Eloquence

Strategies

By beginning with what is relevant and real to each student, we give them access, we let them in. It is not a teacher's job to give answers, but rather to ask questions. Most of these sections include question sets to help access prior knowledge, guide them toward discovering new material, and help them to extend their ideas. Several strategies are listed below for each of the parts of the unit's whole.

Introduction: "The Way In"

I am a proponent of a dramatic opening. For this reason, I have included the script of what I plan to use as an introduction to this unit—I aim to captivate my audience, modeling my expectations for them as brave speakers' of truth, by utilizing elements of rhetoric, particularly focusing on pronunciatio, or delivery. The speech plays on the concept of 'wearing words'. It directs each student to choose a single word that defines him or her, write it on a lanyard, and wear it. (Note that each 'word' should be retained by the students for a future lesson!) Part of this lesson was gleaned after reading The President Electric. In the script, I have noted the rhetorical devices that were employed. (Appendix B)

It is important to understand that the sequence for learning will be: Read silently, marking text; Share misunderstandings, such as new vocabulary, define; Read aloud; Discuss markings; Listen to and/or watch material; Re-examine meaning. The material below more specifically details this sequence.

Strategies for Reading (Inventio)

Examining multiple exemplary texts gives students something for which to reach for (or reach over!) when they begin to write. Multiple examples are used to steer students away from 'write likes', which is akin to parroting information—though some students will inevitably mimic a pattern or style of a favored author, I do not want them to use someone else's words. I want them to use their own. For each text given, the text-marking pattern that I use during my close reading strategy is simplistic; student underline phrases or lines that they feel are most impactful, square unfamiliar words, and circle whatever specific element I am asking them to look for in a given piece. I use this method for several reasons, primarily because it is easily recalled and gets them started quickly. It also serves to allow each student to engage with text on his or her level. Once the text is marked, students will first have an opportunity to discuss the words that they could not decipher. When possible, having students look at the prefix, suffix, and/or root of a word to see if any can determine the meaning. If not, the word should be re-visited after the text is read aloud. I like to do the first reading to model inflection and phrasing. Students are allowed to re-mark the page if desired. The main question that needs to be answered is: What question did the speaker answer? ³² This means that, since text is presented like an answer, the reader/listener must learn to flesh out the guiding questions that were used by the author that drove the construction of his or her text. This works in reverse order when an author begins to invent a new piece of writing: He or she lists questions to guide what is to be said and then begins to answer them.

Group Discussion Strategies (Inventio)

I use a discussion strategy that I call "Socratic Rotation." Instead of requiring kids to raise their hands, I present the leading question at hand, and allow any student to begin by means of "Self Selection". Once that student has finished, the turn rotates to his or her right. Students have the opportunity to pass, but in order to speak, each must wait until his or her turn arrives. The directive is that they cannot pass twice, and they may not repeat what another has already said. If another student has already covered what the current speaker wanted to say, then the speaker is to acknowledge who it was that said it. They are to begin with phrases that do not slight others, such as, "In the text, x, y, z, I think the speaker means…," or "Adding on to what, (student's name) said, …," or "I connect to this line because, in my experience, I…," etc. This builds listening skills, cooperation, and the students relish not needing to raise their hands. It also gives them a tool to use when working in cooperative groups. I generally do not need to intervene when using this method, though I often chime in or redirect with a probing or clarifying question.

Writing Strategies (Dispositio and Elocutio)

Dispositio, or arrangement, is the deliberate unfolding of main ideas. Elocutio, or style, goes hand-in-hand with dispositio. Through the completion of several tasks in the Classroom Activities section, students will thematically build components of their Spoken Word poems, learning to make decisions about arrangement, style, and delivery along the way.

Brainstorming is a common way to begin a writing activity or to flesh out and expand existing ideas. The creative thinking model is a full-spectrum brainstorming model. This strategy is particularly helpful for getting students to begin choosing words for a particular subject. Its stages are fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration. If I were to ask you to spend three minutes listing all of the words that had to do with labels, you may list things such as people, disks, records, gender, race, groceries, etc. When the list becomes too cumbersome to manage, or when time is up, the list should be broken into categories and regrouped. This helps to find patterns, repetition, and similarities. From the regrouped list, categories are crated and, depending on the purpose of the brainstorm, the most relevant and/or unique set is chosen. The final step is to add detail to the chosen set. This may be a set of statements about why the set was chosen, its relevance, definitions, or connections. When students use the chosen set, they should be made to write/state what it is that they feel or would like to say about it. It could be thought of this way: A question should guide the writer/speaker, but the reader/listener should read/hear a statement.

The first step in rhetoric is to choose a topic. In Latin rhetoric, res-verba, or what is said and how something is said, respectively, can only be fleshed when a subject is thoroughly converted to a thesis. ³³ My students' topic will be chosen by them, but guided by the connection between how they want to be viewed in society, using the antithesis, I am/I am not. Since my students are beginning with only six words, working with groups to 'define' each word will allow them to grasp the idea of terms versus words. They will be asked to list alternative ways their word could be defined and whether the word should be kept or changed due to any potential ambiguity.

