Arts in Education Week: Poetry Out Loud
This week we're celebrating National Arts in Education Week. Yesterday we talked about some of our arts learning programs and today, we take a closer look at one of our favorites: Poetry Out Loud.
Poetry Out Loud builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of rap music among youth. Poetry Out Loud invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word and theater into the English class. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.
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Getting Started with Arizona Poetry Out Loud
An overview of the Poetry Out Loud program in Arizona. This brochure includes a program description, ideas on how to implement Poetry Out Loud into your classroom, an easy to follow timeline, and award structure for winners at the local and national level. A sample class schedule and lesson plan give teachers an idea of the writing activities and curriculum available.
Program Structure and Curriculum
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that begins at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. The curriculum for POL is designed to fit into a teacher’s busy schedule. The program takes place over the span of two to three weeks, according to each teacher’s interest and agenda, and does not require full class periods during that time. Poetry Out Loud satisfies most of the National Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Standards. In addition to memorizing and performing great poems, students have the opportunity to discuss poetry and – if the teacher wishes to use the supplemental lesson plans – to write poetry of their own.
State Prizes
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, DC, (with an adult chaperone) to compete at the National Finals. The state winner’s school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. One runner-up in each state receives $100; his or her school receives $200 for the purchase of poetry books.
National Prizes
A total of $50,000 in scholarship awards and school stipends are awarded at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, with a $20,000 college scholarship award for the National Champion.
More Information
Visit the National Endowment for the Arts’ official Poetry Out Loud website for more information.
To learn out more about Arizona Poetry Out Loud, contact the Arizona Commission on the Arts at 602-771-6502 or by email at afreyermuth@azarts.gov.
2016-2017 Arizona Poetry Out Loud Dates to Remember:
- August 19, 2016 – School Registration Opens
- January 30, 2017 – School Registration Closes
- February 3, 2017 – Deadline to hold school competitions
- If your school will be unable to meet this deadline, please contact Arizona Poetry Out Loud Coordinator Anastasia Freyermuth to make alternative arrangements.
Competition Schedule
Central Region Competition
February 18, 2017
Saturday, February 18 at 1:00pm
Mesa Arts Center – Dobson Lecture Hall
1 E Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201
Southern Region Competition
February 18, 2017
Saturday, February 18 at 1:00pm
University of Arizona Poetry Center – Dorothy Rubel Humanities Seminar Room
1508 E Helen St, Tucson, AZ 85719
Northern Region Competition
February 25, 2017
Saturday, February 25 at 2:00pm
Lowell Observatory – Giclas Lecture Hall
1400 W Mars Hill Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Arizona State Finals
March 11, 2017
Saturday, March 11 at 2:00pm (Doors open at 1:30pm)
Arizona PBS Studios – Arizona State University
555 North Central Avenue
Suite 500
Phoenix, AZ 85004-1252
Air Dates for Arizona Poetry Out Loud
The Arizona Poetry Out Loud State Finals were recorded and will be broadcast on Arizona PBS throughout April:
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Arizona Public Media in Tucson will be airing Arizona Poetry Out Loud 2017:
- April 12 at 6:00pm
POL National Finals
April 24-26, 2017
Washington, DC
Recent Updates
Changes to Scoring for Poetry Out Loud 2016
Ensuring fair and accurate scoring is essential to a successful Poetry Out Loud competition. After convening two panels on the Poetry Out Loud (POL) scoring rubric, the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation have made a significant change to the way competitions will be scored during the 2015-2016 season.
Read morePoetry Out Loud Website
The For Teachers section of the official Poetry Out Loud website provides program and classroom resources for teachers.
Regional Partners
Arizona Poetry Out Loud Regional Partners are organizations with strong ties to their local literary and school communities, and are dedicated to creating opportunities for increased student and school involvement in the Poetry Out Loud program.
Northern and Central Regions Partner Organization
Phonetic Spit
Tomas Stanton
tstanton@phoneticspit.org
Southern Region Partner Organization
University of Arizona Poetry Center
Renee Angle, Program Coordinator
angler@email.arizona.edu
If you are unsure about your school’s region, or would like more information, please contact the Arizona Commission on the Arts at 602-771-6502 or info@azarts.gov.
