Lesson Plan Number 3

Hi-Tech Performance Poetry

Amount of time to complete unit: 2 weeks

Materials:

Flip Video HD or DVD camera

iMovie

iDVD

Props (clothing, etc.)

Objectives:

• To learn about spoken word poetry
• Look at contemporary spoken word poets
• Become familiar with iMovie
• Create a digital performance poetry

Process:

1. We will begin by watching videos on YouTube about different spoken word performance artists. As the students watch the videos they should be asking themselves:

• What makes this effective?
• What could be improved?
• What makes this poem a performance?

We will watch three different videos by three different performers. Afterwards we will have a group discussion. We will discuss the students answers to the above questions, how poetry has evolved, how it can become engaging and how performing can either help or hurt the poem.

1. The students will begin to write their own piece of spoken word. Students should keep in mind that most performance poets usually address issues going on in their lives, social issues or even events that they have witnessed or participated in. Students will write for two days. We will then revise at a later time.

1. Introduction of iMovie to the students. I will show the students our iMovie program and how they can import video clips, cut frames apart, splice together, add audio and add effects.

1. Students will take either a Flip or camcorder and begin to record some setting, action or image that they want in their performance. These clips will be spliced together. The process of recording images should take two to three days.

1. Students will exchange poems and begin to revise. We will do a long and hard revision. Students should look at word choice, phrasing, pace of the poem and the emphasis of words.

1. Students will record themselves to either a Flip or camcorder doing their spoken word. Upon completing this, students will edit out the background on themselves and layer it upon the video footage they have already recorded.

1. When completely finished with editing the students will burn a copy of their performance to iDVD and we will then share these with the class and the students will have a copy for their portfolio as they move on to high school.

Assessment:

The students performance poetry will be assessed by looking at how understandable the student was, the length (must be between 2-3 minutes), if the background images related to the poem (this would have been specified in the appropriate lesson) and if their message was clear and well conveyed. Their will also be a spot for comments.

The rubric will be handed out to the class. Each student will receive a grade from their classmates along with comments (we will have already discussed how to grade appropriately and how to give meaningful comments. I will also fill out a rubric and mine will be the one that counts, but student giving the performance will receive all the rubrics, giving them an idea of where to improve for next time and what was done really well.