This study investigated the impact of Readers Theater on eighth-grade students, the majority of whom were reading below grade level. Over six weeks of a short story unit, one class participated in Readers Theater. The comparison group of like-ability students received more traditional literary and vocabulary instruction. Quantitative measures…

Of the many things which are important to a student's performance, the ballot determines who advances in forensics competition and, ideally, offers a rationale for why some are successful and others are not. This paper aims to lay out guidelines for inexperienced judges and new coaches in writing a proper oral interpretation ballot. The paper also…

Despite high levels of disengagement in urban literacy classrooms, few teachers have seen fit to explore spoken word--the performance of poetry--as a tool to engage students in literacy. Spoken word poetry serves as a powerful means of self-representation for youth that are traditionally portrayed as threatening, menaces to society that do not…

Oral interpreters have traditionally been taught to begin their work with an in-depth examination of the text. Thus, classes in oral interpretation have emphasized the importance of literary analysis. Before a student can attempt a performance, the text must be analyzed in detail, as fully as possible, in an attempt to understand the nuances…

Proposes to supplement the changes in oral interpretation pedagogy brought about in broadening the idea of "text" by describing an alternative approach to analyzing and performing texts based on semiotic theory and Robert Scholes' model of reading. (SR)

Discusses Book 3 of Aristotle's "Rhetoric," especially the negative attitude expressed toward rhetorical delivery. (SRT)

Provides a test that acquaints students with the metrical structure of a poem by selecting a familiar song that will accommodate the words of the poem. (PD)

One of the frustrations students new to intercollegiate competitive oral interpretation experience is having to learn the "unwritten rules" for the events. These rules are neither intrinsically negative nor positive. Any of the practices embodied in these rules may be used effectively by a student performing an oral interpretation of…

Gives instructions for creating a shadow puppet theater in the classroom. Suggests this as a useful technique for motivating oral communication, particularly with shy children. (SJL)

Argues that the creative procedures of writing, performing, and interpreting poetry are subtly interrelated. Illustrates this argument with examples from the author's own poetry. (MM)

Discusses issues of interpretation versus reading in oral interpretation, or the performance of literature. Offers an extended classroom example to make the case for alternative kinds of performance and their ability to keep practices of performing literature valuable in the current academic scene. (SR)

Public speaking can be very threatening to any native speakers of English, not to mention non-native EFL learners. Impromptu speech, perhaps the most challenging form of public speaking, is however being promoted in every city of the EFL countries. The case in Taiwan is no exceptional. Every year, dozens of impromptu speech contexts are held…

The art of reading refers to the act of representing and interpreting text through oral dramatic reading. To the dismay of many teachers, reading is becoming a "lost art." Students are expected to apply specific literacy techniques rather than use their imagination to learn to enact text. Based on a study of the reading perceptions of natural oral…

This article examines the role of intergenerational relationships in the lives of experienced poets and writers ("soldiers") and emerging poets and writers in what the author terms Participatory Literacy Communities (PLCs). Drawing from Wenger's (1998) concept of communities of practice, the author uses data from two examples of PLCs--Black…