Many of you are educators who may already know about this program, which has been in operation since 2006. But for those of you aren't familiar with it, here's how they describe their mission:
Recitation and performance are major new trends in poetry. There has been a recent resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music. Poetry Out Loud builds on that momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class.
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.
Not only is this program a fantastic way to get kids excited about poetry, its website is also chock full of additional resources for students and teachers. The site is a great destination for kids who want to know more about poetry: it features a poet of the day, a great audio guide to poetry, and a nice collection of classic poems for new poetry readers. The teachers' section of the site has an excellent set of lesson plans and writing activities to seamlessly incorporate the competition into the classroom.
Government often puts a lot of emphasis on science and math education, and while these subjects are important, a solid grounding in poetry can be just as essential: fun, illuminating, and empowering. The resources at the Poetry Out Loud website, and the competition itself, showcase the ways in which people across the US are taking a stand for poetry in the classroom.
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