The Poetry Out Loud website offers extensive learning tools, including eligible poetry for the competition, classroom ideas and teacher resources, and specific information about evaluation criteria. It also contains a highly-useful audio guide that includes excerpts of famous actors and poets reciting poetry, a great way to learn about dramatic appropriateness and articulation.
The Poems and Performance section of the Poetry Out Loud website provides access to the online anthology and other resources for students.
Join Poetry Out Loud on Facebook.
Journals, Books and Websites (61 KB PDF) – Explore more poetry through these web-based poetry resources, print and electronic journals, books and more.
2016 Arizona Poetry Out Loud
The 2016 Arizona Poetry Out Loud State Finals returned to the downtown Phoenix studios of Arizona PBS.
2016 State Champion: Hunter Hazelton, Betty Fairfax High School (Laveen)
2016 State Runners-Up: Deja Brown, Sonoran Science Academy (Tucson); Caitlin McCormick, The Gregory School (Tucson); and Sophie Weinzinger, Coconino High School (Flagstaff)
2016 State Finals Judges: Jia Oak Baker, Fatimah Halim, Leah Marché, Pamela Sterling, and Dr. Laura Tohe
2015 Arizona Poetry Out Loud
The 2015 Arizona State Finals were held at the Herberger Theater Center.
2015 State Champion: Zaskia Villa, Nogales High School, Nogales
2015 State Runners-Up: Lena Blackmon, University High School, Tucson; Jessica Han, Coconino High School, Flagstaff; and Adriana Hurtado, Tri-City College Prep, Prescott
2015 State Finals Judges: Carly Bates, Melissa Dunmore, Dr. Matthew Helmers, Melanie Madden and Kim Willey
2014 Arizona Poetry Out Loud
The 2014 Arizona State Finals were hosted by the University of Arizona Poetry Center and held at the Tucson Festival of Books.
2014 State Champion: Matthew Kaplan, Tesseract School, Phoenix
2014 State Runner-Up: Leah Weinzinger, Coconino High School, Flagstaff
2014 State Finals Judges: Shelley Cohn, Russ Kick, Pat McMahon and Seth Muller
2013 Arizona Poetry Out Loud
The 2013 Arizona State Finals were sponsored by ON Media Publications, hosted by Tania Katan and held at Eight, Arizona PBS and filmed for later broadcast.
2013 State Champion: Cassandra Valadez, Sunnyside High School, Tucson
2013 State Runner-Up: Nathan Poston, Glendale Preparatory, Glendale
2013 State Finals Judges: Korbi Adams, Roberto Bedoya, David Britton, Phyllis Bunch and Linda “Mac” Perlich
2012 Arizona Poetry Out Loud
The 2012 Arizona State Finals were held at the Phoenix Center for the Arts and hosted by Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch.
2012 State Champion: Joshua Furtado, Tucson Magnet High School, Tucson
2012 State Runner-Up: India Parsons, Westview High School, Avondale
2012 State Finals Judges: Dr. Robert Breunig, Jaime Dempsey, Carole FitzPatrick, Charles Jensen, David Mittel and Kelly Nelson
2011 Arizona Poetry Out Loud
The 2011 Arizona State Finals were hosted by Eight, Arizona PBS and filmed for later broadcast.
2011 State Champion: Steffi McNerney, St. Gregory College Preparatory High School, Tucson
Interview with the 2011 State Champion
2011 State Runner-Up: Naomi Blackwell, Tucson High Magnet School, Tucson
2011 State Finals Judges: Alberto Rios, Beth Staples, Christopher Lane, Logan Phillips and Robert X. Planet
Eight, Arizona PBS State Finals Video and Student Interviews
For a complete history, images and other Arizona Poetry Out Loud promotional materials, please contact the Arizona Commission on the Arts at 602-771-6502 or by email at info@azarts.gov.
