Session 1 · AUTHOR: Organise
Score your poem for performance
- 10 minMark up a copy of your poem: / for a short pause, // for a long pause, underline for louder, wavy line for slower.
- 25 minRehearse in pairs three times. Partner feedback: can they hear every word? Where did your eyes and hands go?
- 10 minPlan the café running order, MC lines, and a welcome for guests.
- 5 minSet up the room: stage spot, seating, anthology table.
Session 2 · AUTHOR: Respond
Poetry café
- 5 minWelcome guests. Explain the snap-to-appreciate rule.
- 35 minPerformances. Each poet introduces the poem in one sentence, then performs. Guests write a one-line response card for some poets.
- 10 minReflection: what did the audience respond to? What would you change in the poem or the performance?
Getting started
Perform with a partner, taking alternate lines.
Stretch
Record a performance for the school podcast or enter a poem in a national competition for young writers.
Checkpoint
Every student has performed or recorded a poem and written a short reflection on the audience's response.
Activities for this week
- Performance scoring: How do you plan a performance so every word reaches the back of the room?
Useful this week
- Speech New Zealand ↗ Tips and programmes for speaking and performing poetry.
- Services to Schools ↗ Borrow poetry collections for your class and find reading ideas.