Poetry Café
Are you a poet and didn’t know it? That’s what we are going to find out. You have the opportunity to be a poetic
star in our very own classroom poetry café.
How does this fabulous opportunity work for you?
1) Choose any poem of your choice to perform for the class. It can be a poem that you have written, or from and
other chosen author.
2) You are to memorize that poem. The poem must be a minimum of 8 lines long. If you choose a poem that is
very long, you may choose a selection of the poem to perform. However, if your poem is only 10 or 12 lines,
please try and memorize the entire poem, as the presentation may lose some of its value if you were to cut the
poem short.
3) Present it! You have the chance to present the poem of your choice in any shape or form that you wish (as
long as it’s appropriate, of course) BE CREATIVE – put it to music, act it out, wear a costume. Creativity and
originality are key to a successful performance!
4) At the end of the poem, provide a brief description of why you chose that poem, and the elements of style that
helped communicate meaning and how they enhanced the effectiveness of your poem.
This will be both an oral communication and a reading mark, so be sure to put forth your best effort and exert
your creative powers! Speak clearly, loudly, and with appropriate expression.
ORAL COMMUNICATION RUBRIC
Criteria
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Knowledge and
Understanding
Demonstrates
limited
understanding
of appropriate
speaking and
listening
behavior in
group situations.
Demonstrates
some
understanding
of appropriate
speaking and
listening
behavior in
group
situations.
Uses
appropriate
vocal effects
such as tone,
pace, volume,
and expression
with some
effectiveness.
Can recite a
poem of choice
and respond to
oral poems with
some
effectiveness.
Demonstrates
good
understanding
of appropriate
speaking and
listening
behavior in
group
situations.
Uses
appropriate
vocal effects
such as tone,
pace, volume,
and expression
with
effectiveness.
Can recite a
poem of choice
and respond to
oral poems with
effectiveness.
Demonstrates
thorough
understanding
of appropriate
speaking and
listening
behavior in
group
situations.
Uses
appropriate
vocal effects
such as tone,
pace, volume,
and expression
with excellent
effectiveness.
Can recite a
poem of choice
and respond to
oral poems with
excellent
effectiveness.
Uses
Thinking and
Communication appropriate
vocal effects
such as tone,
pace, volume,
and expression
with limited
effectiveness.
Can recite a
Application
poem of choice
and respond to
oral poems with
limited
effectiveness.
READING RUBRIC
Criteria
Level 1
Knowledge and
Understanding
Identifies various
elements of style
in a poem with
limited
effectiveness.
Level 2
Identifies
various
elements of
style in a poem
with some
effectiveness.
Explains how the Explains how
Thinking and
Communication elements of style the elements of
communicate
style
meaning in a
communicate
poem with
meaning in a
limited
poem with
effectiveness.
some
effectiveness.
Demonstrates
Demonstrates
Application
limited
some
understanding
understanding
of how the
of how the
elements of style elements of
help readers to
style help
better visualize
readers to
when reading
better visualize
poetry and how when reading
it enhances the
poetry and how
overall purpose
it enhances the
of the poem.
overall purpose
of the poem.
Level 3
Identifies
various
elements of
style in a poem
with
effectiveness.
Explains how
the elements of
style
communicate
meaning in a
poem with
effectiveness.
Level 4
Identifies
various
elements of
style in a poem
with excellent
effectiveness.
Explains how
the elements of
style
communicate
meaning in a
poem with
excellent
effectiveness.
Demonstrates
Demonstrates
good
thorough
understanding
understanding
of how the
of how the
elements of
elements of
style help
style help
readers to
readers to
better visualize better visualize
when reading
when reading
poetry and how poetry and how
it enhances the it enhances the
overall purpose overall purpose
of the poem.
of the poem.