A+ Oral Reading

Materials are created for two divisions: grades 4-6 and 7-9.

General Contest Information

Reading literature out loud provides opportunities for students to analyze the text, to grow and to develop as a performer, to communicate a message to an audience and to perform an artistic creation. The oral reading competition should be an extension of the classroom literary and language arts activities in poetry, short stories and children's fiction. See the link below for frequently asked questions about oral reading.

Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 read a selection of poetry. Each selection may be one poem, a cutting of a poem, or a combination of poems. The same selection may be read in all rounds, but different selections are permissible. Selections must be published although the poet may be unknown or anonymous.

Students in grades 7, 8, and 9 read selections of prose or poetry according to the following schedule:

• 2024-2025- prose
• 2025-2026- poetry 
• 2026-2027- prose
   

Each may be a single reading, a cutting from a longer selection, or a combination of several selections. The same selection may be read in all rounds, but different selections are permissible. Selections must be published although the author may be unknown or anonymous.  Selections may be fiction or nonfiction and may be a cutting from a short story or novel. The maximum time for each presentation is six minutes.

Additional Information

• Frequently Asked Questions about Oral Reading
• How to determine if a selection is poetry or prose
• Where to find pieces? Try looking at winners of Children's Literature Awards.
  • Search the Database of Award Winning Children's Literature

Please note: The literature Out of the Dust authored by Karen Hesse, Scholastic Press, is poetry. Also, Earrings authored Judith Viorst, is prose.