10 slam poems your teens will love

When talking about slam poems and English lessons, most of us think of Shakespeare and his sonnets, but surely this is not the only option. There are many more ways to introduce poetry to your students. To be sure, teenagers want something contemporary, something with slang and references to something they can relate to.

According to Wikipedia, slam poetry is a break with the past image of poetry as an elitist or rigid art form. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery. Hip-hop music and urban culture are strong influences, and backgrounds of participants tend to be diverse.

From this definition, it becomes obvious such poems will resonate with teenagers. The format is undefined, expressions are loud and catchy, the subjects are often social problems in modern society, and all of that with a feel of culture from strikingly different backgrounds.

Today we’re suggesting you watch a couple of videos of poetry slam presentations and then share them with your students. We will also discuss why and how these poems are relatable to teens and provide you with a few questions to turn your lesson into a discussion.

Keep in mind it can be quite challenging to follow native speakers’ speech at this tempo, our recommendation is to try it with students at Intermediate and higher levels.

1. Sarah Kay is a noted and respected author of spoken word poetry. In this video, Sarah reads one of her most remarkable works named If I should have a daughter. Without a doubt, that young woman is a role model and an inspiration to teenagers who take a shot at writing poetry. 

Talking about slam poetry, it would be wrong not to mention competitions are regularly held in countries like the US, Canada and others. One of the most popular ones is The National Poetry Slam where people read their poems on stage. And the interesting part is they must do it without prompts, special clothing or music. Their pure, raw, heart-breaking words are all you’ll find there but this is much more than enough.

2. «Explaining My Depression to My Mother» is the kind of poem that won’t leave you unmoved. According to a new study, diagnosis of major depression have gone up 47 per cent since 2013 among millennials (ages 18–34). This means a lot of teenagers can relate to Sabrina’s story. For adolescents to know that their feelings are legitimate and talked about are essential steps in overcoming depression. When you watch her performing on stage, you know she means every word she says. As teachers, we don’t just teach our teen students the English language, we also help them to go through their life experiences. Giving them an example of a girl their age who’s struggling with these same problems will be a valuable support.

 3. Another supportive and life-asserting poem is called «Don’t Kill Yourself Today». The phrases are simple and not at all pretentious but it would be wrong to call them plain, they are lively, vibrant and emotional. Many people in the comments are saying this poem has really saved their lives more than once. This is a real example of Art that serves a great mission.

4. From the next performance by Olivia Vella, we can actually find out what can cause depression and suicidal thoughts in teenagers. Not surprisingly, the reasons are school, people’s expectations and weird norms that society throws at us. By the way, this speech is not conventional because the speaker uses a few props: a pocket mirror and a paper with an A+ grade on it. Normally, props are not used in slam poetry. But listening to her deep words soaked with emotion, you can forgive her forgetting convention. In fact, this is the exact thing that makes her staging different and remarkable.

5. Honesty is one of the key elements of spoken word poetry. «My Honest Poem» is sincere and gripping poetry. From Ruby’s staging, spectators can learn that humour is a powerful tool in public speaking. With the very first line he makes the audience laugh, it seems effortless, yet only the author knows how much work he has put into this.  

6. This poem is as relevant as ever. Jahman Hill talks about an alternate heaven order where everything is white. No black colour is allowed there because it lacks natural purity. The author boldly speculates on the idea of dark-skinned people in heaven and their divine transformation. This ironic rhyme is a reflection of the reality we live in and an attempt to raise people’s awareness. 

7. One more social problem is the common perception of what men and women should be like, what they should act like based on their biological gender. These stereotypes often hurt both men and women. Javon Johnson is courageous enough to show his vulnerability to the world. He claims that masculinity is just a facade, just the character he has to be in the eyes of the public. 

8. Jokes are something we all like no matter how old we are, what’s our gender, social status and so on. We just like laughing because it prolongs our lives. It’s a good thing to laugh, right? Well, maybe not that much. It might sound odd at first, but laughing can be wrong. It can hurt other people. Just think how many times you’ve been laughed at because of a friendly joke, inside you felt terrible and betrayed.  Think about how many times you’ve done it to other people without thinking of the consequences. And what if there’s a joke that would hurt not just one person, but the whole community, the entire nation? Check a «How to Translate a Joke» poem and see. 

9. All of the performances we watched brought up socially and culturally important subjects, yet none of them has mentioned another vibrant topic: our grandparents. People who have been always supporting us while we are growing up and who need our support in later years.  On the days when their body and mind fail them, they need our love and our remembrance more than ever. Listen to this poem and then discuss with your students what feelings it had awakened in them.

10. According to Mental Health Information, an estimated 9.1% of adolescents have a social anxiety disorder, that’s a lot of young people. The words of the next poem will speak directly to them and will make them feel that they are not lonely in their loneliness, that their feelings can be described and put into beautifully ordered lines. Let your teenage students learn how to articulate their emotions and make the world aware of them. 

Slam poetry is definitely more than just mainstream contemporary poetry. As we can see from the videos above, slam poetry often brings up hot topics and raises awareness of various problems in modern society.

To provoke a lively discussion in your classroom, you can give your students food for thought with these questions:

1. What do you think of the slam poetry movement? Does it reflect societal trends?
2. Can slam poetry be considered real poetry and Art? Why? Or why not?
3. Can anyone write slam poetry? Would you like to take a try? What makes you want to try it?
4. Which performance did you like most? And the least? Why?
5. Do you think your parents or your grandparents could relate to the issues discussed?
6. Have you ever written any kind of poetry? Was it easy or difficult for you to write? Why?
7. Did you show your poetry to anyone? How did they react?
8. Do you have experience reading your poetry or someone else’s poetry on stage? How did it feel?
9. Do you know somebody who writes poems? What do you think of their writing? Would you criticize someone’s writing if you thought it was bad?
10. Is there any poet, living or dead, you wish you could talk to? What would you say to them? What questions would you ask them?

Of course, as you go along with the discussion, you might want to add more questions or motivate students to ask each other more questions.