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What is Poetry By Heart?
What is Poetry By Heart?
Poetry By Heart is an inspiring competition for students in schools and colleges to learn and to recite poems by heart. Not in an arm-waving, props-supported thespian extravaganza, but as the outward and audible manifestation of an inwardly-understood and enjoyed poem.
The competition is a pyramid of participation from individual classrooms to whole school/college contests, then county contests, regional semi-finals and the grand final. In the process, pupils foster deep personal connections with the poems chosen and bring poetry alive for their friends, families and communities.
POETRY BY HEART SUMMER CHALLENGE
POETRY BY HEART SUMMER CHALLENGE
How can I get involved over the Summer Holidays?
How can I get involved over the Summer Holidays?
Choose a poem. Learn it by heart. Get ready to share it aloud in September.
At Northolt High School, we will be running our own Poetry Live Competition. Think of this a bit like the X Factor auditions, we are going to find the best poetry readers at Northolt High School.
The summer holidays are the perfect time to prepare.
How do I get Started?
1. Find a poem you love
Go to www.poetrybyheart.org.uk. Explore one or more of the collections of poems and find a poem you love, or, like a new friend, one you quite like and want to get to know better. You can use the links at the bottom of this page to explore new poems.
Or, you could choose a poem that you have already studied. If you are in Year 6 at the moment, this could be a poem that you read at you primary school or perhaps a family favourite. If you are in Year 7 or Year 8, you might want to choose a poem that we have studied during our Lockdown Poetry Unit. If you are a KS4 student, you could choose one of our GCSE poems from the Power and Conflict Anthology.
There are no limitations: the most important thing is that you enjoy reading the poem.
Then...
2. Learn it by heart
There’s no short cut to this. Like getting to know a new friend, you have to make time to do things together. Read your poem aloud to other people, illustrate it, write out the lines and stick them on the fridge door. Remember its sections as if they are scenes in a slow-motion movie or rooms in a house. Repeat the lines while you’re walking the dog. Recite it to the cat or in the shower or in front of a mirror. Give someone else the poem and get them to test you.
In September ...
3. Join our Poetry Club
In September, there will be lots of exciting new clubs to join. You can choose to join the Poetry Club and recite your rehearsed poem. You will be able to receive feedback from teachers and other students to make sure you have the best possible performance.
Top Tips
Top Tips
Once you know the words, think about how you want to say them.
When starting to recite poetry, everyone goes too quickly – slow right down! And get your audience ready to listen – count to 10 before you start. Keep it much slower than your usual speech – let your listeners savour every word.
Don’t be tempted to add lots of extra emotion or actions – everything you need is right there in the words.
Think about the ending – you want to keep your listeners hanging on the last word for one more second, thinking about what they’ve heard before they all start clapping.
Recite it in the park or at home. Get someone you know to learn a poem too and perform your poems to each other.
Make a video and share it with your family and friends that you can't see at the moment.
Stretch Task
Stretch Task
GIVE IT A GO: POEM POSTERS
A great way to learn about a poem is to have a go at creating a poem poster. You can create you own poster for the poem you have chosen. You can bring the poem into school in September to share with your English teacher.
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