Standard 3

Speaking and Performing: Recitation and Choral Speaking – Standard 3 English

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What you will learn

  • Speak so every listener can hear each word.
  • Use pace, pause and volume to show meaning.
  • Take a part when the class speaks a poem together.

A recitation is a poem or a short piece you have learned, spoken aloud for an audience. You are not hiding behind the page. Your voice, your face and your body help the listeners understand.

In choral speaking, a group shares the poem. Sometimes everyone speaks. Sometimes only the high voices speak, or only the low voices. The group must start together, stay together and stop together.

This lesson uses an original poem called Market Morning. It is set in a morning market, the kind many families in Trinidad and Tobago know. You will practise saying it clearly, then decide who should say each line.

Make every word clear

Stand tall, with both feet quiet. Hold your book or your hands still. Look at the audience, then look back at your line if you need it. Breathe in before you start.

Speak a little more slowly than you do in the yard. Open your mouth for the vowel sounds, and finish the last sound of each word. “Market” should not turn into “marke”. “Basket” needs its t.

If you rush, the listener hears a blur. If you shout, the listener hears noise instead of words. A clear medium voice reaches the back of the room.

Worked example 1

How should Asha say the line “Hold your basket, walk in line”?

Show me how

She stands still and looks up before she speaks.

She says each word slowly enough to finish the t in basket and the n in line.

She does not shout. She uses a steady voice so the line sounds like a careful walk, not a race.

Expression: pace, pause and volume

Expression is the way your voice shows feeling. A loud voice can show a call or a command. A softer voice can show a secret, a baby, or a gentle step. A pause is a short silence. It gives the listener time to picture the line.

Read the punctuation. A comma is a short pause. A full stop is a longer pause. A question mark makes your voice rise a little at the end. An exclamation mark can be stronger, but it is still a word, not a scream.

Mark your copy lightly. Underline a word you will say more loudly. Put a slash where you will pause. Then practise the line three times the same way, so your body remembers it.

Worked example 2

Where are the pauses in “Wake up, wake up, the roosters call”?

Show me how

There is a comma after the first “wake up”, so pause there.

There is another comma after the second “wake up”, so pause again.

The last two words, “roosters call”, stay together. Do not stop in the middle of them.

Choral speaking

A leader, often the teacher, gives a quiet signal to start. Everyone breathes in together. Eyes stay on the leader for the ending, so nobody adds an extra word.

Parts must match the meaning. A line about a big drum can go to the low voices. A line about a small bird can go to the high voices. A line that speaks to everybody can be said by all.

Listen while you wait. If your part is next, come in on time. If it is not your part, stay silent. Silence is part of the performance too.

Watch out! A common mistake

A common mistake is to race the person beside you, or to smile at a friend and lose your place. Keep the pace you practised. If you miss a word, leave it and join the next line. Do not stop the whole group to go back.

Try it

TRY ITPerformance lab

Let’s practise

Work each one in your copybook. Open Hint if you are stuck, then open Show answer to check.

1. Why should a speaker finish the last sound of a word?

Hint

Think of the listener at the back.

Show answer

The listener needs the whole word. A missing sound can change the word or make it unclear.

2. What does a comma tell a speaker to do?

Hint

It is a punctuation mark in the middle of a line.

Show answer

A comma tells the speaker to take a short pause.

3. Name one thing your body should do during a recitation.

Hint

Think of feet, hands or eyes.

Show answer

Stand tall, keep your hands still, or look towards the audience. Any one of these is a good answer.

4. Which voices should say a line about tiny bells: all, high or low?

Hint

Match the size of the sound.

Show answer

High voices. Tiny bells are light sounds.

5. What should you do if you miss one word in a choral poem?

Hint

The group is still going.

Show answer

Leave the missed word and join the next line. Do not stop the group.

6. Why do performers breathe in before the first word?

Hint

Think about a steady start.

Show answer

The breath gives air for a clear voice and helps the group start together.

7. A line says “Come, neighbours, come and buy.” Who should speak it?

Hint

Is it a small sound, a heavy sound, or a call to everyone?

Show answer

All the voices together, because it calls everyone.

8. What is the difference between shouting and speaking clearly?

Hint

Think about the listener.

Show answer

Shouting is mostly noise. Clear speech lets the listener hear each word.

Quiz

Lesson quiz: 10 questions

Answer every question, then press Check my answers. Score 8 or more to earn the Clear Speaker badge.

Recap

  • Stand tall, breathe, and finish each word.
  • Use volume, pace and pauses to match the meaning.
  • In a choir, start together, speak only your part, and stop together.
  • If you slip, join the next line.

Words to know

recitation
A poem or short piece spoken aloud from memory or from a clear reading.
Example: Asha gave a recitation of Market Morning.
expression
The way a voice shows feeling by changing volume, pace and pause.
Example: His expression made the walk sound quiet.
pause
A short planned silence.
Example: She left a pause after the comma.
choral speaking
A group speaking a poem in parts or all together.
Example: The class used choral speaking for the market poem.
volume
How loud or soft a voice is.
Example: The volume matched a call, not a whisper.

Try it at home

  • Teach Market Morning to someone at home. Ask them to sit across the room and tell you which words they could not hear.
  • Mark one verse with a line under loud words and a slash for pauses. Perform it twice.
  • With two or three people, give one line to high voices, one to low voices and one to everyone. Practise the start signal.

Test tips

Tips for class tests

  • In a test about speaking, name the listener. A good answer says how the audience hears the words.
  • If you are asked about punctuation, link the mark to the voice: comma, short pause; full stop, longer pause.
  • For choral questions, match the picture in the line to all, high or low, and say why.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

  • Speak a short poem aloud with clear end sounds.
  • Show meaning with volume and pauses, not only with a louder and louder voice.
  • Take a part in a group reading and come in on time.

Practise in a kind way. Record a phone voice note if the child agrees, play it back, and ask what the listener heard. The goal is clear speech, not a perfect accent.

Quiz scores and badges are saved only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere. If the browser data is cleared, or another device is used, the badges will be lost.

Previous: Standard 3 English
Next: Listening for Meaning
Course: Standard 3 English

Updates

2026/11/06
– Published this lesson and linked the previous and next lessons.
– First draft of this English lesson, with a hands-on lab, practice, quiz badge and worksheet.

Attributions to media used in this post:

No third-party pictures or recordings. The diagrams in the activity are original drawings for this lesson.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

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