FORENSICS (INDIVIDUAL EVENTS)
2023-2024 Forensics Season Events
FORENSICS SEASON PROCEDURES
1. Registration must be made by email to the Vice President of Individual Events at Alexander.Davidson@uofdjesuit.org. (Do not send it through the DCFL Google group or else everyone receives all the registrations.)
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Registration must be submitted no later than 6:00 p.m. the Wed. night the week of the tournament. Just telling me at a tournament that a student will compete is not a valid registration for the student. No exceptions!
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Also, no late registrations will be taken after 6:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
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A student who is not registered may not show up at a tournament and expect to compete. Students will not be added to the schedule. Please inform all students of this League rule.
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Alex will email you no later than Thurs. morning to confirm your registration with you. If you do not hear from him, then you must contact Alex by email or phone.
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Please remember that Declamation is restricted to freshmen and sophomores only.
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You may send as many students in a category as you wish.
2. To register: Please list the category and then all the students who will compete in the event. For every six entries (a duo counts as one entry), you must also submit one qualified, trained judge. If you have seven entries, you need two judges. Please make sure that your judge is able to judge three rounds. All judges need a stop watch, and it is the coach's responsibility to see that their judges have the timepiece.
3. Any student who drops after registration will pay a $10.00 penalty fee to the League. The money will be deposited in the League's account. This money is due regardless of the reason. This rule has been in place for years. No school can compete in National Qualifier unless their fees are paid before NQ.
4. A school, as well as a student, must compete in at least two of the tournaments in order to be considered for National Qualifier. The student must be in the same category twice and place with a ribbon at least once to compete at National Qualifier.
5. All students, judges and coaches should be at the tournament site between 7:30-7:45 a.m. Please advise your students to arrive at 7:30. If a student arrives after 7:45 a.m. he/she risks being dropped from the tournament. It is the coach's responsibility to make sure students know the directions to each school.
FORENSICS, or nationally refered to as Individual Events, is a one semester opportunity for students and schools to compete in six categories. There are three public speaking events (Oratorical Declamation, Original Oratory, Extemporaneous Speaking) and three interpretive events (Oral Interpretation of Literature, Dramatic Performance, Duo Interpretation of Literature). To learn more about each event, click the buttons below.
While each school team registers to compete at a tournament, all students compete individually in their category. Each tournament consists of three (3) rounds. A student will compete three times and in front of a new judge each round. The student will compete with the same piece each round, unless they are competing in Oral Interp (where pieces alternate based on a coin toss) or Extemp. All scores from each round are combined to determine a winner. Each student is able to receive critique sheets and feedback for each round at the end of the tournament.
FORENSICS CATEGORIES
Click on the public speaking and interpretive categories for access to descriptions, NCFL rules, critique sheets, and master ballots.
Dramatic Performance - Students present selections from published plays, screenplays, fictional or non-fictional work that are either serious or humorous in nature. The selections must be memorized with a maximum length of ten minutes.
Duo Interpretation of Literature - A presentation by two participants of a single selection of literature. Each performer may present one or more characters. Each character should be sufficiently developed and should interact meaningfully with the other characters. The sections must be memorized. Movement should be limited and suggested rather than exaggerated. The maximum length is ten minutes.
Extemporaneous Speaking - Each student draws three topics on current issues; chooses one and has thirty minutes to prepare a speech of a maximum length of seven minutes. Any periodical or other published material is permitted in the preparation room. Students may not refer to any written notes during the speech.
Extemp How To (Nick Norton)
Extemp Practice Questions (NFL)
Prepping for Limited Prep IE Events (Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association)
Extemp Resources & Guidelines (University Interscholastic League, TX)
Oral Interpretation of Literature - Students present selections in two categories -- prose and poetry. Each selection must be a maximum of ten minutes in length. The student must hold a manuscript and appear to be reading. The students alternate between rounds of prose and rounds of poetry.
Finding and Cutting Interp Materials (Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association webinar)
Oral Interp Resources & Guidelines (University Interscholastic League, TX)
Oratorical Declamation - Open to students in the ninth or tenth grades only. Students must use a speech or portion of a speech previously given by another person. The speech must be memorized with a maximum length of ten minutes.
How to Find a Speech (Steve Meadows, Danville High, KY)
Original Oratory - Students prepare original orations, usually persuasive or informative on a current topic. Any topic is permissible and any form of oration is permitted. The presentation must be memorized, with a maximum length of ten minutes.
OTHER RESOURCES
Forensics Dictionary (Ryle High School, KY)
"Tenets of the Modern Forensicator" (Terri Branson, Danville High, KY)
Dressing for Tournaments (Terri Branson, Danville High, KY)
High School Competition Events Guide (National Speech & Debate Assoc; not all events/rules are available in the DCFL/NCFL)