Rosedale District Oral Language Festival Grades 4 - 8

Oral Language Festival What is the Oral Language Festival? An opportunity to perform an interpretation of a literary work KCSOS OLF Presentation

Oral Language Festival Levels of competition School District Regional County

District Oral Language Festival Rosedale hosts a district wide Oral Language Festival. Qualified participants from our 9 schools will compete at the Rosedale School District Oral Language Festival: November 30 th – December 3rd District Oral Language Festival will be held on the campus of Rosedale Middle School

Timetable October 9 - Select a category and piece October 16 - Student/Parent acknowledgement form DUE October and November memorize and practice November 13 – School winner names due to District Nov 30 th – Dec 3 rd – District Competition December 10 th – Regional Competition – Jr High December 15 th – Regional Competition-Elementary January 30, 2016 – County Competition

Day of the event Event Days and times depend upon number of participants in each category Transportation Students will be taken by bus or by district employees to RMS on their day of competition Parents and Guests are encouraged to come and watch

Competition Events Humorous Interpretation – SoloSolo Humorous Interpretation – DuoDuo Two students Serious Interpretation – Solo Serious Interpretation – Duo Two students Verse Choir Three to Six students Impromptu

General Rules (except Impromptu) Students select a piece of literature that can be presented as an oral presentation. It must be appropriate for the age and audience. All scripts will be reviewed by school personnel. The selection may be shortened, but the text may not be added to or altered in any other way. Sound effects are allowed only if written in the text. Pieces should be 3 – 5 minutes *Impromptu is 1 ½ - 2 minutes Pieces must be thoroughly memorized.

General Rules (except Impromptu) If more than one selection is used (as in several poems), there must be an obvious relationship between the pieces. Students may use appropriate gestures – but the emphasis should be on ORAL PRESENTATION Good enunciation and tempo Expressive voices Rapport with the audience – eye contact, confidence Audience can follow the narrative No “costumes” or look-alike outfits, or props Students must remain on their feet

General Rules (except Impromptu) A humorous piece should be funny, but does not have to be hilarious. A serious piece should be a serious topic, but may have something amusing in it. The selection must be from literature…not TV, movie, internet, etc. The performance must be students’ interpretation (NOT an imitation of an actor’s performance).

General Rules (except Impromptu) In the Humorous and Serious Solo events, students may move their feet, but must remain standing In the Humorous and Serious Duo events and Verse Choir, students may use gestures but may NOT move their feet. In Duo events, there should be a balance of solo and unison parts. In Verse Choir, there should be a variety of small and large groups of voices speaking in unison, but NO solo voices.

General Rules (except Impromptu) Students must not announce their name or their school’s name. Students must include the title and the author of their selection. (They may not use a piece written by “Anonymous.”) The selection must be from a published book. Selections from the internet are not allowed unless they are also printed in a published book. (The County competition asks for publishing information.) All pieces must be pre-approved for appropriateness and rules before moving on to the district level.

Judging (except Impromptu) Appropriateness of selection Oral Interpretation and Delivery Good enunciation and tempo Expressive voices Appropriate gestures Rapport with the audience – eye contact, confidence Audience can follow the narrative No “costumes” or look-alike outfits, or props Must remain on their feet

Impromptu Rules An impromptu speech is an extemporaneous speech on a topic selected by the student at the event. Student draws two topics, chooses one, returns other to the envelope Student has two minutes to prepare speech The student must speak on the selected topics for a minimum time of 1 - 1/2 minutes and a maximum time of 2 minutes. The timer will hold up cards to indicate when the student has met the minimum requirement and again at two minutes.

Impromptu Judge Guidelines Student does not use notes Student may announce the topic first The judging emphasis in this category is CONTENT, more than delivery. The speech should be well organized, with an introduction, main ideas, and a conclusion.

Helpful Hints Be sure to know the rules of your category Select a piece you love – not just a piece you know that others have done before or won Its all about the presentation and interpretation Piece must be memorized – including gestures Practice a little each day Practice in front of others Always time your piece Have fun!!!!

District Oral Language Festival Judges will select the top in each category to represent our District at the Region I Oral Language Festival Elementary – Tuesday Bimat Elementary Middle School – Tuesday Fruitvale Junior High We send our top 3 finalists, no designation of 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd places

Kern County Oral Language Festival Top 2 from each regional event move on to the KCSOS Festival Kern County Oral Language Festival Saturday, January Stonecreek Junior High **Impromptu is not a Kern County Oral Language Festival event.

Questions?

If you need more information, please contact: Erika Tindell Curriculum Specialist Rosedale Union School District Extension 139