Peel Alternative School
ENG4C: Unit 6
Spoken Word Poetry and the Future of Education
What does education mean to you?
We gather here, in a classroom, and sit in our seats looking at the teacher for directions and waiting to be told what to do. I try to balance the need to get the credit and finish the course with the passion for learning and the gift of new knowledge but in the end, I feel like both us, teacher and student, walk out of the classroom and into our lives with no connection between the two. I want to ask you: What does education mean to you?
Spoken Word Poetry as Medium
Spoken word poetry is a broad designation for poetry intended for performance. Though some spoken word poetry may also be published on the page, the genre has its roots in oral traditions and performance. Spoken word can encompass or contain elements of rap, hip-hop, storytelling, theater, and jazz, rock, blues, and folk music. Characterized by rhyme, repetition, improvisation, and word play, spoken word poems frequently refer to issues of social justice, politics, race, and community. Related to slam poetry, spoken word may draw on music, sound, dance, or other kinds of performance to connect with audiences.
Source: “Spoken Word.” Poetry Foundation: Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/spoken-word. Sept 28, 2022
“History Textbooks” by Fong Tran
Fong Tran is a poet, speaker, and educator who is passionate about cultural diversity and uplifting marginalized communities through his written poetry and talks. He has been the keynote speaker on various stages internationally and is a well-known youth activist in his community in Sacramento. In the biography of his personal website it describes that: “Influenced by his activism, Fong’s writing aids in amplifying frequently silenced voices and is deeply entrenched in the values of social justice and intersections of community struggle”.
Before Viewing
Thinking back to your experiences at school, do you think that cultural representation is an issue faced by the youth of today? Do you feel like the lived experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups are accessible to students through the school curriculum? Explain using your personal experiences and by highlighting any specific examples of your school experiences.
Watch Fong Tran’s spoken word poem, “History Textbooks”.
During Viewing
What is your initial reaction to the spoken word poem?
While his focus is on American history and its being shaped by white privilege, he specifically voices the stereotyping of “youth of colour” and “men and women in a hijab or turban”. Do you think his message applied to Canadian youth, especially Canadian youth of colour or who wear hijabs or turbans? Explain.
What is Fong Tran’s message in this piece? Do you feel like his message resonates with you? Explain.
What is the effect of having individuals spray painting the walls on screen during his performance? Why did he choose to include this throughout the entire poem? Does it amplify his message? How?
“Why I Hate School But Love Education” By Suli Breaks
Suli Breaks is the performance name for English spoken word poet, Darryll Suliaman Amoako. He is a well-known spoken word poet who has found great success with some of his work being viewed by millions of viewers on Youtube and having performed for TEDed. In his interview with Writer’s Edit, Suli Breaks was asked to describe his writing process for his spoken word poetry and he explains:
“I don’t really have a specific process, one thing that is consistent when I am writing is, that my pieces can be an accumulation of various thoughts, or sentences I have written down and just organised onto a page to make a spoken word piece. I do prefer to write when inspiration takes hold of me, rather than have an organised format or timing”.
Before Viewing
When writing assignments or responses for school, do you censor your thoughts and ideas to fit into what is being asked of you or do you feel like you are able to be creative and authentic in your school work? Explain using your personal experiences and by highlighting any specific examples of your school experiences.
Watch Suli Breaks’ spoken word poem, “Why I Hate School but Love Education”.
During Viewing
What is your initial reaction to the spoken word poem?
What is Suli Breaks’ message in this piece? Do you feel like his message resonates with you? Explain.
What is the effect of having some words printed on screen? Why did he choose these words to print instead of the entire poem?
How is the form of media – spoken word poetry – an effective way for communicating his message? To whom is he directing his message? Use support from the poem to develop your response.
How would you describe the tone of this poem? Refer to the poem specifically to support your response.
After Viewing
Write either a spoken word poem or a supported-opinion paragraph to respond to the following prompt: Is the public education system effectively preparing students for the future?
Refer to the message of the spoken word poems in the beginning of your response to introduce the topic and your position.
Use personal lived experiences and the experiences of those you may know to develop your response.
As you come to the conclusion of your poem or paragraph, you will need to extend your ideas and points to the wider world. This is the “And So?” of the paragraph and the lasting impression of the poem. You will need to provide a direction or solution to the topic by suggesting a new direction of education or specific changes that you foresee in education in the future. In order to do this and do it well, I encourage you to consult another source of information and ideas. See below:
The Future of Education
While we may agree that there are significant changes needed in our education system to reflect the needs, skills, and experiences of the newer generations, we may not know to identify what those specific changes are and how they will work. Listed below are some links to secondary resources which you may want to consider. You may choose from any of these or find your own. Here are some suggestions:
Browse the description and documentaries listed by DIY Genius: 10 Must-See Education Documentaries to find one that is appealing to you. While some documentaries are longer than others, you may find that the ideas presented in these documentaries relate to the question of whether or not the education system is effectively preparing students for the future.
On the other hand, you may wish to view one of these TED Talks on education and explore some of the ideas that are presented:
“Do Schools Kill Creativity?” by Sir Ken Robinson
“Why Schools Should Teach Entrepreneurship” by Lina Zhang
“Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education” by Sal Khan
That said, feel free to use student-selected media to support your writing instead of one of these documentaries. You may have come across an article, interview, Ted talk, or short video which you feel applies to this topic. The goal is to refer to the piece to show that the future of education will be different and therefore, a change is needed.
