This unit will be concluded by a Poetry Slam Fundraiser, to be held on the last Thursday of the month. The students will, with our help, put on this event as a way to bring together all that they have learned and to involve the community in the education process. Students will post and pass out flyers at local businesses (with the permission of the owners) and advertise on any free local listings. A small admission fee will be charged, the amount of which will be determined by the students. We will also have a concessions stand. All students will be required to participate insome way. Those who do not wish to perform will have the option of working at the admissions booth, at the concessions stand, or in the advertising area.
A Poetry Slam will be a highly effective way to connect what the students have been learning about Urban Life with the realities of their own urban lives. All students will be strongly encouraged to perform and to focus their pieces around the idea of Urban Life. It is our hope that members of the community will attend this event and contribute their own experiences and ideas, during the open house-time after the event. If successful, this could be an excellent way to involve the community in the lives of our students, which is truly what Urban Life is all about.
Although this event is primarily a culminating project and only secondarily a fundraiser, it is hoped that the students will nonetheless make some profit on it. Anything that is earned beyond the production expenses will be contributed to the 10th grade class fund.
