Poetry Out Loud (USA)
http://poetryoutloud.org/about/
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have
partnered with State Arts Agencies of the United States to support the
expansion of Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation's youth to learn
about great poetry through memorization and performance. This exciting
program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence,
and learn about their literary heritage.
After successful pilot programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, the second
phase of Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools across America in the
spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating.
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that begins at the classroom level.
Winners will advance to the school-wide competition, then to the state
competition, and ultimately to the National Finals.
http://poetryoutloud.org/poems/video_bestpractices.html
Memorization helps us to understand a poem. We have to follow the mind of
the poet; we recreate the logic, experience, and feelings that put the poem
together. No one can ever know the struggle to make poetry out of
experience except the poet who did it; nevertheless, memorizing a poem is
as close as another person can get to composing one.
-TOI DERRICOTTE, poet
http://www.poetryoutloud.org/teachers/2008%20POL%20Evaluation%20Executive
%20Summary.pdf
2008 FINAL REPORT
POETRY OUT LOUD - NATIONAL RECITATION CONTEST
Poetry Out Loud continues to grow, with a third more schools participating in
2007-2008, and a third more students, who now number almost a quarter of a
million.
Racial and ethnic representation among students participating in school contests
indicates that, as in past years, the Poetry Out Loud population is diverse and
representative of school and national student populations.
appears to be making new and notable inroads into rural schools.
has taken root in schools that have several strong arts programs, and it has
flourished in schools where it has become one of only a few programs in the arts.
is attracting teachers with a range of teaching experience—new, midcareer, and
veterans.
successfully retains teachers in the program as well as attracts new ones.
As Poetry Out Loud continues to grow, teachers are embracing the opportunities
the contests provide to showcase poetry, the arts, and students who don’t
typically get involved in such activities.
Poetry recitation is a vital component of Poetry Out Loud in the classroom, and a
strategy teachers say works.