Issuu

DEVELOP BRILLIANT SPEAKING

Build oracy skills in KS3 to empower every child

Djamila Boothman

Lesson 3 The importance of the voice

Learning objectives:

• To learn about the importance and impact of voice

• To explore tonal variation

• To learn how to project voice appropriately

Getting started (5–10 minutes)

Resources:

• PowerPoint 3

• Worksheet 3

• Handout 3 (cut-out cards), scissors

• Homework sheet 3

• Pens of different colours, mini-whiteboards

• Use Task 1 on PowerPoint 3 slide 1 to develop independent thinking around the word ‘tone’. Then allow 5 minutes for students to complete Activity 1 on Worksheet 3

• Collect student responses, using questioning to establish the meaning of the word ‘tone’ and to explore the different contexts in which students have already encountered it across the curriculum. This will provide students with a solid foundation from which to examine the terminology and the phrase ‘tone of voice’. Student responses may touch on art and tones/shades/hues in colours, as well as tone/mood in a piece of writing or the way a person speaks, or tone linking to a mood, attitude or feeling. Students may also refer to biology and skin tone, or photography and tone in the context of light and dark. Capture these ideas on the board and encourage students to add annotations in a different colour, in preparation for discussion around tonal variation. Encourage them to differentiate between their own understanding/ use of the term and its meanings, and that of their peers and teacher. Students may mention household phrases such as ‘lower the tone’ or ‘raise the tone’ (to make a place/event socially acceptable, attractive, etc.), ‘set the tone’ (to create or establish a general feeling for a situation or among a group of people) and ‘watch your tone’ (to address inappropriate verbal responses indicating negativity or disrespect).

Developing understanding (15–20 minutes)

• Re-introduce the Aspects of Oracy diagram, using PowerPoint slide 2. Explain that today, students will complete their exploration of the physical aspects of oracy, with a focus on voice.

• Students then complete the matching activity on the worksheet (Activity 2), which supports discussion of and differentiation between the indicators associated with tone of voice, ahead of identifying examples and non-examples. Display the answers on PowerPoint slide 3, for students to peer-mark in class.

• Display PowerPoint slide 4 and use the notes on the slide to talk through tone of voice, focusing on the indicators to support students’ understanding. To check for understanding, ask a few students to suggest additional examples and note these on the slide.

• Next, ask students to vote on whether they believe that tone of voic e can change the meaning of words. You can capture student responses using mini-whiteboards or a show of hands; make a note of these.

• Display PowerPoint slide 5 and explain Task 2 using the instructions on the slide: students will consider different ways of saying the phrase ‘What’s going on?’, to illustrate how changing tone of voice works in practice. Having explained the activity, display slide 6 so students can see the nine different contexts in which the phrase will be said. Then select nine students to be given a cut-out card from Handout 3; it may help to choose those with the confidence to act and project their voice; cards should have been pre-cut and placed into a box or bag ahead of the le sson; ensure students select them at random and do not show them to others. Students with a card then say the phrase in a way that reflects their given audience and situation; allow each student a few seconds to read their card and then deliver the line. The other students in the class then say which of the options on the board is being delivered. Depending on time available, this activity could be done by cold-calling students or by checking for whole-class understanding using mini-whiteboards, with students writing 1–9 to correspond with the numbers on the slide – though it is not necessary to use all the scenarios if time doesn’t allow for this.

• Share reflections following the activity. Encourage students to draw on their learning from earlier in the lesson by using the indicators to suggest what varied in each delivery. Prompt students’ consideration of which words were stressed, how loudly or softly and quickly or slowly the line was delivered, and where breaks or pauses occurred. Some students may have fe lt compelled to make the phrase ‘What’s going on?’ more formal in some situations, for example by turning ‘what’s’ to ‘what is’.

• Consolidate by asking students to vote again on whether tone of vo ice can change the meaning of words, to see if their views have changed further to doing the activity.

