Poetry

In this small group exercise, students will write a creative summary of the plot of a play using the ABCB, or “simple 4-line” rhyme scheme. This exercise focuses on creative thinking and teamwork. If you wish to expand this exercise, you can add a performance component, where the group members will perform the piece they created as a dramatic reading. You may wish to provide your students with a rhyming dictionary and/or a thesaurus to assist them with creating their written pieces. There are also many free online resources available to assist students with finding rhymes and synonyms. Written ComponentThe ABCB rhyme scheme is common in English-language verse. The second and fourth lines rhyme, while the first and third do not. For example: Roses are red, (A) Violets are blue, (B) Sugar is sweet, (C) And so are you. (B) Let’s say your students are studying Romeo and Juliet. As a class, create a timeline of the major events that occur within the play. For example, Romeo and Juliet meet, they wed in secret, Tybalt is angered and kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt, Romeo is banished, and so on. From there, divide the class into groups of two to four. Each group will create their own rhyming summary of the play, using the ABCB rhyme scheme. Each group will decide what important events they wish to include in the piece, and what the overall tone of the piece should be. The piece will have a minimum of four verses (no maximum unless the teacher decides to have one). Here’s a sample piece: Romeo loved Rosaline Or so he claimed to do. But once he noticed Juliet, From Rosaline he flew. This made Tybalt angry, Revenge is what he sought, He challenged Romeo to a duel, And with swords they fought. Romeo was banished. Friar Lawrence tried to assist. Juliet would fake her death But the message to Romeo was missed. Romeo drank poison When he saw his unmoving wife, When Juliet arose and saw he was dead She also took her own life. Each group will submit a written copy of the piece, with all group members’ names on the paper. Additionally, each group member will submit an individual reflection, responding to the following: • Rate your contribution to today’s group exercise out of 10 (10 being an excellent contributor, 1 being not contributing to the project at all). Why did you give yourself the rating you did? Describe your contributions to the group. Performance ComponentEach group member will perform at least one verse. Give groups some time in class to assign their verses and rehearse. Depending on your preferences, group members can perform “on book” with script in hand, or you may wish to have students memorize their verses at home and perform later in the week, off book. Each group member should use gestures, vocal inflections, and facial expressions to create an engaging performance. Clear enunciation and good volume are always a requirement for a good performance. As well, the overall tone of the piece should be consistent from performer to performer. Even though students are each performing separate verses, they should think of themselves as presenting a single unified piece.

Spoken word is poetry that is meant to be performed for an audience, rather than just read on a page. Spoken word has a freedom to it. Spoken word poems can use alliteration, rhyme, repetition, slang and word play…but there aren’t specific rules or a certain format to follow. Spoken word poems don’t have to follow a certain meter or have a set number of lines. However, this doesn’t mean that that spoken word poems are wishy-washy. They are meant to be highly personal and full of emotion, opinion, and attitude – which makes spoken word so perfect for students to explore. It allows students the opportunity to share their thoughts, and provides a platform for them to do so. It also builds on important performance skills taught in the drama classroom, including memorization and rehearsal, vocal projection, enunciation, tone, gestures, facial expressions, and confidence. So, let’s get students exploring spoken word poetry! Here’s an exercise that will help them develop a piece to be performed. 1. Start with a topic that evokes strong, personal feelings.This is not the medium to play it safe. Think in grandiose terms: my greatest success, my worst fear, my most hated experience, my biggest goal in life, the issue that I feel most strongly about. I am a huge fan of brainstorming – take 2 minutes and have students brainstorm a list of words or sentences about one of the topics listed above, or another topic of your choosing. Remind students that what they write is meant to be performed. If they aren’t comfortable sharing their thoughts on a certain topic, they should go in another direction with their topic. 2. Develop clear visual imagery around the topic.If your topic had a visual image, what would it be? What colour is your topic? How does it look, feel, smell, taste? If your topic was a person, what would they be like? Have students create a mood board by cutting out imagery from magazines or printing photos off the internet to make a visual inspiration of their topic. 3. How do these images translate verbally?Students will take their mood boards and brainstorm lists and use them to inspire their piece of spoken word poetry. On a new piece of paper, have students write the following words: • I see • I hear • I smell • I touch • I taste • I feel • I think • I wonder • I want • I am Students will then complete the sentences in relation to their topic. Once those ten sentences are complete, cross out the “I” and first verb, and voila – students have a whole series of imagery that can be sorted, re-arranged, and worked around to make their spoken word poem. 4. Practice and perform.Once students have their poems written, it’s time to practice and perform. All spoken word pieces must be memorized. In class, allow students to partner up and perform for each other as a practice round, before having students perform for the entire class. Remind students about the qualities of good performance: projection, ennuciation, variety in tone, gesture, eye contact with the audience, and emotional expression. This is not a poetry recital, it’s a spoken word performance!

This week we Spread the Love for The Pied Piper of Hamelin lovingly adapted by Mrs. Evelyn Merritt. Recorded live in a small hamlet (or a big theme park, you choose).