NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS 
 and 
 
 POETRY FOUNDATION 
 
 present 
 
 NATIONAL RECITATION CONTEST 
 
Poetry Out Loud \n the Classroom 
 
 Competition Structure and Prizes 
 
 Participating teachers will receive everything 
 they need to run a successful competition 
 including a teacher's guide, copies of the 
 Poetry Out Loud anthology, an audio guide 
 to poetry recitation, and posters for the 
 classroom. Additional resources available on 
 the Poetiy Out Loud website include video 
 examples of excellent recitations, a guide for 
 judges, a searchable anthology of more than 
 600 poems, downloadable scoresheets and a 
 tallying system, and much more. 
 
 The curriculum kr Poetry Out Loudhas been 
 designed to fit into a teacher's busy schedule. 
 The program usually takes place over the 
 span of two to three weeks, according to 
 each teacher's interest and agenda, and it 
 will not require fiiU class periods during 
 
 that time. Teachers may also work Poetry 
 Out Loud into existing poetry units. To 
 accommodate schools' testing demands 
 and vacation calendars, Poetry Out Loud 
 can be implemented at the school level any 
 time during the fall through early winter, 
 with slight variations by state. Please check 
 with your State Coordinator for your state's 
 specific calendar. 
 
 Poetry Out Loud satisfies most of the NCTE 
 English Language Arts Standards. In 
 addition to memorizing and performing great 
 poems, students will have the opportunity to 
 discuss poetry and — if the teacher wishes to 
 use the supplemental lesson plans — to write 
 poetry of their own. 
 
 Poems are the most 
 beautiful and useful 
 
 language By 
 
 learning poems you 
 really are keeping the 
 very best of English 
 expression and you 
 have it to pull out 
 when you need it. 
 
 —U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan on 
 the Poetry Out Loud audio guide. 
 
 Poetry Out Loud starts in the classroom, 
 with participating teachers using the Poetry 
 Out Loud toolkit to teach poetry recitation 
 and run classroom competitions. Following 
 a pyramid structure, classroom winners 
 advance to a school-wide competition, then 
 to a regional and/or state competition, and 
 ultimately to the National Finals. State 
 competitions will take place by mid-March; 
 the 2009 National Finals will follow on 
 April 26-28. 
 
 The following prizes are offered for the 
 official state and national competitions: 
 
 State Finals prizes 
 
 Winner: $200, plus $500 to school library 
 for purchase of poetry books, and all- 
 expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) 
 to Washington, DC, to compete at the 
 National Finals. 
 
 Runner-up: $100, plus $200 to school 
 library for purchase of poetry books 
 
 National Finals prizes 
 
 National Champion: $20,000 
 Second Place: $10,000 
 Third Place: $5,000 
 Fourth-Twelfth Place: $1,000 
 Schools of top twelve: $500 
 
 Jackson was a senior at Columbus Alternative 
 High School in Columbus, Ohio, when he was 
 named the first National Champion oi Poetry Out 
 Loud. He is now at Otterbein College. 
 
 Recited: 
 
 "A Satirical Elegy on the Death of a Late Famous General" 
 
 by Jonathan Swift 
 "Altruism" by Molly Peacock 
 "Forgetfulness" by Billy Collins 
 
 "Before the competition, poetry was strictly for 
 bedtime stories for kids. I had never taken a 
 poem seriously outside of a literature class 
 before. It's something that I've come to love, 
 and I'll incorporate it into whatever I do. " 
 
 Amanda was a senior at Duke Ellington School 
 for the Arts in Washington, DC, when she won 
 Poetry Out Loud. She is currendy attending NYU's 
 Tisch School of the Arts. 
 
 Recited: 
 
 "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen 
 
 "Ma Rainey" by Sterling A. Brown 
 
 "Unknown Girl in a Maternity Ward" by Anne Sexton 
 
 "Every day I write poetry. In order to develop 
 my writing and myself I have to read it and 
 read about it." 
 
 2008 National Champion 
 SHavvniay ntNKY 
 
 U.S. Virgin Islands 
 
 The youngest Poetry Out LovA National 
 Champion, Shawntay won the 2008 National 
 Finals as a sophomore. She attends Charlotte 
 Amalie High School in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 
 
 Recited: 
 
 "Beauty" by Tony Hoagland 
 "January, 1795" by Mary Robinson 
 "Frederick Douglass" by Robert E. Hayden 
 
 "When you really listen to the words and recite 
 [poetry] on stage, it comes alive and you 
 can feel that, and you have to make sure the 
 audience feels that too." 
 
Poetry Out Loud encourages the nation's youth to learn 
 about great poetry through exploration, memorization, and 
 
 performance. The inspiration for this program is to promote poetry in both 
 the classroom and the community. Poetry Out Loud provides an entry point for 
 many students to learn to love poetry and keep their favorite poems for a lifetime. 
 
 Participating Students 
 
 225,000 
 
 2005 2006 
 
 (Pilot Year) 
 
 2007 2008 
 
 The National Endowment for the Arts and 
 the Poetry Foundation joined together to 
 create Poetry Out Loud in 2004 and now, ii 
 partnership with state arts agencies, dynamic 
 poetry recitation competitions are taking fl 
 place in classrooms across the country. ^ 
 Poetry Out Loud gives teachers the tools tol| 
 introduce their students to a broad spectrum | 
 of poetry, so students may discover their jf 
 literary heritage. j 
 
 Poetry Out Loud has grown from a pilot project in Washington, DC, and Chicago 
 to involve more than 200,000 students nationwide during the 2007-08 school 
 year. Champions from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin 
 Islands competed at the 2008 National Finals in Washington, DC. Prizes totaling 
 more than $100,000 are awarded at the state and national competitions each year. 
 
 How To Be Part of Poetry Outioud 
 
 To participate the official state and national competitions, schools must register with their 
 State Coordinator. Visit "State Contacts" on the Poetry Out Loud website to identify your 
 State Coordinator. 
 
 www.poetryoutloud.org 
 
"This was easily one of the greatest experiences of 
 my teaching career. Overall, we had approximately 
 850 (out of 1,000) students memorize a poem, from 
 all levels, grades, and abilities. Our school semifinals 
 included several ESL students, athletes, actors, honor- 
 roll students, and students who struggle with their 
 English grades. In the week leading up to the first 
 round of the competition, students were reciting their 
 poems in the halls, in science classes, at their after- 
 school jobs, and to their parents at home. It was the 
 level of intellectual confidence and enthusiasm that 
 we as teachers usually only fantasize about.'' 
 
 —Poetry Out Loud Teacher 
 
 www.poetryoutloud.org 
 
 NATIONAL 
 ENDOWMENT 
 FORTHE ARTS 
 
 A great nation 
 deserves great art. 
 
 POETRY 
 
 FOUNDATION 
 
 Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, 
 the Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies of the United States.