1. Oral Interp… Reading Strategies & Marking Scripts
Prose, Poetry,
HI, DI, Duet, Duo

2. Choosing Your Piece
Determine the mood of the piece (informational, dramatic, humorous) you would like to perform
Visit the LIBRARY or BOOK STORE often!
Search for books by TOPIC, by AUTHOR, by TITLE or by TYPE of literature

3. Finding Your Piece Search short stories Search biographies/autobiog.
Search horror/unusual stories
Search the Humor section
Search classic books and authors
Search children’s stories
Search your literature book
Ask your English teacher for suggested reading

4. Finding Your Piece Watch rounds at speech tournaments
Write down TITLES and AUTHORS that you see in performances
Search by authors to find other selections you may also like
Search the internet… BUT BEWARE of online texts! You cannot perform a piece that has not been published

5. READ… don’t skim!
Take your time and really READ the collections you find
Skimming does not immerse you in the story or allow you to see the possibilities
Titles can be deceiving!

6. Marking Your Script
Determine places to STRESS or PAUSE for emotion, humor, rumination, and effect
Use / for pause, underline for stress
Determine places to increase or decrease your VOLUME
Use ^ for increase, < for quieter

7. Marking Your Script Determine places to increase or decrease your RATE
Use italics for quicker rate, and s p a c i n g for slower rate
Determine places to increase or lower your PITCH
Use + for increase, ~ for lower

8. Marking Your Script
Determine your GESTURES and BODY PLACEMENT for each character and the narrator
Use space in the margins and between lines to make notes about all physicality to yourself
Determine appropriate places to have PAGE TURNS
Do not turn pages in the middle of thought groups

9. Marking Your Script
Make decisions about each character, and what the author intended for them to sound like and look like
Determine places to utilize certain character voice and/or accents
Use your margins to make notes to yourself, and use [brackets] around the words to be used for each vocal choice

10. Reading Strategies Once you have your piece: Refer to your handout
Choose 3 of the 25
After performing the exercises, type up a report explaining your process and what you’ve learned about your piece by using each strategy

11. DUE DATES Reading strategies report DUE Sept. 25
Intro should also be written by then
Piece should be cut, marked, booked & timed
Performance of Dramatic Prose on Mon. & Wed., Sept. 29 and Oct. 1

12. Marking Practice Read the story to yourself
Re-read, and this time, mark the script as you see places for pausing, voices, and vocalics
Get into 2 groups: guys and girls
Discuss your markings and defend your decisions for the class