Oratorical Festival

Forty years ago the Founder of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Oratorical Fest, Donald Oliver had a vision. He wanted to showcase student’s oratorical skills and he wanted to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's work.

At King, 6th and 7th grade students will do this as a classroom activity.

Timeline

• Classroom instruction will take place in February
• Classroom competitions will be held before the end of February.

Heads Up: each core class may send one voluntary individual or group to the final grade level competition.

March 7th will be used for a final grade level competition(think winner of King).

District Competition: March 26th

One individual and one pair/group from each grade level (6th and 7th) is allowed to represent King at the District Competition.

Along these lines, students wishing to compete in the district level competition must choose a piece that is either by an African American author or reflects social justice connected to the African American Experience.

That said, students who do not wish to compete are open to perform a piece whose message promotes equal access to wealth, opportunities, or privileges within a society.

Social Justice Topic Examples

• Race
• Gender
• Age
• Sexual Orientation
• Religion
• Education
• Mental or Physical Ability

Guidelines

• Students may present individually or in pairs/groups.
• There is no limit on group size.
• ALL presentations must be under 3 minutes.
• Students may present poems, plays, speeches, monologues, or song lyrics.

District Festival Rubric

Interpretation/ Creativity:

• Were strong choices made to bring out the meaning of the poem, speech, etc?
• Does it have good use of imagery?

Expression/Stage Presence:

• Was eye contact made?
• Does the speaker control and use their body to add to the speech?
• Are dramatic pauses used to emphasize a point? Are they designed to allow the audience to react to something that was said?

Delivery and Presentation:

• Is there quality and variety of expression in voice?
• Are all words spoken correctly?
• Are all words spoken clear--not mumbled or distorted?
• Is the speaker confident, relaxed, convincing and in control?

Overall Effectiveness:

• Did the speech make an impression?
• Did the speaker communicate what the speech was supposed to accomplish?
• Did the speaker make a point and convince the audience of it?

District Festival Rubric

• Interpretation/ Creativity
• Expression/Stage Presence
• Delivery and Presentation
• Overall Effectiveness

Community Inspiration

Obama Example

Michelle Example