success? Is it academic success, athletic success, social success, or something different? What are your fears about 9 th grade? What are your dreams or goals about high school? What was one of your favorite or less favorite memories about 8 th grade? B. Your poem should: 1. Ask questions/rhetorical questions. 2. Make statements and answer questions. 3. Use poetic language: metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, and allusions. 4. Discovery you should discover something about yourself after writing the poem. 5. The poem is open to whatever form you want to take.

7 Poem Four: Change a Story to a Poem A. Choose a book or short story that you read this year. Then, create a poem based on a character, setting, or theme. It should not simply retell the story (plot). B. Your poem should: 1. Make statements and answer questions. 2. Use poetic language: metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, and allusions. 3. New you create something new writing the poem; you should not simply retell the what happened in the story. 4. The poem is open to whatever form you want to take.

8 Grading Rubric Total your scores for each category and use the grading chart to find your grade. 4 Points: You have the work completely done on time and have followed the directions. 3 Points: You mostly have the work done on time and/or have mostly followed the directions. 2 Points: You have the work somewhat done on time and/or have only somewhat followed the directions. 1 Point: You do not have the work done on time and/or have not followed the directions. Category One: Short Answer Section Your score: Category Two: Three Poems Completed Your score: Category Three: Read Poem Aloud (Poetry Slam) Your score: Subtotal: Subtotal: Late Penalty: Three points off per day: Total Score: Your score: Grade Scale: Point Total Grade Point Total Grade Point Total Grade 12 A+ 7 B- 2 D 11 A 6 C+ 1 D- 10 A- 5 C 0 F 9 B+ 4 C- 8 B 3 D+ Your Grade: