3.5 Oral Representation of Poetry
Completion requirements
Time for Some Poetry Reciting!
Poetry is meant to be experienced and enjoyed as an oral method of communication. When reading a poem, it is very important that the reader reads the piece in such a way as to honor the poet's work and intentions as much as possible. The structure of
a poem is what tells us how to read it aloud. It is imperative that you present the tone and mood of the poem and the poem's message appropriately. For example, if it is a sad tone, your voice would need to be somber or serious, and lower tones would
be used.
There are many different perspectives about how poetry should be read. However, for the purposes of this course, please read poetry as follows:
- Give your name and then read the title and give the poet's name. Pause appropriately after the title (a couple of seconds), before beginning to recite.
- Pause slightly at the end of each line whether there is punctuation or not. Many present that a line with no punctuation would be read straight through to the next line, but my perspective is that if a poet wished for the lines to be read straight through, with no pause, he/she would have written the piece in prose, and not in the presented poetic form.
- Pause normal amounts of time for all punctuation, and a bit longer if it is at the end of the poetry line, and a bit longer yet if there is a period.
- Practice reading the poem several times until you think you have a good idea of how you will read it. Your parent, friend, family pet, or mirror work well as "sounding boards" for your recital! This poem is musical, and while you are totally encouraged to bring your own perspective of the poem to the piece, your reading should reflect the rhythm, rhyme, and mood.
Step 2: Read and practice the oral reading of the poem, "maggie and millie, and molly and may," by E.E. Cummings on p. 306 of your Sightlines 10 text. When you are ready to present, move on to Step 3.
Step 3: Create your audio using the Poodll Audio program that is built into this Moodle Program. Select the "Add Submission" as usual, and then follow the guiding instructions to record your audio. Please watch the
help video below if you need assistance to do this. This process is quite easy and convenient. Make sure you introduce yourself and give the title of the poem.
What will completing this Poetry Reading assignment help you to know, understand, and do?
Know - punctuation as guiding direction for reading text, how to read poetry according to line and stanza breaks
Understand - oral reading of poetry requires close attention to be paid to all of the poetic techniques within a text
Do - use learned oral skills, specific to poetry reading, to create an oral poetry reading that effectively captures the rhythm, rhyme, and mood of the assigned poetic text
Know - punctuation as guiding direction for reading text, how to read poetry according to line and stanza breaks
Understand - oral reading of poetry requires close attention to be paid to all of the poetic techniques within a text
Do - use learned oral skills, specific to poetry reading, to create an oral poetry reading that effectively captures the rhythm, rhyme, and mood of the assigned poetic text