Teachers Guide: Teacher Preparation

Download the complete Teachers Guide.

1. Have students browse the poems. We have provided classroom poetry anthologies and an extensive online anthology that includes several search options. Allow time for the students to explore the selections, either as homework or a classroom activity, and have the students pick some poems they may memorize.

2. Begin class with a poem a day. Another way to expose students to poetry that they might not discover on their own is to read or recite a poem to them at the start of each class period. This duty might be performed by the teacher, students, or both. The Poetry Out Loud website has a poet of the day feature, including poems and poet biographies that may be read aloud.

3. Ask each student to select poems to memorize. Allowing students to choose their own poems will enhance the educational value of the program. Encourage them to build up range and level of difficulty, keeping in mind that long poems are not always the most difficult. You may want to have them master a poem with a simpler narrative first and then have them pick a poem they are attracted to but might not completely understand. The process of memorizing and reciting should help that student internalize the author’s message and further explore phrases and lines they could not master initially.

4. Discuss the poems in class. Understanding the text is the most important preparation for reciting poetry aloud. If a student doesn’t understand the text, neither will the audience. Lead class discussions about the students’ selected poems.

5. Have students memorize the poems. Share these memorization tips with your students:
1. Rewrite your poem by hand several times. Each time, try to write more and more of it from memory. 2. Read your poem aloud before going to sleep at night, and repeat it when you wake up. 3. Carry around a copy of your poem in your pocket or bag. You’ll find several moments throughout the day to reread or recite it. 4. Practice your poem by saying it to family and friends.

6. Model recitation skills in the classroom. Model both effective and ineffective recitation practices, asking students to point out which elements of the performance are successful and which are not. On the board, develop a list of bad habits that distract the audience or take away from the performance, such as inaudible volume, speaking too quickly, monotone voice, fidgeting, overacting, and mispronunciations. Then develop a list of elements that a successful recitation should contain, such as sufficient volume, an appropriate speed with the proper pauses, voice inflection, evidence of understanding, correct pronunciation, and eye contact with the audience. Play portions of the audio CD and the videos from the website and training DVD as further examples of recitation practices. Recite poems yourself — this is a powerful way to show students it can be done.

7. Practice the poems. Allow class time for students to practice their poems. Break the class into pairs of students (rotating each session), and have each student practice with a partner. Partners should offer constructive criticism, using the Evaluation Sheet and Criteria as a guide.

8. Include creative writing exercises. Creative writing is a natural complement to Poetry Out Loud. For that reason, we have included a number of optional writing exercises and lesson plans for teachers at the back of this Teacher’s Guide and on the Poetry Out Loud website.