When given this task, I suspect that my students will often resort to using a thesaurus. I like this method, though Aristotle did not favor it, as he "...maintained that a real definition could be rendered only in a phrase." ³⁴ Students will expand their chosen words into phrases, using them to begin construction of their Spoken Word poems. They will be directed to seek the etymology of each final word and add a description and example. ³⁵ When expanding each phrase, they will be required to maintain positive definitions, as Aristotle contended that "...definitions, whenever possible, should be stated positively, not negatively." ³⁶

Elocutio, or style, requires not simply ornamentation of text, but rather a coherent, systematic relationship to the invented material and the arrangement of it. My students' styles vary. Some pull phrasing from the power of their church, many from music. But all begin with some style. To enhance that style without desecrating who they are is essential to granting a 'way in.' To help students understand style, we must simply come back to words, phrases, and arrangement. Ask: What does this word mean to you? How might others define this word? How does it impact your phrasing? Your piece as a whole? Do other words in your piece connect back to it? How? And if not, why not? These same questions can be asked of any text and it is very beneficial to compare multiple texts from one author to see if style remains fixed—which, contrary to popular belief, it doesn't always do.

To help students to make choices about proper arrangement, I will first question their ideas about arranging a speech. Then, I will introduce the Monroe Motivational Sequence. This is a model for creating persuasive speeches. It is in a problem-cause-solution order and suggests several options for building in elements of craft, such as addressing ethos by adding in a personal narrative. The twofer here-in lays; using this sequence is compatible with ideas within classical rhetoric and it will familiarize students with speech structure prior to beginning the mainstream unit on speeches. Monroe outlines an arrangement as well as gives support on 'style' by offering ways to expand each section of the arrangement.

To score writing, I return to Adler, who wrote, "[A] piece of writing should have unity, clarity, and coherence". ³⁷ In other words: Is the piece remaining on one subject? Are the words and phrases unique? Is the message clear? Would the message benefit from additions, cuts, or simple rearrangement? (Appendix E)

Stage Work Strategies (Pronunciatio and Memoria)

Elements of pronunciatio, or delivery, can be taught throughout the entire process of teaching this unit. I use an inexpensive Flip ^tm Camera that films in AVI (AVI is a compressed file and it minimizes virtual size) so that students can see and hear their performances. It is essential to note that inflection of voice and the dramatic pause are critical to helping the audience understand what a speaker is trying to convey. It is in the act of oratory that the listener picks up the often subtle, yet none-the-less impactful meanings that might be lost if the text were silently read. I will use a question set to draw them in with essential questions, reflective of Common Core: What is meant by communication? What is included in good communication? How can you be fairly sure that both parties understand each other? What can become clearer when you perform a text? What things seem obvious to you about working on a stage? (Expected responses are control of appropriate volume; body and facial expressions being visible by the audience; all elements aligning with what is meant to be conveyed.)

To attune students' ears to the subtle, yet impactful phrasing, pausing, and elevating voice, each student will be given a set of marking symbols and the text of each day's Spoken Word poem on which they will use the symbols to mark the passage in the way that they feel it should be read aloud. Markings will include / to be placed around a phrase over which the performer should linger; a * over words that dictate increased volume; and # to be placed over words or phrases that seem to warrant a change in gesture or facial expression. Students will pass their marked passages to a partner and each student will take turns reading the passage trying to follow the implied marks, discussing changes as needed.

Weeks prior to the final filmed oral performance, I will give students a few pointers on memorizing text. These are: Look at a single line, say it aloud, then close your eyes and try to visualize the line as you say it; Write the text, line by line, repeatedly; Audio record yourself and listen to it repeatedly; Ask friends to rehearse with you, perhaps giving you random line starters to see if you can finish the line; Peg your text literally or figuratively via visualization around a place that you love—imagine picking up these notes in a specific order around the room or place; Scramble the text by cutting it up and put it back together.

Conclusion: "Learning Letters"

A speaker is only as good as his or her final word. With this in mind, a strategy that I developed to give closure to a unit is something I call "Learning Letters". It arose from a need to bring a group of emotionally-charged kids back down. We, a small group of six, had spent a semester consistently discussing each other's struggles and choices. We had trouble saying goodbye. This concluding activity aims to summarize students' learning by asking each student to reflect on what each class member has to offer. Individual packets of paper, headed with each student's name, are circulate. Each student is given three minutes to write to another student. I post several starters on the board, such as: From you I have learned…You inspire me because…You changed my mind when…, etc. The students are allowed to write in any genre that they wish, even in webs or lists. I also take part in the activity for two reasons. One, I want them to view me as a learner, too, and two, I want to monitor their writing to keep them focused, modeling the behavior that I expect. It promotes several things; focus on audience, confidence in construction of text, and careful word choice. This activity brings the unit full-circle, beginning and ending with the impact of words. These letters are some of the dearest possessions I have.