Poetry slams into schools

Immaculata Catholic High School students will be slamming their way into April, celebrating the upcoming poetry month with spoken-word workshops and performances.

Spoken-word artists Ian Keteku and Nathanael Larochette will be visiting the school at the beginning of April for workshops teaching students about spoken-word and poetry slams.

Spoken-word is a type of artistic performance where lyrics, poetry or stories are spoken rather than sung.

Bringing the lyrical beat into classrooms is something that is happening all across the city, as more Ottawa schools begin to include spoken-word in their curriculum.

Schools can sign up for workshops led by spoken-word artists.

During the workshops, typically a week long, artists teach students how to write and perform poetry.

 “Right now there’s a resurgence of poetry happening, and it’s not coming in the same form,” says workshop leader Keteku.

“It’s coming in the form of spoken-word and slam poetry.”

In an age when students are using the Internet and their BlackBerrys for research, educators need to move away from the textbook, says Keteku.

He thinks workshops would help  engage students in the material.

“I think it’s absolutely integral for the teachers to update the curriculum,” says Keteku.

According to the head of Immaculata’s English department, Craig Pinches, the high school is bringing in spoken-word artists in April, which is Canada’s national poetry month.

The poetry workshops will be offered to Grade 10 students taking English this semester, as well as one Grade 9 class.

In other classes, Pinches says, students have used spoken-word to study social justice.

They take contemporary songs like K’naan’s "Wavin’ Flag" and Michael Jackson’s "Man in the Mirror" and look at how the artists use poetry to address social injustices.

“It’s something that kids can relate to,” says Pinches. “It’s talking about something they feel passionate about.”

“Any time you can get kids to write and present something they’re passionate about, you tend to get a better product.”