It’s All about Expression
Growing
Rationale:
One
characteristic of a skillful reader is fluency.
Fluency is the ability to read more smoothly, faster, and
reading with
expression.
Materials:
Blank Audio Tapes and recorders for each pair, Checklist for peer evaluations, lots of books to be read with expression and on reading level, Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type, etc. prepared sentences for teacher on sentence strips each sentence strip will express a different mood (1. Hurray, I get to go to the amusement park today. I am going to ride all the roller coasters. 2. I can’t go to the birthday party tonight because I am sick with a cold. 3. I am not going outside in the dark by myself.)
1. “Class, we have been working on becoming more fluent readers. Today we are going to work on reading expressively and this means when we show our emotions based on the situation. Have you ever noticed how people change the tone in their voice when the read or they have different voices for different character in a story? They are being an expressive reader. Can you tell me some expressions that we might feel when we are reading a story? Write student responses on the board. (Angry, sad, happy, worried, excited, surprised, scared) Great job! So today I am going to teach you how to read with expression and you are going to practice with a partner.”
2. “First, I have written 2 sentences on the board. I am going to read them to you and listen how I read the first sentence without any expression. (No expression) Hurray, I get to go the amusement park today. I am going to ride all the roller coasters. Now, see how different the sentence sounds when I read with more excitement in my voice and reading a little faster. Hurray!! I get to go to the amusement park today! I am going to ride all the roller coasters. Listen to me read this next sentence and you tell me how I am feeling by how I read it. I can’t go to the birthday party tonight because I am sick with a cold. Can anyone tell me what I am feeling? Yes, I am very sad because I can’t go to the birthday party. Did you notice how I slowed down my reading and changed my tone to describe how I was feeling? “
3. “As a class we are all going to read the last sentence.” “I am not going outside in the dark by myself.” “Great job class! You can tell that we are scared because of the way we changed our tone and our facial movement.”
4. “Now it’s your
turn to practice with a partner. You
will each get a turn reading to one another.
Your partner will do a peer evaluation answering these questions. Does your partner read smoothly?
Does you partner show emotion with facial
movement? Does you partner vary their
tone of voice? You are going to be
reading from any of the books in our collection.” I
will give some book talks on a couple books
they might want to use. Click Clack Moo
Cows that type by Doreen Cronin, Don’t
Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Willems, or Caps
for
5. “When you are both done reading I want you to listen to your recordings. Then I want you to turn in your tape to me. Excellent job class!” For assessment I will listen to tapes the children recorded and assess based on a checklist of questions, does the student read smoothly? Does the student show emotion with facial movement? Does the student vary their tone of voice etc.
Reference:
Angela Pridmore, Expression, Expression, Expression. http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/begin/pridmoregf.html
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type. Simon & Schuster, 2000.
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