Last month we provided a series of short scenes for students to read in pairs and practice over-acting, then providing feedback for each other. This activity helped students become more aware of their expressive reading. This month our Reader's Theater exercise focuses on how to improve students' natural speech, getting rid of bad habits. Learning to communicate ideas clearly and effectively is an important life skill that will help young students succeed in the future. Many kids develop speaking habits that are detrimental to the way others perceive them. Some common problems are summarized below.

Many adults and children use filled pauses such as saying "uh," "um," or other meaningless sounds in their every day speaking patterns. Inappropriate and excessive use of the word, "like" for emphasis or to fill empty space is also in this category, especially for children. Sentences often sound like the following: "I got, like, an A on my, um, math test that we, like, got back today, and um, like we don't have any homework, um, this week." When a speaker needs to gather his or her thoughts, it is much more effective to simply pause a moment or two, even though the silence may be very uncomfortable for the speaker. Using pauses instead of saying "um" will keep the listeners focused on the content of what someone is saying. It can be helpful to remind children to breathe in instead of out when they feel the urge to use a filler word. Sometimes "and" or "so" are used as bridge words, when the speaker does not yet know what he or she will say next; these words should be limited.

Another common issue is making statements that sound like questions by bringing up the vocal pitch at the end of the sentence. This gives the impression of being unsure of oneself and needing affirmation from the people with whom you are speaking. Children should practice ending sentences with both lower and higher voices and learn when each is appropriate. Other problems with effectively expressing oneself include repeating words, using casual language such as "you know" or "so anyways," mumbling, and looking down instead of making eye contact.

These types of poor speaking habits are disastrous, and it's important that children break these habits when they are as young as possible! Highly focused speaking exercises over a short period of time can help students break these habits. This month's exercise is ideal for 4-6 week summer school programs as well as regular year curriculum. It provides a structured plan that teaches kids about common habits, along with read aloud exercise scenes that students respond to by explaining verbally their comprehension of what happened in the scene in their own words. The exercise then prompts them to answer a question about the scene, all while being mindful to not speak with poor speaking habits. A chart allows teachers to record how many times the students use a bad speaking habit from the list above, and tracks their progress with a positive six-week classroom challenge. Click the link below to get this month's exercise!