Poem Reading – English 12

In this assignment you will orally read a poem of your choice to the class. Ensure your poem is of sufficient length to showcase your oral interpretation skills.

Selection of poem:

·  For this reading, read only published poems and not poems written by friends or other students.Use the links I have under “Poetry” at http://mrshummel.wikispaces.com/English+12+Course

·  Poems should be at least 12 lines long.

·  Make sure that your poem choice is not trivial. You must avoid the following types: Haiku, limericks, shape poems, found poems, excessively short poems, etc.—poor choices will result in poor grades for this project.

·  Anonymous poems are also not allowed.

·  You may not use poems written for children.

·  Most poems from .com sites are not to be used for this unit. When in doubt, check with your teacher.

You will be evaluated on your use of vocal qualities in the presentation/interpretation of your passage. These vocal qualities include:

·  Stress: putting emphasis on a word or syllable to make it stand out

·  Pause: using deliberate pauses to add emphasis or dramatic effect – long pauses add drama and can add to the theme or image

·  Tone: portraying mood through how you speak

·  Speed: using the appropriate rate of speech for the mood and theme of the poem

·  Volume: using the strength of your voice to ensure you can be heard throughout the room

Presentation of poem:

·  You must read the poem aloud to the class. This should be a well-rehearsed reading that uses appropriate vocal expression and intonation.

·  Introduce this poem to us by giving us an idea about what it means to you and why you chose it.

·  Give us the title of the poem and the name of the poet.

·  Your poem needs to be familiar enough to you that you are free to use gestures and make eye contact. You do not need to memorize your poem.

Timeframe of assignment:

·  Introduce concept on Friday, May 31st – select poem

·  Oral presentation practice and guidance on Monday, June 3rd

·  Wednesday, June 5th – select poem, practice

·  Thursday, June 6th – presentation of poem to class

Not Yet Within Expectations
1 /2 / Minimally Meeting Expectations 3 / Meeting Expectations
4 / Fully Meeting Expectations
5 / Exceeding Expectations
6
Physical Presence / Stiff or agitated;
lacks eye contact
with audience;
appears
uncomfortable / Timid; unsure; eye contact and body language reflects
nervousness / Body language
and eye contact
are at times
unsure, at times confident / Poised; body
language and
eye contact
reveal strong
stage presence / Authoritative; body language and eye
contact show
compelling stage presence
Voice and Articulation / Inaudible; slow;
Distracting rhythm; singsong; hurried;
mispronunciations / Audible, but
quiet; too loud;
monotone; paced unevenly; affected tone / Clear, adequate
intonation, even pacing / Very clear,
crisp, effective
use of volume,
intonation,
rhythm, and
pacing / Very clear, crisp, mastery of rhythm
and pace, skillful use of volume and
intonation
Dramatic Appropriateness / Poem is
overshadowed by
significant distracting gestures, facial expressions,
inflections or
accents; acting out of poem; singing; over-emoting;
inappropriate tone / Poem is secondary to style of delivery;
includes instances
of distracting
gestures, facial
expressions, and vocal inflections;
inappropriate tone / Poem is
enhanced by
style of
delivery; any
gestures, facial
expressions,
and movement
are appropriate
to poem / Style of
delivery reflects deep understanding
of poem; poem’s voice is well conveyed / Style of delivery reflects
internalization of poem; all gestures and movements feel
essential to poem’s success
Level of Difficulty / Simple content,
easy language, short length / Straight forward
language and
content; moderate
length / One element of
challenging
content,
language, or
length / Contains very
challenging
content and
language;
length is
appropriate to
complexity of
poem / Contains extremely
challenging content
and language;
length is
challenging for a poem of this
complexity