Prosody
Fluency is the skill that bridges students from surface-level reading (learning to read) to deep-level reading (reading to learn). A fluent reader is someone who sounds as though they are speaking when reading. A great way to practice this skill is Reader’s Theater. Reader’s Theater is a creative and entertaining way for students to improve their fluency. Here are some guidelines:
- Props and costumes are fun, but not always needed.
- Using the script alone allows students to focus on fluent and animated reading.
- Students become “actors” relying only on their voice to tell a story.
- Using repeated oral reading and choral reading in your Reader’s Theater script adds a deeper level of prosody.
- Use IMSE’s Oral Presentation Rubric to score student performance
- Spend multiple days having students read their script (repeated reading) and have each group perform for the class.
It’s fun to have students take a book and create their own script for Reader’s Theater. Here are some additional resources for Reader’s Theater: