“If we do not learn by heart, the heart does not feel the rhthms of poetry as echoes or variations of its own insistent beat.”
—Catherine Robson, Heart Beats: Everyday Life and the Memorized Poem.
At Grayson, we understand the importance of teaching poetry to our students at an early age. By reading poems, like listening to music, we can be influenced to consider new concepts or, in the very least, in understanding another’s circumstances that may be very different than our own. Plus, many poems are short, complex verses, offering students of all learning styles the opportunity to break down a message to make certain that the words and inferences are understood.
Of course, it helps if the rhythm and beat of poetry can engage kids at the onset.
Enter slam poetry, or the spoken word performance blending performance arts (no music, props and costumes permitted) and literature, making poetry anything but dull. Our 4-5 cohort students created screencasts of their slam poetry performances to present virtually on Grandfriends/VIP Day in May 2020.
We hope you enjoy their work!
Ms. Kimm Doherty and Ms. Alyssa Lucas