Poetry Cafe

Each year the month of April is set aside as National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets and their craft. After studying and writing poetry all month, students in Room 100 chose to celebrate poetry with a slam.

Slam Defined

Poetry slams gained fame in the 1980’s. A poetry slam is a blend of poetry and performance in live competitions. Performers use voice and gestures to score points out of the judges.  

Preparation 

In preparation for our poetry slam, we transformed our classroom into a coffee café. Coffee shops always have something in common – coziness and warmth. Desks were arranged into comfy tables covered with tablecloths and battery-lit candles. Dim lighting set the mood. Chalkboard signs and chalkboard menus added an artistic flare to our café, and friendly baristas were stationed behind the counter ready to serve. Judges were selected from our middle school staff and programs were created.  

The Poetry Café Opens 

The energy and excitement displayed by our students from start to finish was inspiring. Scribble linen tablecloths added to the fun and creating the chalk art helped ease the nervousness before the performance.

The judges opened the slam by reciting individual poems written just for our students. These poems set the tone for a fun, enjoyable competition. 

Center Stage 

Each finalist had his or her turn in the spotlight reciting a poem. Apart from the actual poets, the audience played a major role - they snapped their fingers (which is music to the poet's ears), they laughed, they encouraged, and they let the performer on stage know exactly how they felt by their reactions. Snap! Snap! Snap!

Congratulations to the 2015 Poetry Slam Champions 

Austin Miller, Katie Morse, Cydnee Hopkins, and Tyson Test were this year's medal winners. In addition to the winners we want to thank each one of our students who inspired us with their amazing performance of poetry.

Thank you, THANK YOU!  There are so many clever teachers who have posted and shared ideas for a poetry slam: Grace Rubensyein at Edutopia, Beth Newingham at Scholastic, and Brenda Dyck at Education World.