About this activity
Twelve journal prompts: how did your voice feel this morning, one to five; how many glasses of water did you drink; did you yell today, when and where; did you clear your throat, about how many times; which class is hardest on your voice and why; what happened on your worst voice day this week, and your best. The pattern across a week is what the journal is for.
How to use it in a session
Take the morning and evening ratings on the same day, every day. A single rating is a number; two ratings a day for a week is a pattern, and the pattern is what shows the student which activities cost them. The best-day and worst-day cards are the ones to review together, since the student usually identifies the cause themselves once the days are side by side.
What to listen for
Watch the difference between morning and evening ratings. A voice that starts clear and ends rough points at accumulated load; one that starts rough and improves points at something happening overnight, which is worth mentioning to a physician rather than working on vocally. Notice which class is named as hardest, since the answer is usually about the environment rather than the subject.
Carrying it home
A rating at breakfast and one at bedtime takes ten seconds each. Families can ask rather than record, and the asking is what makes the student notice.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Fourth through eighth grade, where students can rate and reflect on their own voice.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve prompts play with no account.
- Why track rather than just give advice?
- Because advice without a pattern is ignored. A student who can see that their voice is worse after one particular class has a reason to change something, which no general instruction produces.