Some tips: 1) Get every child to recite one line.

You can then divide their voices into light (sweet & airy), medium or dark (strong & authoritative). Then get the lights to stand in front, medium in the middle, and dark at the back (on elevated platforms) 2) You can then use the different voices to express different emotions in the poem. Lights for "romantic sighs", Dark for "Charge of the Light Brigade" - you get the picture :-) 3) Focus on pronunciation, expression (facial) and volume (loud/soft) to bring out the aesthetics of the poem 4) Last but not least, HAVE FUN! It is such a joy to watch individual kids come together as a team and speak as one voice. All the best! =================================== Mrs Thanenthiran, the senior English teacher at BBGS for many years, explains Choral Speaking in an interview with The Star on 10 April 1984: " Choral Speaking is reciting poetry composed by the students or adapted from the work of a poet. It enables the students to learn to read and interpret poems. It gives them an opportunity for creative imagination. It creates a love for poetry. On the whole, it helps improve their English, especially the oral part.

And for students of English Literature, it helps them in the poetry section. Choral speaking is a good introduction to English literature. If the poem is composed by the students, the whole class will pitch in to suggest titles and polish up the lines. It takes at least three weeks for them to produce the final copy which has to be approved by their teacher. When it is all over, the girls will be ready for the competition held at the end of the first school term. The contest is divided into the junior section (Forms One and Two), intermediate (Forms Three and Four) and senior (Forms Five and Six). Only one class from each Form will take part in the finals. There will be three external judges who will give marks for timing, special effects, pose and demeanour, and pronunciation."

You are a star in the sky, Bright and shining, Guiding me with your light, With you, I know the way.

You are an umbrella in the rain, Loving and protecting, You help me so much, With you, I know I am safe.  Read the poem aloud to yourself -- You are a candle on a dark night, Warm and comforting, You make me strong, With you, I am never alone.   How would you read it to put across the meaning? Experiment different ways of saying it Decide how you want the students to say it Teacher Preparation

 Check pronunciation and meaning of words in context  Note  any emphasis, stress & intonation pattern the mood of the poem. Which words convey the mood?

You are a rainbow after a storm, Beautiful and colourful, You always give me hope, A promise that will last

 Identify and mark in the rhythmic stress pattern --Put special emphasis on:  words / phrases that carry special meaning Words that convey the mood Note the end of lines, where to pause and where one line runs on to the next

Friendship is a precious gift A gift to treasure and keep forever. 

 

Analyse the poem to identify potential problems to the students

Ensure students good comprehension and visualization of the poem Model the reading Let students experiment reading --- focus on correct and clear pronunciation first Achieve emphasis by varying the  volume / pitch / pauses / pace

 Train students to highlight the following through their voice and facial expressions :  significant words that need special treatment (sense words, onomatopoeia) the climax / punch line the contrast (fast & slow, hard & soft, staccato & smooth, heavy & light)

 

 

Useful tips Rehearsing with the student  Analyse the poem to identify potential problems to the students  Ensure students good comprehension and visualization of the poem  Model the reading  Let students experiment reading --- focus on correct and clear pronunciation first  Achieve emphasis by varying the  volume / pitch / pauses / pace  It s difficult to undo any mistakes  Teach and ensure understanding of the whole poem, but rehearse section by section  Do not use explanation only --Students must visualise and appreciate the poem before they can speak it meaningfully.  Never allow premature memorisation -- Memorization of the words without feeling is disastrous

 Ensure that students have mastered the pronunciation before working on the rhythm and intonation

Choral Speaking  Poems that you like and have confidence in

 Poems that students understand and appreciate --- relevant to their experience (For choral work)

Melodious or monotonous  Achieve extra effects with judicious use of  gestures movements sound effects costumes or props

 Poems with variety and contrasts  Avoid static and abstract poems  Narrative poems are good as a start  Not poems with I as the subject

  

 Make pleasant grouping for better vocal and visual effects  Group according to quality of voices (dark / light)  Students speaking together stand together  Change grouping to fit changes of mood  Shapes can be related to topic  All speakers should be seen  It is essential for every speaker to know the whole poem.  Never divide the class into groups and give each group different parts of the poem to learn. It is important for learners to show their involvement and enjoyment through facial expressions and eye contact

Techniques for Choral Speaking  Orchestration Use different voices for special effect: Divide poem into choral passages, small groups, solo lines or phrases

Use gestures to conduct the speech Listen to the voices ---

High or low Rough or smooth Light or dark 

 A good blend of voices and synchronized movements show good co-ordination  Maintain good discipline at all times.

