Students explore a simple poem, experimenting with structure, interpretation and delivery using critical literacy and choral reading techniques. Groups are partnered and challenged to find a way to combine their dance phrases from Lesson 2 with their partner group's choral interpretation of the poem. Each group posts their version of the poem on the Wonder Wall and students reflect on the different meanings that emerge.

Learning Goals

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • use imagination to generate ideas, and create a character based on what they have read, and the ideas of classmates
  • listen to other people's ideas to get more information about who the character in the text might be
  • express a personal response to the text through choral speaking
  • read the text in different ways to figure out what it means
  • understand what the character is saying because by reading "between the lines"
  • relate to how the character feels because the same thing happened to them or someone they know
  • make a good prediction about the way the character feels because of the words he chose; prove this by using clues from the text
  • read this text out loud using the right tone to help demonstrate what they think it means
  • use the text, their own ideas, and what others have said, in order to come up with what they think it means
Readiness

Some understanding of the elements of voice, and choral speaking. You might develop or share an anchor chart explaining volume, tempo, pitch, and emotion to review (see Materials). You might also choose to play drama games that emphasize use of the voice in various ways.

Terminology
Materials
  • Appendix 5 Poem for Choral Speaking & Text Analysis Prepare the poem by photocopying it on paper (different coloured, if desired). Cut the separate lines of the poem into strips - one line per strip. Printable and digital version included.
  • Elements of Choral Speaking Anchor Chart from CODE's Choral Speaking resource
  • Vocal Scan Warm-up
  • PDF #1 Observation Tracking Sheet
  • Chart Paper
  • Pencils/Pens/Markers/Music/CD Player.

Minds On (~15 minutes)

Whole Class > Vocal Warm-up

Engage students in a vocal warm-up to stretch the voice. See Materials for a suggestion.

Whole Class > Exploring Text 

Hand out a strip of paper to each student with a line from the poem. See Appendix 5 Poem for Choral Speaking & Text Analysis. Encourage students to walk around the room reading their line in many different ways, experimenting with their voices.

Once the class has had some time with this, instruct students to meet up with another student and offer their line as a greeting, the other student should reply with their line. Students then repeat the process with another student. After some time, instruct students to form groups according to their paper colour.  Each group should have a complete poem. If not all pieces of the poem were handed out, keep them to the side and hand them out to the groups once they have come together. 

Action (~90 minutes)

Whole Class > Exploring Text 

Hand out a strip of paper with a line from the poem Appendix 5 Poem for Choral Speaking & Text Analysis to each student. Direct students to walk around the room while they repeat their line over and over. Encourage students to read their line in many different ways, experimenting with their voices. Once the class has had some time with this, instruct students to meet up with another student and offer their line as a greeting, the other student should reply with their line. The students should then move on and repeat the process with another student. After some time, instruct students to form groups according to their paper colour (or other indicator). Each group should have a complete poem. If not all pieces of the poem were handed out, keep them to the side and hand them out to the groups once they have come together.

Teacher Tip: Remind students to be in control of their bodies and be very aware of where they are moving, but encourage them to use all of the space and walk in different directions. If the groupings do not work out perfectly with the numbers in your classroom, it is okay if there is a repeated line in one or more of the groups.

Small Group > Arranging Text

Direct groups to work together to reconstruct the poem by arranging the lines of text in whatever order they see fit. They must use every line. Instruct students to experiment with the text in a variety of ways, and decide on a final order that has meaning for them.

See Appendix 5 Poem for Choral Speaking & Text Analysis and ask students to discuss in their groups.

Small Group > Choral Speaking

Refer students to the Elements of Choral Speaking Anchor Chart (see Materials) and encourage them to refer to it as they develop their choral work. Invite students (still in their small groups) to read their poem aloud in a variety of ways, keeping in mind the elements of voice. They should experiment with volume, tempo, pitch, and emotion.  Prompt students with suggestions on how to experiment with their text.

Prompts: Try reading it starting softly, and gradually getting louder. Think about the emotion that you're speaking the text with. How does it change when you say it sadly, or with anger in your voice? Can you speed up the tempo in one part, and slow it down somewhere else? Try it with everyone speaking together. How can you build in voices, or gradually remove voices to communicate your intended meaning to the audience?  Try to echo a powerful word - how does it change the feeling of the poem?

After allowing some time to experiment, instruct students to set a choral speaking presentation of their poem. Remind students to refer to the chart on the elements of choral speaking, and observe to ensure that they are incorporating them into their work. Remind students that their goal is to communicate a message to their audience through the words that they are speaking and the choices they make regarding the choral speaking. Encourage students to work cooperatively through the rehearsal process.

Teacher Tip: In choral speaking students will want to divide up the lines amongst the group members.  Ensure they understand the difference between just dividing the lines up, and building voices into, or out of the text as it's being spoken by the group. Depending on the readiness of your group, you may want to post or guide the students through choral speaking suggestions that every group should try. If choral speaking is new to them, it may be a good idea to give students some short practice pieces if needed.

Whole Class > Sharing

Direct the students to form an audience. Invite each group to share their choral speaking piece with the class. Engage students in a discussion following each performance.

Prompts:

  • How did the group use volume in an interesting way?
  • What choral speaking strategies did the group use to communicate the meaning of the poem?
  • What emotions do you think the group wanted you to feel in their presentation of the text?
  • To what extent were their strategies to communicate meaning  powerful or convincing?

Small Groups > Combining Choral Speaking and Dance

Once the choral speaking has been rehearsed and shared, ask groups to review their documentation of their Inclusion/Exclusion dances, and to rehearse them again. Partner groups together, and explain that each group will function as both choral speakers and dancers for each other (i.e., Group A reads their poem, while Group B performs their dance and then Group B reads their poem while Group A performs their dance).

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Use PDF #1 Observation Tracking Sheet (anecdotal notes), with the  Elements of Choral Speaking anchor chart (see Materials) to review student work on choral speaking.

Assessment for Learning (AfL) / Assessment as Learning (AaL)

As groups are working on their choral speaking, check their progress by listening in, and having students give 'thumbs up, down, or sideways' to indicate understanding.  This is a good way to have students self-assess and to  quickly find out if some groups are in need of more support.

Differentiated Instruction (DI)

For MLL students who may find this task challenging, assign an echo word to ensure they are an integral part of the group.

Consolidation (~15 minutes)

Whole Class > Discussion

Instruct groups to paste the lines of their poems in sequence onto chart paper. Post all of the poems on the Wonder Wall, so the entire class can see everyone's work. Refer the students back to the posted questions from earlier in the lesson. Ask them to discuss these questions again in small groups after they have had a chance to read how their classmates have arranged their lines. Invite them to then report their answers to the whole class. Ask students to then respond to the following questions. Ask students to articulate their ideas and support their opinions and ideas with evidence from the text and from the dramatic exploration.

Prompts:

  • How does the order of the words affect the meaning/tone/feeling? 
  • What is this text about? How do we know?
  • What was the effect of combining the text and the movement?
Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Check for understanding during discussion. Anecdotal notes can be used to record progress (see PDF #1 Observation Tracking Sheet).