Dear Parents/Guardians,
You will see in the calendar that we are to hold a Declamations’ Finals’ Evening on Friday 29th November in Kalendar Hall. This is an opportunity for all children from Years 3 to 8 to experience public speaking and recitation.
Let me take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about the process.
The idea is that each child reads a passage from a book, play, poem or speech in class. Years 3 and 4 will rehearse with their class teachers, Years 5 to 8 will rehearse with their English/drama teachers. The children can read from the page, or they can commit their passage to memory.
The next stage will be for teachers to audition the children. From these auditions each class in Years 3 and 4 and each English set in Years 5 to 8 will put forward two children for the Finals’ Evening.
During the Finals’ Evening itself there will be guest judges who will choose one winner and two runners up from Lower Years (Years 3 to 5) and one winner and two runners up from Upper Years (Years 6 to 8). We will have a brief interval between the judging of Lower Years and Upper Years in case parents wish to take the younger children home.
Last year the evening was a lovely event, very well received by children and their families, and I loved watching the children recite their pieces: many performances are still fresh in my mind.
I am writing to parents/guardians so that, if you wish, you can help your child choose the piece that they bring to class. It should last up to, but no longer than, two minutes. Teachers will begin working with the children on their pieces during the first week after the half term holiday. This means that the holiday would be a great time to help your child choose the piece they are going to perform, and work with them on how it is to be said, and whether they are going to bring it to life through gesture, expression, movement, or characterisation.
I am very happy for the children to work on their own, or collaboratively, with no more than five children in a group.
Thank you very much for your support.
With best wishes,
Emma Cox
Head of English and Drama
