The term "slam poem" refers to poems meant to be performed in front of an audience in a competitive environment. Points are usually awarded by a jury and in the end a winner is announced and awarded a prize.

I arrange a "Grade 8 Slam" competition every fall semester at my school. I usually get a small group of English teachers and/or administrators to act as jury. Here is how I do it (you will of course adapt the process to your needs):

The assignment:
I make the Slam Poetry Competition a compulsory assignment for all of my grade 8 students. The assignment is part of our work with the novel we read, "Boy Overboard" by Morris Gleitzman. The students are to imagine themselves as one of the main characters in the book (Bibi, Jamal, Rashida or Omar) and write a poem that tells the jury "who they are, where they have come from, where they are going and what their hopes and dreams are for the future". The students are further asked to write a minimum of four stanzas/verses with a minimum of 4 lines in each. The performance should not exceed 3 minutes (traditional limit). The lines are expected to rhyme.

The learning process:
Step #1: Explanation

When I announce the Slam to my students, they will already have read through 2/3 of the novel and done some preliminary work on characterization. Also, they will already be reasonably familiar with poetry writing and terms such as "verse" and "rhyme". Finally, all of them will have written and recited a short poem in front of the class as part of an earlier assignment on the same novel. If this had not been the case, I would have had to do more in the preparation stage (see below).

As it is, my main concern when giving my kids the Slam assignment is therefore in making sure they understand what the differences between a "simple" poetry recital and a Slam is.

* The main difference is the performance component. A slam poem is 50% poem, 50% theatre performance. A slam poem is therefore always memorized and often uses funny exaggerations. The slam poet is like an actor, he moves around, uses gestures and facial expressions and costumes and props to enhance meaning. Rhyme is expected (Rap & Hip Hop artists are Slam Poets! Eminem is a wonderful poet and references to him are sure to motivate teenagers!)  as well as humour and/or emotionally powerful content.

Step #2: Preparation

I usually ask the students to write the first drafts of their poems in class but this could also be given as a homework assignment. I always collect the first drafts and mark them for accuracy and content before I have the students rewrite their poems, this time using Word or Publisher in the computer lab. I make a point of checking the poems again for accuracy before I have the students memorize their poems (wouldn't want them to memorize mistakes - now would I!). We do a practice run or two in class before the "big day" arrives. Helpful suggestions will be offered by T and students alike.

Step #3 : Performance

The big day arrives. The students will be excited and nervous. They will be walking the halls reciting poetry in English! You'll hear them in the schoolyard practicing in front of their peers, helping each other out. Ah, it warms a teacher's heart even more than a steaming mug of cappucino :-)! The jury (2-3 members is sufficient and the teacher should NOT be part of the jury in my opinion. S/he will be "biased") should be provided with a simple rubric to make it easier for them to award points. The teacher should be videotaping the performances and/or taking snap shots for the school magazine...

Final note:

The "Grade 8 Slams" at my school have always been great successes in the sense that it has been a lot of fun both for me and for the students. The activity is good for developing so many skills! To begin with, it makes the kids read more attentively and "research" their chosen characters more carefully than they otherwise would have. The writing component is also very valuable. Finally, there is plenty of speaking involved. A lot of time is spent rehearsing (and the teacher will of course grab the opportunity to teach correct pronunciation and intonation here...) and finally the experience of speaking English in front of a rather large audience is invaluable. It really is confidence building. I heartily recommend this activity to ESL teachers everywhere!

PS! Following the performances, the printed poems can be collected and exhibited - the winner poem decorated with a big golden star - along with any snap shoots you took during the Slam.