Frequently asked questions about Poetry Out Loud
The following summarizes responses from teachers who have coordinated the Poetry Out Loud program in their schools.
How much time does it take to implement the program?
- Most commonly, classroom and school competitions take three weeks to
implement, and classroom and school competitions can be held during the
class period or school day.
- Some schools offer Poetry Out Loud as a symposium or elective during
which students read and study poetry and work on their presentations.
The students in the symposium or elective class compete amongst themselves,
and then another competition is held in which the whole school is invited to
participate.
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When should I start planning my classroom and school competitions?
- Start early, as soon as you decide to participate and submit your registration
form (due by November 1, 2010). You want to give yourself enough time to
complete your program before the end of January 2011.
- The Arts Board will cover the cost of a one-day artist residency. USE IT.
Contact the Arts Board early to select an artist and date for the artist visit.
Having a poet come in early is valuable.
- One teacher feels it is important to get familiar with the resources available
on the Web site (www.poetryoutloud.org)
and think about the criteria that will be used for choosing poems,
as early as possible.
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How do I get other teachers interested in the program?
- Send info to department via e-mail
- Talk about the program at monthly department meeting
- Talk to them
- Invite them to a Poetry Out Loud competition
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How do I get students to sign up and participate in the competition?
- Student participation depends on the classroom teachers. Some teachers
asked every student to present a poem as part of a poetry unit. Other teachers
simply asked for student volunteers.
- Some schools offer Poetry Out Loud as a symposium or elective.
- Some schools require certain grade levels to participate (e.g., ninth and tenth graders) and pick finalists from each grade.
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What impact did participation have on the students?
- When students were required to participate, they discovered how fun learning
a poem could be.
- In schools where students could decide whether or not to memorize and recite
poems the students who did not deliver poems really enjoyed hearing the poems
from their friends. Some even remarked, “This was fun; can we do it again?”
- One teacher felt the contest changed the school winner’s life. He
was a celebrity at school for a while.
- One school took all of its finalists to the state competition to support their fellow student who was a state finalist. The performances at the state competition helped them develop a better appreciation of poetry.
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Is there any correlation between Poetry Out Loud and curriculum or standards?
- Yes, participation in Poetry Out Loud is a great way to reinforce
the role of poetry in the English curriculum. It reminds us that poetry is
more than an add-on to the core curriculum. It has an essential role.
- Poetry Out Loud satisfies more than half of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) English language arts standards, and more than half of Minnesota’s language arts standards.
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What are the benefits of participating in the program?
- Some teachers felt the greatest benefit was having a visiting poet come
to the school to conduct a workshop, and look forward to building this into
a bigger event in the future so that more students can benefit.
- Hearing poetry recited out loud. Learning to use your voice. Some teachers
felt that the students who participate in Poetry Out Loud do so because
they love poetry, but they tend to be quiet, shy, reserved kids. Through Poetry
Out Loud they are forced to find their physical voice and use it for
something they already love.
- Students practice speaking, memorizing, and acting techniques.
- Student are exposed to and immersed in great poetry.
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