THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNION CHILE
Creating global understanding through English
Santiago, July 03, 2013
Dear colleague:
The Chilean English-Speaking Union would like to invite your school to
participate in the 2013 Poetry Recitation Contest on Tuesday, October 1, 2013
for students from third to fifth and Wednesday, October 2, 2013 for students from
sixth grade to eighth grade.
Reciting poetry can help to enrich students’ vocabulary as well as improve their
pronunciation in English. We hope your school will choose to participate in this
exciting new event. The contest will take place at Villa Maria Academy (Avenida
Presidente Errazuriz 3753, Las Condes), from 9:00 am and end at 12:30 pm
each day.
Due to time constraints during the competition, each school may enter two
students per level. To register for the contest, please fill out and return the
attached registration form via email. All forms must be received by Friday,
September 06, 2013.
We sincerely hope that you will be joining us!
With warm regards,
Jacinda Forster- Chile ESU
Email: theenglishspeakingunionchile@gmail.com
Villa Maria Academy Avenida Presidente Errazuriz 3753, Las Condes
750-5200
ESU Chile Poetry Recitation Contest
Important Guidelines—Please Read Carefully
ELEGEBILITY
 Due to time constraints, schools may send two students per level (3-8 grade) to
participate in the contest.

Students must choose a poem from the attached packet for their grade level.
COMPETITION STRUCTURE

The student will stand at the front of the room.

The judges’ panel sit at the back of the room behind the audience.

No visual aids or props of any kind may be used when delivering the poem.

The poem must be memorized. Students may not use any form of notes.

Students should recite, not act out the poem.

Before presenting their poems, students must say their name, the title and author
of the poem. They should NOT say their school name.
PRIZES

Recited poems will be judged according to the Poetry Recitation Contest Rubric.

There will be prizes for the winner, the runner-up and the third-placed performer.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE
 School uniform or any clothing with the school insignia may NOT be worn.
Speakers should wear formal clothes (NO jeans/t-shirts/trainers/etc.)

Teachers may not prompt student or coach them in any way during their
performance.

Each school is encouraged to bring supporters - students, teachers or parents to accompany their speakers.

In case of a tie-breaker, additional points will be given to students that selected a
poem of greater difficulty.
ESU Chile Poetry Recitation Contest
Poetry Recitation Contest Program
3-5 Grade
October 1, 2013
9:00-9:15
Welcome
9:15-10:00
3 grade poem recitation
10:00-10:15
Break
10:15-11:00
4 grade poem recitation
11:00-11:45
5 grade poem recitation
11:45-12:00
Break
12:00-12:30
Award Ceremony
6-8 Grade
October 2, 2013
9:00-9:15
Welcome
9:15-10:00
6 grade poem recitation
10:00-10:15
Break
10:15-11:00
7 grade poem recitation
11:00-11:45
8 grade poem recitation
11:45-12:00
Break
12:00-12:30
Award Ceremony
ESU Chile Poetry Recitation Contest
Poems Listed By Level of Difficulty
3 Grade
“Boa Constrictor” by Shel Silverstein
“This Is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams
“Pick up Your Room” by Mary Ann Hoberman
“I Found Myself Upon a Cow” by Kenn Nesbitt
“Thinking” by Walter D. Wintle
4 Grade
“In the Kitchen” by John Cotton
“Dreams” by Langston Hughes
“Who Am I?” by Felice Colman
“Bed in Summer” by Robert Louis Stevenson
“I Taught My Cat to Clean My Room” by Kenn Nesbitt
5 Grade
“Welcome Back to School” By Kenn Nesbitt
“Why?” by John Kitching
“A Pizza the Size of the Sun” by Jack Prelutsky
“Sick” by Shel Silverstein
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
6 Grade
“I’m Wrestling with an Octopus” by Jack Prelutsky
“The Dog Ate My Homework” by Sara Holbrook
“The Arrow and the Song” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar A. Guest
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
7 Grade
“Almost Perfect But Not Quite” by Shel Silverstein
“Sea-Fever” by John Masefield
“The Tyger” by William Blake
“The Fisherman” by William Butler Yeats
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
8 Grade
“The Dentist and the Crocodile” by Roald Dahl
“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
“O Capitan! My Capitan!” by Walt Whitman
“If” by Rudyard Kipling
“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
ESU Chile Poetry Recitation Contest
2013
Poetry Recitation Contest Rubric
Student
Poem
Author
Judges: Please mark students from
5 (perfect) to 1 (poor)
5
Perfect
4
3
Very
Average
Good
Memorization: 5 points
Accurate: No errors or glaring
pauses. Does the student avoid
errors and long pauses?
Diction: 15 points
Projection and Clarity: Poem is
easily heard with clear words (not
mumbled). Does the student speak
loudly enough for you to hear?
Correct Pronunciation:
Are the words pronounced properly?
Rhythm/Stress/Meter/Tonality Are
these elements observed in the
recitation?
Interpretation: 15 points
Understanding: Shows
understanding through phrasing,
intonation, and appropriate
expressions of emotion. Does the
student’s use of emotion and
expression enhance the recitation of
the poem?
Enthusiasm: Does the student
recite the poem in an enthusiastic,
easy way?
Preparation: Displays rehearsal
and preparation
Body Language 5 points
Confidence: Student is confident,
relaxed, and makes eye contact.
How at ease is the student?
Total Score
Tie-breaker
Difficulty of poem: +5 to +1
(Very challenging to very easy)
Final Score
Judge’s Signature
ESU Chile Poetry Recitation Contest
2
Below
Average
1
Poor