Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that adapting part of a novel into a dramatic reading makes students more intimate with the author's intentions and craft; and that a part of a novel may lend itself to various oral interpretations. The main activity…

The four articles in this journal explore various aspects of empathy and its application to oral interpretation of literature. The first article examines the concept of empathy, discusses measures of it, and includes an "accurate empathy exercise" and an empathy scale. The second article discusses the way in which the writings of Dylan…

The teacher can stimulate an appreciation of poetry in his students by selecting, reading aloud, and discussing only those poems to which he himself responds strongly. He can also develop students' enjoyment of poetry by encouraging them to bring in their own poetic discoveries and by alerting them to the many possible interpretations of a poem.…

This volume of the Michigan Speech Association curriculum guide presents a seven-unit course in oral interpretation as the technique of communicating the contents of a printed page with such skill as to "create in the listeners the illusion that an experience is being enacted in their imaginations." Each unit is outlined in terms of…

Analyzes the responses of 559 ninth grade students to a single ballad and concludes that the type of prereading instruction given influences understanding of the ballad but not attitude toward it. Tables and bibliography. (RW)

Describes an experimental project where taped stories were presented to secondary pupils for their formal responses. Responses were correlated with age, IQ, and reading ability. In general, older students had higher appreciation and awareness scores, independent of any formal ability factor. Texts of these Australian stories are appended.…

Offered in response to the broad appeal of Charles Dickens's performance career to various disciplines, this annotated bibliography lists 40 resources concerned with Dickens's success as a performer interpreting his literary works. The resources are categorized under books, theses and dissertations, articles in scholarly journals, nineteenth…

The interpretation semiotic system that governs interpretation performance pertains to a distinct code of stylized conventions and includes all of the visual and auditory aspects that are generally salient to the characteristics of a performance. The selection of a particular convention for the interpretation of a specific text involves an act of…

In order to help students in oral interpretation or English classes comprehend the literature they read, this document outlines a question-answer-rehearse procedure which resolves the paradox of understanding before they perform a text. The twenty questions, formulated to provide a solid foundation for later explication and deeper study, are…

Using verse choir increases students' confidence and helps them appreciate the joy of literature. (HOD)

Reviews the resurgence in the use of literature in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom and reports on a writing class at a technical university in Singapore. The course included both reading and oral report components. Only general guidelines were given on principles of organization and presentation. Results indicate improvement in student…

Supported by a rationale for activities in the language arts/English curriculum, this paper demonstrates methods of introducing students to current approaches to oral interpretation of literature. The paper argues that through planning, rehearsing, and reflecting on oral interpretations of literature, readers become increasingly aware of…

Drama in the classroom is the theme of the 14 articles in this issue, which can be used as resource material for teachers concerned with incorporating drama into the English curriculum. Titles and authors are as follows: "All the World is a Stage--Except the American Classroom" (Charles R. Duke); "A Drama Program for All Seasons" (Paul Cervoni and…

Oral interpretation should be an integral part of a reading program, as it teaches the reading skills while providing students with experiences in literature and opportunities for creative self-expression. Both reading teachers and content area teachers will benefit from an understanding of: the relationship between reading and oral…