Speech Meet

Jr. High students participate in an annual Springfield Parochial Speech Meet. All students in grade 7 are required to participate in this event as a valuable learning experience and as part of their grade in Literature. Grades will be based on participation, preparation and oral presentation.  8th grade may elect to participate.

Speech Meet Judging Criteria

Oral Interpretation and Poetry

Selection and Introduction:

• Does the introduction adequately set the scene, time, and place?
• If the selection is a portion from an article or the like, does the introduction provide an understanding of what happened in the plot up to where the presentation begins?
• Is the selection from good literature?

Personal Qualities:

• Is the speaker poised and comfortable with the selection?
• Does the speaker project confidence during the delivery?
• Is the speaker’s interpretation of the selection correct?
• Is the attitude toward the selection effective?

Delivery and Presentation:

• Does the speaker use intonation, rate, pitch, and emphasis effectively for vocal variety
• and to establish the mood of the selection?
• Can the speaker be heard clearly?
• Is the speaker’s articulation distinct?
• Is pronunciation correct?
• If dialect is called for, is it used well and sustained throughout the piece?
• Are gestures smooth and natural? Do they contribute to the effectiveness of the speech?
• Are eye contact and body movement natural? Does the speaker direct eye contact toward the audience?
• Do eye contact, body movement, and gestures help convey the meaning and the mood of the selection?

Overall Effectiveness:

• Does the speaker become involved, or is he/she only technically correct?
• Does the audience become involved? If so, is that involvement a result of the quality of the presentation or merely because of the quality of the selection?
• Does the impression left with the audience contribute to the overall effectiveness of the presentation?

Duet Acting

Selection and Introduction:

• Does the introduction adequately set the scene, time, and place?
• If necessary, does it update the plot up to the scene presented?
• Does it introduce the characters and their importance?

Characterization:

• Do the actors adequately portray the characters?
• Do they stay in character?
• Are they believable?
• Is there a clear distinction between the two characters?
• Do they pick up cues from their partner?
• Are actions and gestures appropriate?
• Do their portrayals help involve the audience?

Voice and Diction:

• Do the actors adapt their voices to the characters?
• Is articulation distinct?
• Does the conversation between the characters seem genuine or merely memorized and recited?

Stage Movement and Business:

• Do the stage movement and business create a vivid image and help to clarify the author’s meaning?
• Do the actors use their acting area to its full effectiveness?

Parochial Speech Meet Schedule

December 7th, 2021