Poetry Out Loud

            While looking for a resource for a poetry lesson plan I stumbled upon  www.poetryoutloud.org. While I was ultimately unsuccessful in finding a way to incorporate it into the lesson plan I had in mind, I was enthralled by the site itself. The site has a section for teachers which includes ready made lesson plans that are linked to common core standards. It also has resources for setting up poetry competitions at your school. However, it was the recordings that I found the most useful and enjoyable.

            Personally I have always struggled with reading poetry. I often have difficulty finding the rhythm or “flow” of it when reading to myself. However, hearing a poem read aloud is a completely different experience. I have found than we I listen to a poem being read I can not only hear the “flow” of it, it can often take on new meaning that I missed before. Having spoken with many professors and classmates over the years, I have come to realize this problem is by no means unique to me. With that in mind, this website was a marvelous find.

            This site contains many outstanding modern and classic poems read aloud by professional actors. While many are people I’ve personally never heard of, some rather prominent names like Anthony Hopkins and Alfred Molina among the performers. Furthermore the site has a section of videos showing poems being read aloud, with a guide on how to properly recite poetry.

            For students like me who struggle with understand poetry on the page, this site is an invaluable resource.