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Recitation \ Reading Aloud 

Dr. Catherine W. Cordeiro

Aims               :            When you have finished \ completed the reading you should be able to: 

                                    See the difference between singing and recitation           

                                    Features of recitation 

                                    Types of recitation 

                                    Planning the recitation

Pre – task:

1.                 Is singing the same as reading aloud?

2.                 Do you think reading aloud is important?

3.                 Do you need listeners for this activity?

4.                 Does reading aloud mean “being able to just recognize and read the words on the page?

5.                 Look up the meaning of the words ‘singing’ and ‘recitation’ in a dictionary.

Features of Reading aloud \ recitation :

Being able to read well, is a skill which one can develop, keeping a few things in mind.  Haven’t you ever wished that you could read aloud better?

Brain storming :

When do the audience listen and enjoy what you read aloud to them?

To read anything aloud well you must understand what you are reading.  Understanding is not just recognizing the words! You must also understand what the author meant to say / express.

Task

Read the following poem ‘Sea Fever’, then think about the following questions :

1.                  What kind of mood does the poem create?  How does the rhythm of the poem help to create this mood? 

2.                  Do you think the title of the poem is a good one?  Share your answers with your partner and then with the whole class.

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel’s kick and the winds song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a gray mist on the sea’s face and a gray dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that  may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the guil’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

John Masefield

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H M Patel Institute of English Training & Research, Vallabh Vidyanagar - 388120, Gujarat, India

Phone : 091-2692-230193, 091-2692-230079