How to read a poem out loud. . . .

It is your heart, your soul, your ideas
that bring the poem to life.

Be good to it. Be careful of it.
Be aware of your poem as a thing that matters.

First: Review "How to read a poem out loud" by Billy Collins, poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate.

Your requirements:

Choose your favorite poem from your list of 10 (in your poetry journal) to read to the class.
It must be a poem of at least 12 lines long. See other restrictions.
Introduce this poem to us by giving us an idea about what it means to you and why you chose it.
Give us the title of the poem and the name of the poet.
If you wrote about this poem in your journal, it will help you prepare for this reading.

Grading Rubric:

	10 above and beyond; wow!!	9-8 good, could be better	7 okay, average quality	6-5 not so great, you could do better	0 you didn't do this
Introduction includes required elements
Oral reading skills: -eye contact -volume -pronunciation -pace, pauses, etc.
Poem meets requirements
Total: ______ / 30

Poems you can use (from the Unit plans page)

For this unit, please read only published poems and not poems written by friends or other students.
Anonymous poems are also not allowed for the poetry journal, oral reading or essay.
You may not use poems written for children.
Most poems from .com sites are not to be used for this unit. When in doubt, check with your teacher.