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October 18, 2006
TO: School Administrators
This letter is to invite your participation
in Poetry Out Loud, a national
recitation contest. Last year eight
Missouri schools
participated in the program which was
piloted in all 50 states. We are very proud
that our State Champion, Aislinn Lowry of
Jefferson City
High School, proceeded to
Washington
D.C. where she
placed fourth nationally!
The Poetry Out Loud program
encourages the nation's youth to learn about
great poetry through memorization and
performance. Participation helps students
master public speaking skills, build
self-confidence, and internalize our rich
literary heritage. The Missouri Department
of Elementary and Secondary Education and
the Missouri Arts Council have partnered to
bring this program to
Missouri schools.
The schedule and curriculum for Poetry
Out Loud have been intentionally
designed to fit into a teacher's busy
schedule without much disruption. The
program takes place over two to three weeks,
according to each teacher's interest and
schedule, and will not require full class
periods during that time. Teachers or speech
coaches may choose to run the contest as an
after-school program.
Visit www.poetryoutloud.org to learn more
about the program. Additionally, you may
send a request to
virginia.sanders@ded.mo.gov to receive a
teacher's packet of useful materials. Don't
forget to include your name and mailing
address. The packet will include:
-
Program
guide to help instructors teach
recitation and performance
-
Hardcopy
anthologies of approximately 100 poems
-
Sign-up
sheet, should you decide to participate
Poetry Out Loud
uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the
classroom level, winners from each class
will advance to the school-wide competition.
Each school will send a finalist to the
regional competition, and the regional
winners will then travel to
Jefferson City for
the state competition. Ultimately, one
student from each state will take part in
the national finals in
Washington,
D.C.
This year the program will expand to include
70 high schools throughout the state.
Classroom teachers may begin working with
their students as soon as they are ready. We
ask that each participating school select a
coordinator who will organize their school's
competition. School coordinators will
receive a $50 stipend. School winners must
be identified by
February 2, 2007.
Regional competitions will be scheduled from
February 12 to March 2 in
Cape Girardeau,
Columbia,
Hannibal,
Kansas City, St.
Joseph,
St. Louis, and
Springfield. On March
13, the Regional winners will travel to
Jefferson City to
compete for the title of Missouri State
Champion. The first place school will
receive $500 for the purchase of poetry
books for their school's library. Similarly,
the second place school will receive $200 to
purchase poetry books for their school's
library.
The Missouri Champion will receive an
all-expense-paid trip (with two parents or
other chaperones) to Washington, D. C. for
the national finals taking place on April 30
and May 1. At the national finals, winners
will receive $50,000 total in scholarships
and school stipends, with a $20,000 college
scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud
National Champion.
Poetry Out Loud
satisfies both
Missouri Show-Me
Standards and NCTE English Language Arts
Standards. In addition to memorizing and
performing great poems, students will have
the opportunity to discuss poems and to
write poetry of their own. The program guide
includes optional lesson plans for the
teacher, as well as all other elements
needed to implement the program.
Again, to request a teacher's packet, please
send your name and mailing address to:
virginia.sanders@ded.mo.gov.
Sincerely,
Stan Johnson
Assistant Commissioner
Division of School Improvement
Missouri Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education |
