Teacher’s Guide: Program Overview

Download the complete Teacher’s Guide.

HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation joined together to create Poetry Out Loud, a program that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.

The NEA and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with the state arts agencies of the United States to support Poetry Out Loud. Since it was piloted in 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to include hundreds of thousands of students across the country. Champions from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico compete at the National Finals in Washington, DC, each spring.

CONTEST STRUCTURE
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that begins at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals.

CLASSROOM TIME AND SCHEDULE
The curriculum for Poetry Out Loud has been designed to fit into a teacher’s busy schedule. The program takes place over the span of two to three weeks, according to each teacher’s interest and agenda, and it does not require full class periods. To accommodate schools’ testing demands and vacation calendars, Poetry Out Loud can be implemented at the school-level any time during the fall and through early winter, with slight variations by state. Please check with your state Poetry Out Loud coordinator for your state’s specific calendar. (Visit State Coordinator to identify your state coordinator.) Schools must register with their state Poetry Out Loud coordinator to participate in the official program.

NCTE STANDARDS
Poetry Out Loud satisfies most of the NCTE English Language Arts Standards. In addition to memorizing and performing great poems, students will have the opportunity to discuss poetry and— if the teacher wishes to use the supplemental lesson plans—to write poetry of their own.

AWARDS
The following awards are offered for the official contests conducted by the state arts agencies, the Poetry Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The awards do not apply to other unofficial contests.

State Awards: Each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to Washington, DC, to compete at the National Finals. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. One runner-up in each state will receive $100; his or her school will receive $200 for the purchase of poetry books.

National Awards: A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, with a $20,000 award for the National Champion.

Awards will be made in the form of lump sum cash payouts, reportable to the IRS. Tax liabilities are the sole responsibility of the winners and their families.

LEGAL PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
No student may be excluded from participation in this program on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, or national origin. Schools may determine eligibility for classroom- and school-level Poetry Out Loud programs pursuant to local and state law. Under federal law, participation in both the state competitions and the National Finals is restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Foreign exchange students and other visitors are not eligible to compete for titles or official awards at the state and national level, unless they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.