You’ve probably heard me talk about my first poetry slam. The project that became my go-to vehicle for teaching poetry every year that followed.
The book I was handed - 6 American Poets - was chock full of great poetry. Dickinson, Whitman, Hughes… but I knew that I, like every paper worth reading, would need a solid hook.
That’s how I ended up staying up til one in the morning the night before my poetry unit was set to kick off searching for poetry slam clips without swearwords.
Eventually I found some incredible clips and the philosophy that would guide much of my time in the classroom.
I thought of the philosophy then as “using showcase projects.”
Now I think of it as finding the glue that would keep students engaged with my material.
So how can you find your own glue? Let’s talk.
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