There’s something about the way the headlights illuminate the road ahead that sends a shiver down your spine. They’re too bright. Too artificial. They only allow you to see a few feet ahead of yourself, like the darkness ahead is running away from the yellow beams chasing after it. It bends around the automobiles barreling down the road and pounds on the windows, begging to be let in, but still keeping secrets hidden in the feet in front of you. It doesn’t seem like real life, the edges of the road erased along with the forest surrounding it, erasing all the familiarity you had with the road. The asphalt bleeds into the overbearing blackness and joins it, morphing into a vacuum broken only by your obnoxious headlights. Those two bright rays disrupting the new, silent world created by the night. A world you’ve never been invited to be a part of. Maybe that’s why it scares you, because you’re the one out of place here. The world has gone to sleep, but you’re still wide awake. And your high beams are bringing light to where darkness deserved to be.
Author: paul.koch
Poetry Outloud
Thanks Mrs. Whittington – blog post adapted from http://whittenglish9.blogspot.com/search/label/PoetryOutLoud
Your assignment is to memorize/present a poem as part of the school-wide Poetry Outloud contest.
If you would like to compete in the Poetry Out Loud National Competition, your poem must be from the anthology list and must be memorized.
If you do not want to compete beyond the classroom, the poem does not have to be from anthology, but it must be approved by your teacher and must be a minimum of 10 lines. Presentation does not have to be completely memorized.
Optional Summative: Be nominated to go to Poetry Out Loud School competition by your teacher. If you are not nominated and would still like the 25pt summative, you must preform a poem from the anthology in front of another 9th grade class or at a public place, for example, your local coffee shop. This presentation must be recorded and shown to me for proof and grading. This must be completed by 11/17.
Links:
Poetry Out Loud Poem Options (Required for National Competition)
Can We AutoCorrect Humanity?
Why I Hate School But Love Education
On Girls Lending Pens
Important Dates:
– Choose a poem to memorize on 10/17 (A) and 10/18 (B)
– Rehearse your memorized poem in class in small groups on 10/24 (A) and 10/25 (B)
– Perform poem in class (Required Summative) on 10/30(A) and 10/31(B)
– Rock Ridge Poetry Outloud Competition on November 9th.
– Deadline for Public Performance Optional Summative – 11/17
How you will be Graded:
