The National Poetry Recitation Contest was created in 2010 by a Peace Corps Volunteer and her Armenian counterpart living in the community of Hrazdan. The goal of the National Poetry Recitation Contest (NPRC) is to create an opportunity for Armenian students in grades 7-12 to not only compete academically with their peers, but learn and understand the art of public speaking while studying Western poets and poetry in English.
The competition consists of 3 stages that allow participants to showcase their knowledge of the English language through poetry. First, students work with local Peace Corps volunteers and teachers to identify, understand, memorize, and develop the presentation of the piece. Second, Regional Competitions are held and those who earn first place are invited to compete in the final stage at the national level in the Yerevan. All 3 stages of The NPRC have no entry fee to the student.
Students are judged upon the accuracy of their pronunciation, memorization and poem interpretation. The NPRC is a powerful experience that helps students shape their Public Speaking Skills in English, and build confidence all while in a healthy competitive and motivating environment. The NPRC prides itself on being a learning initiative seeking to advance English speaking, pushing critical thinking, and promoting culture sharing in Armenian classrooms. Lesson plans are created for each of the poems so that the student can process the poem and learn how to recognize open-ended questions.
The NPRC is now moving into its 8th annual year and is in its 2nd year of partnering with the Partnership and Teaching NGO (P&T NGO), the administrators of the contest, located in Goris. Over these 8 years, The NPRC has not only grown in numbers of participants, but in erudition. In 2017, we increased to 453 participants, 9 Regional Contests and 117 participating schools. The National Poetry Recitation Contest is excited to continue to expand in community and participation in the upcoming years, while uplifting our communities’ students.
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