During practice, accept nothing less than precise diction, particularly with syllabication, word endings and entrances to phrases. Students should recite with the same voice inflection and interpretive emphasis. The last word and consonant of every phrase should be just as intense as the first. A slow, steady speed is imperative. Always slower rather than faster.
Students tend to race during the chant.
Establish a comfortable beat and stick with it. Since students must be standing up and sitting down during the chant, a slow beat allows for these movements comfortably. If you choose to perform the reading, study vocabulary before performance practice begins. Whether it is read or performed, a choral reading allows each person to participate actively. Thanks to Joy, I have shared this popular choral reading with NIE teachers, students and newspaper personnel throughout the United States, South Africa, Malaysia and in other nations.