Poetry Recital

Today’s Poetry Recital competition has brought the children together in a hard literary battle.

Each child had to learn a poem by heart and bring it to life with feeling and expression as they recited it in front of the rest of the school.

The goal of the competition, apart from having fun, is to connect children with one of the more difficult genres of literature. A good poem will say a lot in the fewest words possible, so children begin to develop an understanding of language as an art form as well as a means of everyday communication.

Most poems contain words which are not in our everyday vocabularies, and the rhythms and rhymes help children to remember them, enriching their vocabularies as they go. Pupils must also understand the poem in all its nuances. This in turn helps them to connect feelings and emotions to the way they recite it, using voice and body language to emphasise the meaning.

One of the greatest benefits, especially for the younger ones, is the boost in confidence which comes from overcoming fear and standing up in front of everyone else to speak. Many children seem to walk away from their turn standing slightly taller and prouder than when they stepped up!

Arguably the hardest task falls upon the teachers, who have to judge the winners. Did the child challenge themselves with the choice of poem? Did they really bring its meaning across with their delivery? When every performance was already superb, the criteria for first place must be very strict!