While this may seem like a simple tip that needs no mention, many pupils often overlook this. All too often, their reading speed begins to accelerate as their anxiousness builds.

• At commas, pause for one count; at other punctuation marks, pause for two counts.
• If counting in their head gets distracting, teach your child how to tap an index finger against his/her lap once or twice until learning how long to pause becomes automatic.

But…what about long sentences when there is no comma in the middle?

In such cases, we need to understand the context and meaning of the sentence to pause appropriately. Try identifying when the reader should take a breath in this example below:

• If you thought to take a breath or pause after the word “moderation”, you are correct!
• If you wanted to pause after the word “system” as well, that is also accurate.
• As you can see, the two spots where you should take a breath occur just before the elaboration of the solution mentioned.

Reading fluently is not sufficient. In order to avoid sounding monotonous, your child needs to be aware of his/her tone and pitch.

Your child needs to emote and convey the feelings of the character(s) in the passage, particularly when recounting direct speech and thoughts.

• Identify the character’s emotion at that juncture and have your child try to imagine being in that situation. How might that line be vocalised?
• In an anxious situation, your child’s voice should sound a little on edge and unsure.
• In a humorous or light-hearted situation, your child’s tone should sound more cheerful. A good tip (which singers use as well) is to smile while reading that line.

It might be human nature to correct our mistakes when we stumble over words we read. However, your child should avoid doing this during the oral examination. Repeating the mispronounced word or even apologising to the examiner for the error draws attention to it and interrupts the flow of reading.

• Even if your child realises that a mistake has been made, it is important to just continue reading. The key thing is not to panic!
• Remind your child to use such an occurrence as a reminder to read the rest of the passage carefully to avoid another mistake.

Remember that there is always an overarching theme for the reading aloud passage and the stimulus-based prompt. During the preparation time, children should familiarise themselves with the main theme and brainstorm what a possible conversation with the examiner would be like.

• Firstly, analyse the picture and identify the topic.
• Next, predict possible questions the examiner may ask.
  • An easy guide to follow is that the first question is always directly related to the prompt (e.g. If the prompt is a poster publicising an outdoor adventure camp, a possible question would be: Would you attend this event?).
  • Subsequent questions would be broadly linked to the theme. These include categories of questions such as Favourites (e.g. What is your favourite outdoor sport?), Prior Experiences (e.g. Have you attended an adventure camp before?) and People questions (e.g. If you could bring someone along, who would it be and why?).
• After predicting questions, your child should mentally prepare responses which should be specific enough to the theme but be fluid enough to be altered in case your child’s prediction of the questions was not completely accurate.

One way for children to show that they have engaged with the prompt meaningfully is for them to include their personal thoughts on the matter, and where possible, to share their personal experiences. By doing so, it showcases a child’s thorough understanding of the theme and shows that your child has made meaning of it by relating it to his/her life. Supplementing points made with related stories, facts, news or TV programmes is also a good way to impress examiners.

Join our PSLE Oral Preparation Programme in August

LiteracyPlus is running a short programme to boost our pupils’ oral communication skills. We will train them to read aloud audibly with confidence, and to be a more composed and engaging conversationalist. To find out more about this programme, click here.