Act
It Out With Your Voice!
(Reading smoothly and
expressively)
-Punctuation
mark
cards (one set for the teacher, and enough sets for each pair of
students).
-Expressive
words
cards (one set for the teacher, and enough sets for each pair of
students).
-Peer
evaluation
worksheets (one per student).
-"Good
Boy,
Fergus!" by David Shannon (one for each pair of students; half the
class)
-"Tippy-Toe
Chick, Go!" by George Shannon (one for each pair of students; half the
class)
-"Today
I Feel
Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day" by Jamie Lee Curtis (to read
aloud
to class)
-Expression worksheets (one per student)
1.
Have the students
come down to the floor around me.
2.
"I am going
to say the same sentence, but in two different ways. I want you all to tell
me which one lets you know how I am feeling."
3.
Say: "I am so
excited to meet all of you" First without expression, then with a lot of expression (!).
-Which
way that I said that told you
how I was feeling?
-Why did this tell you how I was
feeling better than the other way?
-How do you think I am feeling?
-Does anyone know what goes on the end of a sentence
that makes the sentence tell you how someone is feeling?
4.
Explain why:
"I used something we call expression
in my second sentence, and that is
what allowed you all to figure out how I am feeling. Expression is
very important when you are speaking because
it
lets people know how you are feeling.
But it is also very important when you are reading. We are going to
learn how to use expression when we read and
write to help us feel what we read
out loud." Listen to the
expression in this book as I read‰¥Ï
5.
Read "Today I
Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day" by Jamie Lee Curtis aloud to the class.
6.
Review/Teach
background knowledge: Have one card for each punctuation mark that
changes
expression, or with words that change expression, written on each card.
Go over
what each punctuation mark does to a sentence, how it makes you say the
sentence, etc. Also, go over different words that change the way you
express
sentences.
7.
Explain
how/Model: Write sentences on the board (below) and have students
tell what
punctuation mark or word best expresses how the character would be
saying that
sentence in a story. Use some sample dialogue first with the class, so
they
understand what we are doing; for example, start with "If the character
in
a story is creeping into his brother's room while he is sleeping, and
he wants
to wake him up loudly, he would not just say 'wake up.' He would say,
"Wake
up!" using an exclamation mark." Let's see if you all can figure out
what punctuation these sentences need.
1)
"Shhh, we have
to be quiet," __________ Leslie, as she tiptoed through the house.
(Answer: whispered)
2)
"Ahhhh, it's
a bug__" yelled John. (Answer: !)
3)
"How are
you__" asked Shannon. (Answer: ?)
8. Simple practice
(ASSESSMENT used by
the teacher): Allow the students to sit around the room, on the
floor or at
their desks, in pairs/partners. Give each pair of students the
expression
worksheet (attached) in which they will be reading aloud to each other.
They
can take turns, or each go through the whole worksheet. They should be
reading
the sentences with expression. This is practice for the students so
they can
get a feel for looking for the punctuation at the end of the sentence,
before
they actually read the sentence. This is simple practice for "looking
ahead." Teacher can go around the room and supervise the activity,
making
sure that each student seems to understand how read with expression. So
that
each student is doing something- while the worksheet is being read by
one, the
listener will hold up the card with the punctuation on it that matches
what
their partner seemed to use when saying that sentence/phrase.
9. Whole text:
Students will read
their book to their partner, while he/she listens for expression. Then
they
will switch roles.
-Half of
the class reads "Good Boy, Fergus"
by David Shannon and the other half will read, "Tippy-Toe Chick, Go!"
by George Shannon.
-The two
different books are in case of the
possibility that it is too difficult to get numerous copies of the same
book,
or if there are different reading levels in your class; you can decide
which
pair of students reads which book.
10. Assessment by the
students (of each
other): Students will go back to their seats. They will fill out a
peer
evaluation sheet answering a few questions about their partner,
themselves, and
the book.
-Who was your partner?
-Did
your partner read with expression?
-Give
your partner a compliment about how they read
with expression.
-What
was your favorite part of the story?
11. Students can make up
their own
sentences using the punctuation and/or the words they learned today for
expression in their sentences if they have extra time.
Reference:
"Go
Ahead- Say
What You Feel!" by Jessica Evans
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