Wonderlit Speak – Into the Spotlight!

As featured in The New Age Parents on 19 September 2021.

In our previous article, we explored the Wonderlit Read programme and how it will help your child build a firm foundation in literacy and progress toward advanced comprehension in the English Language. Here, we demonstrate the importance of confidence and fluidity in speech, and how Wonderlit Speak will develop and impart this in your child.

Welcome once again to the exciting world of Wonderlit.

 

Effective Communication

Everyone knows that communication is not just for sharing our thoughts and emotions, but is also an essential life-skill to connect, survive and thrive in the world.

However, more often than not, our children struggle to properly express themselves and to effectively convey what they think. They stammer and mispronounce, and their thought process is a tangled-up mess. While the traditional classroom insists on proper speech, it does not devote the time to teach it. School teachers rarely have the luxury to correct individual students in a class of 30 students, and often give opportunities to those who are more outspoken, leaving the shy and introverted ones behind as observers in the room.

Without proper push, guidance and support to improve communication and build confidence, our children might end up losing out very early on in life.

What’s Special about Wonderlit Speak

Wonderlit Speak is a programme designed for children aged 7 to 12 (Primary 1 to Primary 6). With plans to expand to Secondary School levels at a later stage, it aims to enhance our children’s ability to present their thoughts authentically and cohesively, engaging and captivating audiences with a clear, expressive voice and a strong presence.

 

Unlike the typical speech and drama classes, Wonderlit takes a practical approach to teaching oral communication. Rather than simply using drama scripts and stories to hone the necessary skills, Wonderlit focusses on sharpening off-stage day-to-day conversations and discussions and onstage presentation with and without scripted speeches.

Show-and-tell, reading aloud with unseen text, stimulus-based conversations on select age-appropriate topics as well as public speaking are just some of the skills to be acquired through the curriculum. On a weekly basis, Wonderlit students are made to focus on their pronunciation, articulation and enunciation while delivering a creative speech or a meaningful conversation. Every student is also given the opportunity to stand in the spotlight (literally) and practice, receiving immediate feedback and guidance.

Additionally, through a partnership with Trinity College London, graded examinations are offered every year for each level of Wonderlit Speak. These certifications celebrate our children’s achievements and encourage them to push the boundary of their communication skills in order to thrive in this ever-changing world.

Let us take a closer look at Wonderlit Speak, a signature programme that incorporates the Trinity Communication Skills framework and the Singapore schools’ Oral & Communication syllabus.

• Speak Primary 1 (7 years old)

Starting with speech foundation, students are eased into expressing their thoughts clearly and simply through activities such as show-and-tell. By discussing topics in imaginary settings, children learn to interact, listen share information and role play.

• Speak Primary 2 (8 years old)

Further development of their articulation proficiency by reciting tongue twisters and poetry, each student is given sufficient opportunity to speak in class on relatable conversations. Using objects and pictures, they are encouraged to respond in a logical manner whilst developing awareness of body language, facial and vocal expressions.

• Speak Primary 3 (9 years old)

Here, students are steered toward utilizing language meaningfully and unlocking their ability for spontaneous response. Drama activities are also used to help students progress in vocal training, grasping the vocal skills needed to convey convincing statements to an audience.

Primary 3 students are also expected to begin researching, preparing, organizing and presenting their formed opinions on selective age-appropriate topics, presenting them with clarity and including the use of visual aids.

• Speak Primary 4 (10 years old)

Communicating with greater ease and confidence, students are given room for group discussions and encouraged to present their thoughts with conviction. Students work together in teams to research, discuss, prepare material and present on selective age-appropriate topics.

They will also be guided towards catering to the needs of the audience, generating appropriate responses and learn the ability to justify their perspectives logically.

• Speak Primary 5 (11 years old)

At Primary 5, students are encouraged to speak with clarity and fluency whilst using simple language yet still being able to captivate the audience. Learning appropriate body language and eye contact enhances their presentation abilities as they work to develop convincing personal views and effective summarising skills.

Additionally, students are taught to ask questions spontaneously with substantial reasoning in class as topics on current affairs are introduced to broaden their knowledge of the world around them.

• Speak Primary 6 (12 years old)

Primary 6 students are coached in using a wide range of language structures and delivering compelling and persuasive speeches. Students will also be guided in exploring a diverse set of topics to enhance the development of their own personal styles in addressing an audience.

Through summary and communication, they can be expected to strengthen their analytical skills, giving them the tools needed to express their own views with confidence whether in conversations or during presentations.

Wonderlit implores parents to consider that eloquent speech is just a Speak programme away from your children. With Wonderlit, your children can invigorate the audience through well-planned, logical and meaningful speeches, be it conveying themselves or their thoughts to the wide and boisterous world before them.

If all of life’s a stage, why not put a spotlight on your child’s talent through Wonderlit’s Speak programme. With Wonderlit, they will gain the innate confidence to deliver their best performance under the spotlight of life.

A spark is all it takes to make it happen. The spark begins with you.

Stay tuned for our next article: Wonderlit Perform, where we uncover the details of how the programme will help build a confident and charismatic persona, with performance skills that are essential in authentically portraying characters on stage.

 

Read the rest of the four-part series here:

Part 1: Welcome To Wonderlit
Part 2: Wonderlit Read – The Dawn of Literacy
Part 4: Wonderlit Perform – 3, 2, 1, Action!