 Clear speech and accurate pronunciation are of paramount importance  A touch of drama is essential  Never overdo any extra effects --- they should add to and not distract from the poem  It is important that students enjoy the choral work --- know when to stop.  Aim not at perfection, but spontaneity. Adapt your expectation and treatment to bring out the best in the students

So Long, Farewell Lyrics

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen [Liesl:] I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne [Children:] So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye [Kurt:] I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye! [Brigitta:] I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie [Louisa:] I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly [Gretl:] The sun has gone to bed and so must I [Children:] So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye [Guests:] Goodbye!

[Children:] There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall And the bells in the steeple too And up in the nursery an absurd little bird Is popping out to say "cuckoo" [Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:] Cuckoo, cuckoo [Children: Marta, Gretl, Brigitta: ] Regretfully they tell us Cuckoo, cuckoo But firmly they compel us Cuckoo, cuckoo To say goodbye . . . [Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:] Cuckoo! [Children:] . . . to you [Children:] So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night [Marta:] I hate to go and leave this pretty sight [Children:] So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu [Friedrich:] Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu [Children:]

Maria and the Children Do-Re-Mi Lyrics

Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do So-do! [Maria: (spoken)] Now children, do-re-mi-fa-so and so on are only the tools we use to build a song. Once you have these notes in your heads, you can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up. Like this. So Do La Fa Mi Do Re [spoken] Can you do that? [Children:] So Do La Fa Mi Do Re [Maria:] So Do La Ti Do Re Do [Children:] So Do La Ti Do Re Do [Maria:] [spoken] Now, put it all together. [Maria and Children:] So Do La Fa Mi Do Re, So Do La Ti Do Re Do [Maria:] [spoken] Good! [Brigitta:] [spoken] But it doesn't mean anything.

Let's start at the very beginning A very good place to start When you read you begin with A-B-C When you sing you begin with do-re-mi Do-re-mi, do-re-mi The first three notes just happen to be Do-re-mi, do-re-mi [Maria:] Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti [spoken] Let's see if I can make it easy Doe, a deer, a female deer Ray, a drop of golden sun Me, a name I call myself Far, a long, long way to run Sew, a needle pulling thread La, a note to follow Sew Tea, a drink with jam and bread That will bring us back to Do (oh-oh-oh) [Maria and Children:] [Repeat above verse twice] [Maria:]

[Maria:] [spoken] So we put in words. One word for every note. Like this. When you know the notes to sing You can sing most anything [spoken] Together! [Maria and Children:] When you know the notes to sing You can sing most anything Doe, a deer, a female deer Ray, a drop of golden sun Me, a name I call myself Far, a long, long way to run Sew, a needle pulling thread La, a note to follow Sew Tea, a drink with jam and bread That will bring us back to Do Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Do Ti La So Fa Mi Re [Children:] Do Mi Mi Mi So So Re Fa Fa La Ti Ti [Repeat above verse 4x as Maria sings]

[Maria:] When you know the notes to sing You can sing most anything [Maria and Children:] Doe, a deer, a female deer Ray, a drop of golden sun Me, a name I call myself Far, a long, long way to run Sew, a needle pulling thread La, a note to follow Sew Tea, a drink with jam and bread That will bring us back to [Maria:] [Children:] Do . . . So Do Re . . . La Fa Mi . . . Mi Do Fa . . . Re So . . . So Do La . . . La Fa Ti . . . La So Fa Mi Re Ti Do - oh - oh Ti Do -- So Do

Hello Hello

Hello how are you Hello how are you Hello how are you I m great I m fine I m Okay I m happy, I m wonderful today Hello how are you Hello how are you Hello how are you I m tired I m bored I m okay I m angry I m very sad, today Repeat 1st verse Hello how are you Hello how are you I m very well today