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ELA 4: Poetry Recitals 45 Views


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Description:

Worried about doing well when it comes to poetry night? We've got oodles of tips to make sure it goes just right.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

Have you ever written a poem and instantly wanted to stand in front of a gigantic audience [Man reciting poem on stage]

00:17

of strangers and read it out loud to them?

00:19

Uh-oh.

00:20

Here come the cold sweats.

00:22

Actually…reading poetry in public can be very satisfying, so long as you're prepared. [Man reading poem in public in underpants]

00:26

Otherwise, it is Grade A nightmare fuel.

00:31

When you get a group of people together in a room to read poems, it's called a poetry

00:35

recital, and yeah, for a newcomer it can be…a little scary. [Group of people watching a person reciting a poem]

00:39

Sweaty hands.

00:41

Stammering.

00:42

Tripping over words. [Man falling over a word]

00:44

The loss of control of your bowels.

00:47

But it doesn't have to be that way, so long as you follow our Shmoop-approved Poetry Recital Prep Tips.

00:54

Tip number one: use a highlighter or make notes on your poem to show where you will [Coop discussing tip 1]

00:58

add gestures or change the tone or volume of your voice.

01:02

If you want to place emphasis on specific words, make sure to make a note of it so you [Man making a note to self]

01:07

don't forget.

01:08

You’re gonna have a lot going on up there.

01:10

Don’t leave anything to chance.

01:12

Tip two is to always make sure you're aware of the appropriate pace. [Dino talking about tip 2]

01:16

By that we mean that you should make sure you know the speed at which you're going to

01:19

say the poem – too fast can be confusing and too slow can get boring. [Man frantically moves fast while reciting poem]

01:25

You want to be like the baby bear.

01:26

Juuuust right. [Baby bear playing the drums]

01:28

Tip three might seem like a no-brainer, but it's worth mentioning: make sure you know

01:33

how to say all the words before you get up on stage.

01:36

No one wants to be standing in front of a crowd of randoms, only to suddenly realize [Man on stage reciting poem]

01:40

they don't know how to properly pronounce the word especially.

01:43

No, it's not ex-specially.

01:45

And you can’t drown your sorrows in an ex-presso, either. [Man holding a coffee cup]

01:48

Tip number four is to remember to make eye contact.

01:51

It's okay to look down at your page from time to time, but nothing is worse than a reader

01:55

who has their face buried in the page. [Man on stage hiding behind paper]

01:57

All right…there are some worse things.

02:00

But not many.

02:01

Finally… the most important one: Practice, practice, practice.

02:05

Practice your gestures, speed, volume, tone, and eye-contact.

02:09

If you're well practiced, you'll be confident, and if you're confident, you'll be great.

02:14

At that point, you’ll only be limited by the strength of your material.

02:17

Oof. [Audience walks out of poetry recital]

02:18

Maybe softball is more your thing?

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