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Teacher's Guide |

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Module based (16 books, 48 topics) |

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Choral Speaking Techniques |

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Choral Speaking Pictorial Codes and Symbols |

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Main poem for each topic |

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Comprehensive lesson guide (9 lessons per topic) |

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Performance Considerations |

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Extension poem for each topic |
Articulation Exercises |

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Teacher Reference (1 volume) |

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Systematic exercises for pronunciation including tongue twisters, word phrasing and pronunciation tips |

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Explanations of common pronunciation problems |
Choral Speaking Techniques CD-ROM |

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FAQ - Interview with Choral Speaking teacher |
Student Workbook |

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Topic based (48 books) |

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Full color |

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Writing script guide and stroke order |

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Choral Speaking Pictorial Codes and Symbols |

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Main poem |

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Written exercises |

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Extension poem |
Supplementary Resources |

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Support materials including flashcards, picture cards, word cards, miscellaneous cards |

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Topic based |

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Full color |
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Choral speaking is the art of using voices in unison (all) or part (small group) to produce a piece of poetry or prose that highlights, through performance, the images and the mood that the writer of the piece envisaged.
Choral speaking is not simply speech training, and delivery of a piece relies on careful teaching and student cooperation. When approached enthusiastically and in a structured, systematic way, choral speaking has an obvious educational value for students of English. Not only does choral speaking provide essential learning of English vocabulary and structures, it also allows students to learn English as a group where the pressures on individuals to perfect English speaking are removed.
The group approach to learning a performance piece also alleviates the students' self-consciousness, elevating a unity of purpose within the group. Choral speaking also encourages a knowledge and appreciation of English literature within a poetry and prose context.
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The program includes comprehensive Teacher's Guides with all lessons and teaching sequences for Modules 1-16 carefully presented. This represents forty-eight separate topics. The lessons are taught twice a week over a period of one month, culminating in a performance. Through CD-ROM technology, the teacher and students are able to access audio and visual recordings of each of the performance pieces. These recordings give the teacher and the student an indication of how the piece might sound.
The topics parallel the CEC core English program with one mandatory piece to be taught and performed. In addition, the program provides extension pieces for the teacher to use if and when required. These extension pieces incorporate additional vocabulary and structures and would be suitable for special performances or competition. They have been left free of the teaching sequence and coding to allow the individual teacher to interpret and perform them as they wish.
Each mandatory poem or piece of prose has been presented with the necessary coding for teaching and performance. That is, a poem may have particular words or phrases that require emphasis or attention to make the meaning obvious to the listener, and the codes make this very clear for the teacher.
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The development of group cooperation in achieving an end result is an essential part of choral speaking and should be regularly highlighted with the students. The Choral English College English program includes choral speaking as a component of learning English because of its numerous benefits, including the:
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(a) |
enjoyment of speaking poetry or prose |
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(b) |
structured practice in articulation, resulting in greater word and phrase clarity |
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(c) |
improvement in breathing when speaking English |
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(d) |
use of all speech organs to their full potential |
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(e) |
practice of the natural rhythms of English |
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(f) |
practice of functional vocabulary and structures relevant to the English program |
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The lesson plans in each Teacher's Guide contain:
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Students have a book for homework activities. Each Student Workbook contains:
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(a) |
homework activities designed to consolidate the vocabulary and choral speaking techniques introduced in each lesson |
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(b) |
instructions to the students to practice each section of the poem, or the whole poem, using the specific choral speaking techniques particular to that poem. It is essential that the students practice the poem using the speaking techniques and say the poem out loud. Boxes at the bottom of each homework task show the choral speaking techniques that need to be practiced for that particular lesson |
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(c) |
a display box at the end of each homework session for parents to sign indicating that they have heard the student practicing the poem |
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(d) |
reference to the recording of each poem on the CD-ROM that students must listen to and watch regularly to enable them to practice the poems in preparation for classes and, ultimately, performance |
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(e) |
extension poem(s), which can be used to extend the students' speaking abilities |
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While there is no formal assessment in the Choral Speaking Program, the three performances for parents within each module provide an incentive to learning and an opportunity to demonstrate language proficiency.
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