Putting it into practice (20–30 minutes)

• Ahead of students experimenting with tone themselves, explain that in the same way that tone can help a speaker to convey a message clearly, meaning can be lo st or diluted if the tone is inappropriate. Clarify that experimenting and practising with tone of voice is a key part of planning to speak publicly, and that spending time refining tonal variation, fluency, speed and projection is as much a part of preparation as writing a speech, because of the significant impact these aspects have on the delivery of the desired message. Being intentional in the way we use our voice will affect how the audience responds. To demonstrate this, ask a question, dropping the volume of your voice significantly and unexpectedly, and then raising it suddenly. Explain that when you speak quietly, students must listen harder, some physically drawing their bodies closer, watching your lips, and paying closer attention; by contrast, much louder talk does not pique audience intere st in the same way because it lacks the mystery.

• Now give students 15–20 minutes to complete Worksheet Activity 3 in pairs, in which they experiment by altering the indicators (variables) to establish a desired tone of voice. Depending on the time available, you may prefer to spread the examples across the class so that each pair is allocated 2 or 3. The examples range from popular literary texts to conversational phrases, to cover a range of tones across personal and professional life. The varied extracts offer students the chance to explore the relationship between words and how voice can complement or contradict the desired message. Some variations should feel unnatural, and some should fit together nicely.

• Before starting, run through the first example (for passage A), so the expectations are clear. It is a good idea to spend some time on this, experimenting with the indicators; for instance, using a whisper, shouting, speaking softly, gradually in creasing the volume. As it is a riddle, take the time to tease out a deeper understanding of the indicators through questions such as:

Which words did you emphasise most and why? Do you place stress on certain syllables or words? (Use clicks as you get the class to say in unison: Pe ter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)

How quickly or slowly do you naturally say the words and why?

Does it feel more natural saying the phrase loudly or quietly? Why?

What is the relationship between words said and tone of voice? Will this always be the case? Why?

• Once students have completed the activity, collect responses and discuss as a whole class.

Suggested answers: B: Nostalgic, enthusiastic, formal, cheerful. C: Formal, serious, suspicious. D: Enthusiastic, friendly, formal, cheerful. E: Serious, respectful, sarcastic, critical, horrified, comical, earnest.

• Writing space is provided at the end of Worksheet Activity 3 for students’ self-reflections; display PowerPoint slide 7 to model how this is done. Then allo w students 5 minutes to write their own reflection, before inviting all (or select) students to share theirs with the class (as time permits).

Reflecting and recording (10–15 minutes)

• Draw the learning together by explaining that skilled speakers often instinctively use their voice to add impact when they speak, and that this is just as impor tant as the words they use to convey meaning. Remind students of how tone of voice is used to create mood and evoke audience reactions.

• Display PowerPoint slide 8 and introduce the video of the student speech, for which the transcript is included as part of Worksheet Activity 4. If time permits, you may wish to collect students’ impressions of the speech so you can draw attention to its factual and succinct nature, mentioning that on paper it does not evoke strong feelings: the delivery is critical. Play the speech two or three times, instructing students to identify what the speaker does with their voice by annotating the transcript on the worksheet.

• Collect responses, teasing out specific details ar ound pitch, pauses for emphasis, volume, rhythm, and speed, as well as getting students to consider the speech ’s overall tone. Instruct students to make notes in the reflection section on the worksheet; explain that these will be used to support their Homework task.

Suggested answers: Greeting ‘hi’ with friendly tone and high-pitched comes across as eager. She pauses before making her promise, which draws attention to what she is going to say. She slows down the pace as she says ‘each and every one of you’, and the volume increases when she says, ‘Don’t choose someone who’s driven by popularity’. The word ‘you’ is repeated, which emphasises it.

Homework (30 minutes)

• As a homework task, students consider how they would deliver the student’s speech using the transcript on Homework sheet 3 and their notes from Worksheet Activity 4. They should practise delivering the speech using a mirror or mobile phone; they may also want to deliver the speech to someone at home.

