English 9 “Poetry Out Loud” Assignment
RECITATION
Students will recite a selected poem to the class. The poem does not need to be memorized
unless a student is participating in the school wide contest, but the student does need to show
evidence of multiple rehearsals of and familiarity with the poem. The recitation will be judged
using this rubric.
Students need to go to www.poetryoutloud.org to select a poem for this assignment.
Poetry Out Loud Connection Paragraph
You chose this poem from the www.poetryoutloud.org website. Now it’s time to analyze it and
explain what the poem means to you.
Simply put, why do you find this poem interesting? Here are some guides to use for your
paragraph.
Include answers to the following questions IF they apply to your poem.
Use this list to get started. Don’t take up space listing poetic devices
your poem doesn’t include; simply talk about what poetic devices
your poem does include.
First, take notes about the
After you have finished your notepoem on the right by thinking taking, arrange your notes into an
intelligent paragraph. NOTE: It WILL be
about the following:

Begin by naming the title, in
“quotation marks,” and the author of
the poem

How does the title of the poem
relate its meaning?

Who is the speaker in the poem?

What is happening in the poem?

Do you agree (or disagree) with
the poem’s point for some reason?

Is the speaker telling a story
(narrative poem) or sharing feelings
(lyric poem)?
a LONG paragraph.

Describe an experience the
speaker in the poem relates and
show how it is similar to an
experience you’ve had or to similar
feelings you’ve had.

Explain how the poet asks a
question or presents an idea you
find interesting in some way.

What is the poem’s theme?

What is the poet’s message or
lesson for the reader to understand?

How does the poem’s theme
relate to any experience or emotion
you’ve had or that you have thought
about?

What specific words (diction)
does the poet use to create its tone?
What is the poem’s tone?

Explain the poet’s use of
figurative language (similes,
metaphors, personification)?

How does the figurative language
add to the poem’s meaning?

Does the poem use sound
devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia,
rhyme, rhyme scheme, rhythm)?

How do the sound devices add to
your enjoyment of the poem?

Are there any symbols that
represent ideas or allusions that
represent historical or literary
connections? Add to the meaning?