The document discusses strategies for teaching oral interpretation. It defines oral interpretation as the oral performance of literature to recreate its meaning and mood. It then outlines 8 strategies for teaching oral interpretation: 1) defining theories of oral interpretation, 2) selecting literature, 3) researching works, 4) analyzing texts, 5) adapting texts, 6) making performance choices, 7) rehearsing and performing, and 8) evaluating performances. It also provides 6 additional tips for successful oral reading, including sampling texts, discussing author's purpose, using language sounds, experimenting with techniques like topping and pausing, practicing, and preparing engaged audiences.

1. Republic of the Philippines
St. Louise de Marillac College of Sorsogon
Sorsogon City
Course: The Teaching of Speaking
Topic: Oral Interpretation
Discussant: ALYSSA CARRANZA
Oral Interpretation is the study of literature through the oral performance of a speaker who creates
and recreates the meaning and mood of the selection.
STRATEGIES IN TEACHING ORAL READING
(1) Definition and theory. The student recognizes oral interpretation as a
communication art. The student is expected to:
(A) explain contemporary definitions and theories of oral interpretation as
a communication art;
(B) analyze the role of the interpreter and the ethical responsibilities to
the author, the literary text, and the audience; and
(C) develop and use a workable theory of interpretation as a basis for
performance choices.
(2) Selection. The student selects literature for performance. The student is
expected to:
(A) select literature appropriate for the reader, the audience, and the
occasion;
(B) apply standards of literary merit when selecting literature for
individual or group performance;
(C) choose literature that can be appropriately adapted; and
(D) select performance materials from a variety of literary genre.
(3) Research. The student uses relevant research to promote understanding of
literary works. The student is expected to:
(A) read the text to grasp the author's meaning, theme, tone, and purpose;
and
(B) research the author, author's works, literary criticism, allusions in the
text, definition and pronunciations of words to enhance understanding and
appreciation of the chosen text.
(4) Analysis. The student analyzes the chosen text to assess its implications for
adaptation, interpretation, and performance. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and analyze the literary form or genre;
(B) identify and analyze structural elements in the chosen text;
(C) identify and analyze the narrative voice and/or other speakers
(personae) in the literature;
(D) identify and analyze the time, place, and atmosphere (locus); (E) analyze the shifts or transitions
in speaker, time, and place to
determine who is speaking, to whom, where, when and for what reason;

2. (F) analyze individual units such as paragraphs, verses, sentences, and
lines for meaning and specificity;
(G) identify descriptive phrases, figures of speech, stylistic devices, and
word choices to analyze the imagery in the text;
(H) trace the emotional progression of the text; and
(I) recognize literal and symbolic meanings, universal themes, or unique
aspects of the text.
(5) Adaptation. The student adapts written text for individual or group
performance based on appropriate research and analysis. The student is expected
to:
(A) maintain ethical responsibility to author, text, and audience when
adapting literature;
(B) apply appropriate criteria for lifting scenes and cutting literary
selections;
(C) use effective strategies for planning and organizing programs focused
on a specific theme, author, or central comment; and
(D) write appropriate introductions, transitions, and/or conclusions to
supplement the text.
(6) Interpretation. The student applies research and analysis to make appropriate
performance choices. The student is expected to:
(A) justify the use or nonuse of manuscript or other aids;
(B) justify strategies for the use of focus, gesture, and movement;
(C) justify the use of vocal strategies such as rate, pitch, inflection,
volume, and pause;
(D) justify the use of dialect, pronunciation, enunciation, or articulation;
and
(E) use research, analysis, personal experiences, and responses to the
literature to justify performance choices.
(7) Rehearsal and performance. The student uses insights gained from research
and analysis to rehearse and perform literature for a variety of audiences and
occasions. The student is expected to: (A) use effective rehearsal strategies to promote
internalization and
visualization of the text;
(B) use appropriate rehearsal strategies to develop confidence and
enhance effective communication of the text to an audience in individual
and group performance;
(C) participate in effective group decision-making processes to prepare
and present group performances; and
(D) present individual and group performances.
(8) Evaluation. The student uses critical and appreciative listening to evaluate
individual and group performances. The student is expected to:
(A) listen critically and appreciatively and respond appropriately to
performance of others;
(B) analyze and evaluate various performance styles;
(C) use a variety of techniques to evaluate and critique own and others'
performances; and
(D) set goals for future performances based on evaluation.

3. OTHER TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ORAL READING
1. Sample the content.
When you or your students find a selection that promises to
be good for oral reading, try it out. Read samples aloud to
see if it keeps its promise. Notice that some stories,
biographies, and information materials have cadence. They
come alive and seem quite musical when read orally.
Encourage students to go on a hunt to find those selections.
2. Talk about the author's purpose.
It isn't enough just to say that an author's
purpose is to inform or entertain. Oral
readers must dive into the author's secrets:
Engaging oral
They must think how the purpose is
reading is
accomplished. In Brian Jacques' Redwall for
about both
instance, the author – and you, the reader –
reading
must make an abbey full of cloned mice
powerfully
seem absolutely believable. Shiloh, by
and listening
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, must make us
attentively
suffer for the sake of a mistreated dog. Think
about and talk about the author's purpose.
That will clarify your oral reading purpose
and create a direct link between reader and
listeners.
3. Mind the language.
Find the places where the language sounds like what it means. InRedwall, Brian Jacques writes,
"The new day dawned in a haze of soft sunlight." Read that simple sentence aloud. Then coach
yourself by figuring out how the word sounds (e.g. soft and sunlight) help create the image. Good
oral readers – teachers and students alike – will reflect the sound-meaning relationships. In their
minds, readers and listeners see the image as they hear the words.
4. Experiment with your technique.
Professionals use two techniques to make their reading crackle: topping and pause. With topping,
each sentence of phrase is spoken with more intensity than the preceding one, so that there's a
build-up. Use topping when you want to build suspense or when you're approaching a punch line.
And don't forget the pause, which gives listeners a chance to absorb. I teach topping and pause
to students. I have them mark topping places with a small upward arrow. They mark pauses with
two diagonal lines (/ /).
5. Practice, practice, practice.
Practice can really help some readers with their presentation, but let's be realistic. Busy teachers
may not have time to practice their oral reading skills outside of class. Many get their practice on
the job. If that's you, don't despair. You're working in a living laboratory, where you get instant
feedback. Just keep your focus on the cadence and the author's purpose you're trying to convey.
Students, on the other hand, need practice away from the tension of an audience. I keep a stuffed
dog in the classroom for this purpose. I often tell students, "Go read this selection aloud to the
dog." And they do. The dog gives them focus, and a semblance of listener. (I know some real
canines who are good at doing that, too.) Sometimes I have students practice in pairs. I teach the
"listening half" of the pair to give positive feedback.
6. Prepare the audience.
The best audience is one that listens! It does not have copies of what is being read. It does not
have distracting items such as pencils or popcorn. Simply stated, the best audience is prepared to
invest itself in the reading. It is part of the oral reading performance.