Declamação de Poesia / Poetry Recitation

1. Students are to select one poem by a Portuguese-speaking poet from the document below. (Note to teachers: This is not an original poetry competition. Without disputing the value of having students write their own poetry, there will not be time for judges to evaluate original poems written by students.)

2. Students must have the poem memorized; they will not be allowed to read it. In extreme cases of minds blanking out, the judges will prompt them.

3. Students should begin by introducing themselves and the name and author of the poem they will recite; for example, “Meu nome é Johnette Johnson e vou recitar o poema Amor é fogo que arde sem se ver de Camões.”

4. Teachers should work with students not only on pronunciation but also on diction and projection, teaching them to speak up so they can be heard.

5. Students should know what the poem is about and some basic information about its author. At the end of the recitation, the judges may ask one or two simple questions in Portuguese about the poet or the content of the poem (e.g., De que país era Camões? O que você sabe sobre ele? O que significa “arde”?), so students should know a few basic facts about the poet and understand the meaning of the poem.

6. Students will be judged on:

• presentation (expression and projection)

• fluency (absence of hesitations)

• pronunciation and intonation

• responses to questions from the judges

Secondary consideration will be given to the length of the poem.