This is the fourth in a series of stories about Leaside’s Children’s Garden School published by The South Bayview Bulldog All stories
Public Speaking is an integral part of the curriculum at Children’s Garden School. From morning announcements and monthly assemblies to the Public Speaking Contest in the Spring, students are given many opportunities to develop their public speaking skills throughout the school year. Public speaking can be a challenging and frightening experience at any age and CGS staff is there to guide, support and challenge children as their skills grow. Over time, students gain the confidence needed to become relaxed speakers, able to communicate with humour and feeling.
The Public Speaking Contest for the Grade 2s and 3s at the end of April is a chance for CGS students to truly consolidate their public speaking skills. Children craft their own speeches and then present them to their classmates, classroom teacher and Principal. Finalists are then chosen to present their speeches to a panel of four judges. The judges come from a variety of professional backgrounds that rely heavily on public speaking skills (i.e. lawyers, actors, musical directors and educators).
Speakers are evaluated (out of five) on the criteria below:
Content (research,understanding of topic, familiarity with material)
Voice (intonation, expression, projection, speed, fluency)
Captivation of Audience (attention-getting, interesting)
Eye Contact (looking up at audience)
Posture (standing tall, standing still)
Memory (how much of the speech is presented from memory?)
Once the tallies are taken into account and the winners have been chosen (one per grade), the judges have an opportunity to share their feedback with each contestant. Comments are always positive, with a few suggestions for improvement. Common comments include slowing down and using a louder voice. Contestants are reminded that it is ok to share their passion and humour, and to remember that the most compelling speeches include a balance of facts and personal feeling. Congratulations to this year’s winners, Peter in Grade 2 and Carmen in Grade 3. (Pictured below with the Principal.) We see contestants Isabella and Charlotte speaking (inset) and the judge listening carefully. All are well on their way to a life time of successful public speaking.
One parent said the CGS public speaking program had provided his son, at a very young age, with ample opportunity to get up on stage in front of others and speak at monthly assemblies. “What has been great is that the program does it in a way where he feels very proud of this responsibility and prepared for the task at hand. This has made it a very rewarding and confidence boosting experience for him to build from – he has asked when he can speak in assembly next”‘
The Director of Admission is Kelly Scott who may be contacted at kscott@cgsschool.com and (416) 423-5017 x 43. The CGS website is here.
