How do you feel when you see this word:
Poetry
Do you cringe? Applaud? Start composing verse in your head?
April is National Poetry Month, and it’s time to give poetry some much deserved love on the blog and at home.
Poetry Out Loud Contest
Have you heard about Poetry Out Loud? The National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation support this annual event to promote:
- public speaking skills
- self-confidence
- knowledge of literary heritage
To participate, students must:
- choose three poems from the 800 poems in the Poetry Out Loud archives
- memorize and recite these poems for a panel of judges
- impress the judges with articulation, understanding, dramatic effect, accuracy, and level of complexity
According to an article about the Poetry Out Loud contest in Kansas City, teens who recite poetry improve their vocabulary and develop an appreciation for active verbs and figurative language. That means better writing!
Sounds like a Word Nerd Workout to me!
Poetry Out Loud, Word Nerd Style
We’re going to do our own version of Poetry Out Loud in the Tomiak house. When I announced this plan on the way to school, a muffled groan rolled through the minivan. But then someone mentioned Sick, by Shel Silverstein, and I Did Not Steal Your Ice Cream, by Jack Prelutsky. The mood in the van became moderately positive.
My husband refuses to participate. Back in college, he studied benzene rings while I recited Shakespeare. No iambic pentameter for that guy. But maybe I can keep my kids from becoming poetry-phobic.
To make this thing work, I’ve got to find appealing poems. For starters, I’m looking in Poems to Learn By Heart, by Caroline Kennedy. It’s beautifully illustrated with watercolor paintings by Jon J Muth, and it features a variety of poems organized into categories like:
- I Dreamed I Had to Pick a Mother Out (poems about family)
- I’m Expecting You! (poems about friendship and love)
- We Dance Around in a Ring and Suppose (poems about sports and games)
In the introduction, Ms. Kennedy explains why we can all benefit from memorizing poetry:
Poets distill life’s lessons into the fewest possible words. But those tiny packages of thought contain worlds of images and experiences and feeling… If we learn poems by heart, we will always have their wisdom to draw on, and we gain understanding that no one can take away.
Wow. I can’t add much, except that reading and reciting poetry is an excellent way to practice reading aloud. My kids like to rush through words while they read to me; the poems force them to slow down, listen to the rhythm, and use proper inflection.
Wanna join me for Poetry Out Loud, word nerd style? Pick a poem and memorize it by the end of this month. You can find poems in the archives at the Poetry Foundation Website. Or check out Poems to Learn By Heart or Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies, another great resource.
And tell me, how do you feel about poetry?
Thanks,
I believe a poem has to mean something to you for you to benefit from memorizing it. For me, it was a Shakespeare sonnet, No. 55. I learned it as a 15-year-old who thought he could woo the prettiest girl in school with a little Billy Shakespeare!
Much of poetry doesn’t speak to me. The poetry that does, speaks volumes.
Excellent point, Eli! It’s much easier to engage with a poem when it evokes emotion in you. Fortunately, we have a LOT of options out there. And, since I’m a nerd, I happen to have a book of Shakespeare sitting next to my computer. Number 55 is beautiful:
‘Gainst death and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
Thanks for sharing, Eli!
I like poetry, but on my own, I have not taken time to read or memorize or recite poetry. I am going to take your challenge and see if I can memorize a poem by the end of April. I’ll let you know how I do.
ps: wish I had small fry or teens around to practice with…all my grandchildren live far away and are young adults now.
Judy, I’d be happy to include you in my challenge, although I understand it would be more fun if you had kids around. Let’s keep each other honest- I should have my poem picked in the next few days. Have you chosen one yet?
I’ve been looking a several, finally decided to chose one from a book my sister gifted me in 1996. The book is I Am Becoming the Woman I’ve Wanted, it is a collection of poetry and prose and I have selected a poem titled: The Lovers at Eighty by Marilyn Taylor. It is not long, but it resonates with me.
That sounds great, Judy, especially because you picked one that’s significant to you, like Eli mentioned. Ok, the pressure is on; now to make my choice. Good luck Judy!
I applaud your efforts at encouraging your family to memorize and recite poetry. I like to look at this practice as brain food. Wish I had memorized more as a kid. Oh, the the things we learn as adults . . . .
I deleted the double comment; sometimes Word Press can be persnickety. Yes-memorizing poems = brain food. A definite must!