About 6,000 students from 200 Valley elementary schools from Livingston to Delano are reciting literature this week at the 51st annual Peach Blossom Festival of Oral Communication on the campus of California State University, Fresno.
The two-day festival ends today.
Conducted by the university's communication department and staffed by college students, the Peach Blossom Festival was created to teach elementary students about oral interpretation and the performance of literature. A side benefit: It was an opportunity for elementary school students to visit a college campus.
Students memorized their selections from children's literature or performed original pieces they wrote.
Kindergarten through sixth-grade students performed in solo, duet, trio, small-group or large-group categories.
The children cannot use props or costumes -- most students wear school or official festival T-shirts -- but are encouraged to use hand gestures and facial expressions to make the stories come to life.
The Peach Blossom Festival is not a competition, but students earn certificates ranking their performance as superior, excellent or good.
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