Extra,
Extra Read All About It
by
Growing
Rationale:
Reading fluency is
the ability to read faster, smoother, and with expression. In order to
accomplish fluency, children need to read and reread decodable texts.
Materials:
-Sentence
strips: "Look out! The baseball is headed our way!"
"Ewww! I do
not want to touch those ooey, gooey worms!"
"Yikes!
That costume is really scary."
-Class copies of the play The Boy Who
Wanted the Willies by Aaron Shepherd (http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE30.html)
-Class copies of the Expression Evaluation Sheet (See below)
-Props for the play (optional)
-Expression Evaluation Sheet: 1. Person's voice changed as he/she
read…….YES or
NO
2.
Person acted like he/she was enjoying reading...YES or NO
3.
The way the person/group read their parts made me enjoy the play…..YES
or NO
Procedure:
1. "Today, we are
going to practice reading a little different than we usually do.
We are
going to use expression when we read! It is very important to use
expression
when we read because it makes reading more fun.
2. Review: "Before we learn how to read with expression, we need to
review
a couple of things about reading. First, we need to review what we have
learned
about figuring out words that we do not know right away.
Remember, we can
use cover-ups, where we cover up part of a word so we can read it a
little at a
time. Also, we can cross-check, which means we read the rest of the
sentence to
see if a word makes sense."
3. "Now we can talk about how we read with expression.
4. "I am going to show you what it means to read with expression and
without expression." Show first sentence strip: "Look out! The
baseball is headed our way!" (First, read the sentence to the class in
a
monotone voice.) Ask the children if I sounded like I was really
scared
of the baseball hitting me. Ask them what I should have done when
reading
that sentence?" Good, I should have
been louder and more expressive. When we read and talk with expression,
it
makes our words come alive. Now I'm going to read this sentence again,
and I
want you to see if you can tell a difference." (Read the same sentence
except with a lot of expression.) "When I read the sentence that time,
did
you feel like you were really about to get hit by a baseball?" Now, you
are all going to try to read some sentences with expression.
5. Now, have the class read the this sentence to themselves a couple of
times:
"Ewww! I do not want to touch those ooey gooey worms." Then
have them read the sentence aloud with a lot of expression. Also,
have
them read: "Yikes! That costume is really scary." Have the
students get in pairs and make up sentences for their partners to read
to them
with expression.
6. "Now that you have all practiced how to read with expression, we are
all going to be actors and actresses in an exciting play! What is one
thing
that makes a good actor/actress? Relate their answers to the importance
of
reading with expression. Actors and actresses have to read their
parts
with expression so it will be interesting to whoever is watching them.
If
the script is written to be sad, then the actor has to act and sound
sad.
I am going to split you into groups of 6. I am going to
give you
all copies of the play, The Boy Who
Wanted the Willies. Your group needs to practice reading the play a
few
times with expression so that you can present it to the class."
(You
may want to go ahead and have the parts assigned to the students.)
After
each group presents the play, let the other students fill out the
Expression
Evaluation Sheet. This will allow the students to listen to the
different
ways people read with expression.
7. For assessment, fill out your own Expression Evaluation Sheet as
each
student reads their parts of the play. This will allow you to see
what
level each student is on when it comes to expressive reading.
Reference:
Meg Crow: "Expression Equals Enjoyment"
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/elucid/crowgf.html
Click to return to Beginnings
For further information, email Chauvcl@auburn.edu