Poetry Presentation Outline and Guidelines

Directions: You have signed up for a specific section of the poetry chapter of the text. Your job is to become an “expert” on the meanings, vocabulary, identification, and purpose of this poetic technique to teach it to class in a brief 3-5 minute presentation, and then an application (activity)w/ a particular poem.

The requirements for the presentation include:

  1. Define any poetic devices that fall under your category, or other literary terms that the class would not be familiar with already. These will go in your “Lit Terms Glossary”
  2. Choose 2-3 poems from the text book or a valid literary source and identify your devices in the poem, as an example. Show the students what these devices look like IN CONTEXT.
  3. Annotate the poems to demonstrate this poetic category (only need to look for yours)
  4. Share the examples with the class in a creative format:

-Prezi or other electronic presentation (video, Google…)

-Copies of the poems for the class

-Use of text books

-On the Document Camera

-Projected onto the white board or screen

-Getting class to find the terms after giving definitions

  1. Make connections between the meaning of the poems and the devices (What do you observe? How do you interpret your observations? How are these significant to the meaning of the poem as a whole?) Get creative. Personification is used instead of just imagery, for example, because…
  2. Write an AP-style essay prompt about one of your example poems, using your terms in the question itself.

In the 3-5 minutes, you will have to figure out how to present:

  1. The terms and poetic techniques
  2. The poem examples
  3. The purpose of the device, or the effect it has on the poems

After your brief presentation, you will then, as a class, read a poem from your section of the text and discuss the meaning AS IT APPLIES to the category you are presenting. (i.e. TONE would look for tone in an example poem, as seen through diction, imagery…)

To me, when you present, you must turn in a copy of your presentation plan including:

  1. A plan to present (what format, who presents what, what topics will you cover)
  2. Page numbers or copy of the poems using for class examples with written explanations of the connections between technique and meaning overall (theme)
  3. AP-style essay prompt formatted to look professional

PLEASE PRESENT IT NEATLY, TYPED, and PREPAREDLY! You will be graded on content, but also on professionalism. This includes good posture, good eye contact, good use of technology (if applicable), appropriate dress, and evidence of practice. Please do not read off of PowerPoint slides or note cards directly.

All students will be expected to take notes during your presentation, so be precise, and don’t go too fast or take too long! Hit the high points. You will have MINIMAL class time to organize and prepare.