Secondary Research and Citations
You will be referring to various secondary sources in your writing and will need to give proper credit to the ideas and information that are found through this research. Refer to this source document for citation guidelines. You may also use easybib.com to create your citation automatically. If you have any questions or need support with citations, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Note-Taking Chart for Secondary Research
Secondary Source Title & Author
(Article title, Talk Title, Documentary Title)
Citation
(use easybib.com or write your own citation)
Main Points
(Arguments, Main ideas)
Your Explanation
(Reactions, Questions, Comments)
Writing and the Art of Persuasion
The supported-opinion writing piece is one of persuasion. Essentially, you are writing to convince your audience of your ideas and position on a particular topic. For the purposes of this assignment, your topic prompt is the following: Is the public education system effectively preparing students for the future?
The Hook
Your writing should begin with a topic sentence which grabs the reader’s attention. This is known as the ‘hook’ because it hook’s the reader’s attention. It can be in the form of a statistic, statement about experience, a question, or a quote. This will help you to lead into your topic and statement of your position on the topic.
Transitions
Transitional words and phrases connect and relate ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. They assist in the logical flow of ideas as they signal the relationship between sentences and paragraphs.
Examples of Transitional Phrases and Words
1. To signal addition of ideas
and, also, besides, further, furthermore, too, moreover, in addition, then, of equal importance, equally important, another
2. To signal time
next, afterward, finally, later, last, lastly, at last, now, subsequently, then, when, soon, thereafter, after a short time, the next week (month, day, etc.), a minute later, in the meantime, meanwhile, on the following day, at length, ultimately, presently
3. To signal order or sequence
first, second, (etc.), finally, hence, next, then, from here on, to begin with, last of all, after, before, as soon as, in the end, gradually
4. To signify space and place
above, behind, below, beyond, here, there, to the right (left), nearby, opposite, on the other side, in the background, directly ahead, along the wall, as you turn right, at the tip, across the hall, at this point, adjacent to
5. To signal an example
for example, to illustrate, for instance, to be specific, such as, moreover, furthermore, just as important, similarly, in the same way
6. To show results
as a result, hence, so, accordingly, as a consequence, consequently, thus, since, therefore, for this reason, because of this
7. To signal purpose
to this end, for this purpose, with this in mind, for this reason, for these reasons
8. To signal comparisons
like, in the same (like) manner or way, similarly
9. To indicate contrast
but, in contrast, conversely, however, still, nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, and yet, on the other hand, of course, on the contrary, or, in spite of this, actually, a year ago, now, notwithstanding, for all that, strangely enough, ironically
10. To signal alternatives, exceptions, and objections
although, though, while, despite, to be sure, it is true, true, I grant, granted, I admit, admittedly, doubtless, I concede, regardless
11. To dispute
it isn’t true that, people are wrong who say that, deny that, be that as it may, by the same token, no doubt, we often hear it said, many people claim, many people suppose, it used to be thought, in any case
12. To intensify
above all, first and foremost, importantly, again, to be sure, indeed, in fact, as a matter of fact, as I have said, as has been noted
13. To summarize or repeat
in summary, to sum up, to repeat, briefly, in short, finally, on the whole, therefore, as I have said, in conclusion, as you can see
Persuasive Paragraph Outline
Topic Sentence / “The Hook”: ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Statement of your Position on the Topic: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Points to prove your opinion (at least two): 1.______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Point One: _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Proof : ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Point Two: _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Proof : ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Point Three (if using):___________________________________________________________________________________
Proof : ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion (restate opinion, summarize points, final statement on the topic and its application to the wider world): ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Evaluation of a Supported Opinion Paragraph or Poem
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
Below Level
Knowledge /10
(8 – 10)
(7)
(6)
(5 – Below)
(4 – Below)
Topic sentence is present and clearly presents your opinion
The p/p/a relates to the topic
Appropriate length (at least 12 sentences)
Appropriate formatting: title formatting, double-spaced, quotations are cited (if required), 12 pt font size and style, margins, paragraph indentation
Adequate, accurate and specific reference to the source work
Thinking /10
(8 – 10)
(7)
(6)
(5 – Below)
(4 – Below)
Rough draft(s) with the following features: visible evidence of editing;
Two or Three supporting points/controlling ideas relate to your opinion
Proof to back up your point are present and logically support your opinion
Analysis of each points& proof
Effectively uses linking words to move from one point and/or paragraph to the next
Communication /10
(8 – 10)
(7)
(6)
(5)
(4 –)
Level of Language: no slang, nor contractions; present tense; third person; appropriate tone; grade level vocabulary
Correct and varied sentence structure
Good command of grade appropriate conventions – spelling, grammar, punctuation
Logical organization of p/p/a
Appropriate tone for topic given
Correct paragraph & sentence structure
Application /10
(8 – 10)
(7)
(6)
(5 –)
(4 –)
coherence links/transitions used effectively
ideas connect well with one another
concluding sentence summarizes the main argument and related back to the opinion
timely adherence to deadlines