Reciting poetry
Learn poems by heart and recite with appropriate intonation, adding visual displays to descriptions when appropriate, and producing complete sentences in spoken presentations
What a learner can do afterwards
- Recite a poem from memory with expression and clear enunciation
- Add a drawing or visual display to support an oral description or presentation
- Present information to the class using complete sentences and audible voice
1 · Read
You have practised speaking clearly for listeners. Reciting a poem by heart means learning its words and saying them aloud from memory. Reading aloud is another way to perform. Here, practise without the page, with expression that fits the words. Someone can read a short part aloud for you. Listen, cover the words, try saying the part from memory and ask them to check it.
Priya forgets a line of her moon poem. She checks the words, says the line aloud and tries again without looking. For her class, she says each word clearly and speaks loudly enough for the back row to hear, without shouting.
Read the words to find the feeling. Joyful words may suit a bright voice. An exciting part may need more energy. A gentle part may suit a softer voice. Keep every part clear enough for listeners to hear.
When introducing your poem, tell a whole idea. "The kite" only names something. "The kite floats above the sand" tells what it does too. Listen for a whole idea in your spoken sentence.
A drawing can support your explanation. Choose one that matches the words you are explaining. Point to the useful part while you describe it. For a poem about a nest, point to the nest when telling where the eggs are.
Practise by heart. Match your voice to the words, keep it clear and audible, and use a matching picture when it helps.
The lesson, practice questions and cards were written for this dataset.
The readings and presentation-practice cards were written for this dataset.
More to read
Give listeners a whole idea
Before sharing a poem about a snail, introduce it. "A snail in the garden" leaves a thought unfinished. "My poem follows a snail through the garden" tells listeners something about the poem. Practise your introduction aloud. Ask someone what they learned from it. Written spelling does not tell you how clearly you spoke.
Connect a drawing to your words
Your poem describes a squirrel beside an oak tree. You draw the squirrel and tree. When introducing the poem, point to the squirrel as you describe it. Point to the tree when explaining where it sits. Your picture helps listeners connect those details. You can still give a clear, expressive performance without a picture.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.