Program Design
Fluency
p.154Choral Speaking/Choral Reading
This activity involves students in the oral interpretation of literature
through reciting rhymes, chants, and poems as a group. Choral speaking
is different from choral reading only in that students do not have
the text. Both choral reading and choral speaking invite students to
deepen their understanding and enjoyment of literature by experimenting
with elements of voice, gestures, and movement. These activities
heighten awareness of the rhythm, flow, and sounds of language.
Experience in choral speaking and reading also develops oral communication
skills: enunciation, pronunciation, diction, intonation, and
breath control.
Suggestions for Preparing a Choral Arrangement
• Select a poem that students will find interesting and enjoy performing.
• Read the poem several times to the class and have students discuss it.
• Have students read the selection together.
• Have students decide on an appropriate way to read the poem (e.g.,
How slowly or quickly will the poem be read? How loudly or softly
to speak? Which words will be emphasized? Where will pauses
occur? Who will read the poem?)
Choral speaking/reading can include one or more of the following
arrangements:
Unison—everyone speaking together
Solo—some parts spoken by one person
Antiphonal—different groups responsible for different parts
Cumulative—a gradual building of sound, beginning with one voice
and gradually adding more voices until everyone is speaking
• Have students think about what gestures or actions might be added
to help convey meaning.
• Have students experiment with different ways of presenting the
poem and consider the effects they have achieved.
• Choral speaking/reading interpretations may or may not be polished
for an audience.
p.234
Readers Theatre is an interpretive oral reading activity. Students use
their voices, facial expressions, and gestures to interpret characters in
scripts or stories. Teachers and students can use prepared Readers
Theatre scripts or adapt texts for readers theatre through a collaborative
effort. A grade 3 class, for example, collaborated to adapt Mollie
Whuppie and the Giant for Readers Theatre. They broke into groups,
practised, and then each group presented the script in other classrooms
in the school.
This activity involves students in the oral interpretation of literature
through reciting rhymes, chants, and poems as a group. Choral speaking
is different from choral reading only in that students do not have
the text. Both choral reading and choral speaking invite students to
deepen their understanding and enjoyment of literature by experimenting
with elements of voice, gestures, and movement. These activities
heighten awareness of the rhythm, flow, and sounds of language.
Experience in choral speaking and reading also develops oral communication
skills: enunciation, pronunciation, diction, intonation, and
breath control.
Suggestions for Preparing a Choral Arrangement
• Select a poem that students will find interesting and enjoy performing.
• Read the poem several times to the class and have students discuss it.
• Have students read the selection together.
• Have students decide on an appropriate way to read the poem (e.g.,
How slowly or quickly will the poem be read? How loudly or softly
to speak? Which words will be emphasized? Where will pauses
occur? Who will read the poem?)
Choral speaking/reading can include one or more of the following
arrangements:
Unison—everyone speaking together
Solo—some parts spoken by one person
Antiphonal—different groups responsible for different parts
Cumulative—a gradual building of sound, beginning with one voice
and gradually adding more voices until everyone is speaking
• Have students think about what gestures or actions might be added
to help convey meaning.
• Have students experiment with different ways of presenting the
poem and consider the effects they have achieved.
• Choral speaking/reading interpretations may or may not be polished
for an audience.
p.234
Readers Theatre is an interpretive oral reading activity. Students use
their voices, facial expressions, and gestures to interpret characters in
scripts or stories. Teachers and students can use prepared Readers
Theatre scripts or adapt texts for readers theatre through a collaborative
effort. A grade 3 class, for example, collaborated to adapt Mollie
Whuppie and the Giant for Readers Theatre. They broke into groups,
practised, and then each group presented the script in other classrooms
in the school.