Growing Independence and Fluency
By: Meg Crow
Rationale: Reading fluency is the ability to recognize words accurately, rapidly, and automatically. After this is achieved, it is important for the child to learn to read with expression, which is a key aspect of reading fluency. As children learn to read expressively, they gain more understanding of the material and realize that reading can be very enjoyable. One of our goals, as teachers, should be to make children excited about reading. That is why the focus of this lesson is on teaching students to use expression when reading. The children will learn this concept by watching me model fluent and expressive reading and then by practicing reading with expression with a partner.
Materials:Pig and Crow by: Kay Chorao (enough copies for each child to have one); cards with types of expressions written on them (mad, sad, excited, loud, whisper); "Express Yourself" evaluation sheets (enough for each child); bookmarks which were given to the students the week before; crayons, construction paper.
Pig
and Crow "Express Yourself" Evaluation Sheet
1. My partner's
voice changed as he/she read……………YES or NO
2. My partner acted like he/she was enjoying reading……………YES or NO
3. The way
my partner read Pig and Crow made me enjoy the book…………YES or NO
4. My partner
sounded sad and happy in the same story………YES or NO
Procedures:
1. "Today we
are going to work on reading with expression. But first, I would like us
to review what we have learned about reading a word that you do not recognize
right away. I have put a word on the board (express) and I am going to
cover it up with my bookmark. Now I will uncover one letter at a
time. First we have e=/e/, then x=/cks/. We know that e
and x together say /ecks/"…….(continue until you have read the word
express). "You may use the bookmarks I gave you last week to help you as
you read today."
2. "It is now
time to talk about reading with expression. This means that you should
not read in the same tone the entire time when reading aloud. When a character
in a book is mad, read like you are mad, and when a character is happy,
change your voice to sound happy. It is very important to read with expression
because it helps you understand and enjoy what you are reading. Your
audience will also enjoy listening to you more if you read expressively."
3. " I am going
to read part of the book, Pig and Crow. Please listen and watch
my face as I read without expression." (I will read the book in a monotone
voice.) "Wasn't that boring? Now, listen as I read with expression." (I
will read to the students, changing my face and voice to match the character's
expression). "Didn't you enjoy that much more, students?"
4. Pass out
copies of Pig and Crow, as well as the evaluation sheets.
Give each student a partner to work with and explain to them that they
are going to take turns reading Pig and Crow to each other.
Tell them to listen carefully and respectfully to their partner.
Also, after they have each read the book they should score their partner
by marking YES or NO to each question on the sheet. (I will walk around
the room and observe the children reading).
5. For assessment:
After each child has finished reading and scoring, I will bring the class
back together. "Now we are going to play a little game. Everyone open up
your Pig and Crow book. I am going to hold up a card and each card
has a different expression on it. We are going to go around the room and
when it is your turn, I would like you to read a sentence from the book
with the expression on the card. (Demonstrate an example for them by showing
the "mad' card and reading a sentence from the book with in a mad tone
of voice.)
6. When each
child has had a turn to read expressively, and if time allows, they can
each draw one scene from the book that shows pig or crow being happy, mad,
sad, or confused.
Reference:
Eldredge,J.Lloyd. Teaching Decoding in Holistic Classrooms.
Brigham
Young University.
Prentice Hall,Mew Jersey (1995). Pg.60-61.
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