Worksheet 3 The importance of the voice

Activity 1: Considering the meaning of tone

Answer the following questions, to help you consider the meaning of the word ‘tone’.

a What is the meaning of the word ‘tone’? .......................................................................................

b In which subjects have you heard the word ‘tone’? .............................................................................

c Can you use the word ‘tone’ in a sentence? ....................................................................................

d What synonyms for ‘tone’ can you think of? ....................................................................................

e What other words are connected or related to ‘tone’? .................................................................................

f What does the word ‘tone’ reveal/evoke?.......................................................................................

Activity 2: Using the indicators for tone

Draw lines to match each indicator on the left to its definition on the right.

Indicators

Pitch

Pause for emphasis

Volume

Rhythm

Pace

Definitions

An intentional break while speaking, immediately before and after saying a key word or phrase, to draw attention to it

How loud or quiet a voice/sound is

How high or low a voice/sound is

How quickly or slowly a person speaks

The sense of movement in speech, marked by the stress, timing and quantity of syllables

Activity 3: Practising variations in tone

Working in pairs, you will experiment with using variations in tone. Say each short passage (B–E) twice, selecting two different tones of voice from the list below.

Complete the table with your observations each time.

Passage A has been done as an example, to start you off.

enthusiastic friendly formal informal serious sympathetic

suspicious cheerful caring respectful bored nostalgic

sarcastic critical horrified assertive earnest comical

Your selection Pitch Pause Volume Rhythm Speed Which was best?

Cheerful Musical, almost singing Pause at the end of every line

Increasing volume Steady, emphasise ‘p’s Start slow and slowly speed up

Serious Medium monotone Pause after each sentence Low volume Steady Medium speed Cheerful

Your selection Pitch Pause Volume Rhythm Speed Which was best?

Activity 3 reflection

Write about one of the examples that you practised, using the indicators for tone of voice to explain your choices.

Indicators for tone of voice: pitch loudness/volume speed/pace rhythm pauses for emphasis

Activity 4: Matching tone with intended message

Watch the student’s speech through several times. As you watch, annotate the copy of the speech below, to show how she uses her voice.

• Identify pauses with an asterisk (*).

• Highlight words that she emphasises.

• Mark noticeable change(s) in pitch using a caret (^).

Consider:

• Where do you notice her pace change?

• Where do you notice that she speaks particularly loudly/quietly?

• How would you describe her tone of voice?

Activity 4 reflection

Write a summary of your reflections about the student’s speech. Refer to the indicators for tone of voice to explain your thinking.

Indicators for tone of voice: pitch loudness/volume speed/pace rhythm pauses for emphasis

Handout 3 The importance of the voice

Cut-out cards for PowerPoint Task 2

Cut out these nine cards to share among students for Task 2.

1. Parent to child in concern because the child is crying

2. Parent to child in anger on finding a messy house

3. Child to parent in confusion

4. Teenager to friend as a greeting

6. Inquisitive child to parent

7. Teacher in authoritarian manner to student who is breaking school rules

8. Teacher in concern to student who has their head on the desk

5. Teenager to friend in curiosity

9. Driver speaking in exasperation during a traffic jam

Homework sheet 3

Homework activity

The importance of the voice

• Look over your notes and annotations from Worksheet 3 Activity 4

• Complete the reflection task (if you did not complete it in class). Refer to your reflection notes from Worksheet Activity 3 to ensure that you have considered the indicators.

• Consider how you would deliver the student’s speech by using a coloured pen to annotate it below. Write at least one comment for each of the five indicators onto the speech.

• Use a mirror or mobile phone to practise delivering the speech. Once you have practised a few times, you may also want to deliver it in front of someone at home.

Indicators for tone of voice: pitch loudness/volume speed/pace rhythm pauses for emphasis