Read Aloud Correctly for Slow Readers plus Speech

Many students struggle with reading and I have found that making them read aloud  improves their vocalization of correct punctuation. Make sure kids read everyday. I make my kids read 7-8 pages of a literature book a day on their own. Then practice aloud  a page worth of reading from any source you choose often to make sure they are reading properly and that their are meeting a bench mark of fluency for that school year. Try having the kids do skits. That will help them develop speech and correct enunciation, This is a fantastic tool and should be used during the school year. Try one skit a semester. Do more if you want. Here is great resources on theather and drama from AtoZ homeschooling: Drama, Scripts, and Skits


  • Here are is a collection of Christian poetry : Children's Christian Poetry
  • A childhood short story: Little Red Riding Hood
  • Make kids read a list like this Diphtong Word list often.  
  • Although it may seem annoying they can benefit by reading them aloud and it will help them with big words that contain diphtongs.
  • Record the children reading. It can help them hear themselves. Have them hear a passage of Scripture online from Bible Gateway Audio and then have them record that same passage of Scripture and hear themselves. Talk about voice inflections and correct punctuation. Use the method described below on "cold/hot reads".


Here is some online resources to practice with from Fluency Boot Camp:


"EXPRESSION

Expression= Reading with feeling in your voice
  • Changing your voice to match a character
  • Reading like you would speak (and not like a robot!)
  • Moving your voice up and down"

"PUNCTUATION

Punctuation = Reading with attention to punctuation
  • stopping at periods . . .
  • taking breaths at commas , , ,
  • making your voice go up for question marks ? ? ?
  • showing excitement for exclamation points ! ! !
  • using “quotations” to change voice for characters"
She recommends kids read phrases and passages. Make sure to use a timer or stopwatch. Try her formula and keep a record:

(WPM = Total # words in passage multiplied by 60 (seconds), then divided by the total number of seconds the students read)

 She has a record keeping chart you can download here

"PACE

Pace = the speed in which you read
  • The goal is to read at a “just right” pace
  • Reading not too fast and not too slow
Speed Drills — Speed drills build fluency because they help students quickly recognize letters, words, word families, common syllables, and spelling patterns in multi-syllabic words (depending on your grade-level). Students love trying to beat their score, especially those who have an extra competitive gene in them! I typically do 1-minute partner drills and have the students graph their progress for each attempt!
Reading Passages (Cold/Hot Reads) — Cold and hot reads are perfect for students to see their progress in their reading pace after practice! A “Cold Read” is when a student reads a passage for the very first time (no practice). A “Hot Read” is when the students are warmed-up and have practiced the passage a few times. Students can time themselves or work with a partner! I have my students set a goal for themselves… typically it’s words per minute (wpm) range for themselves, so they have a number to shoot for! They color this range in or block it off with a highlighter on their graphs."
These wonderful resources per grade levels will be interactive. You will need to print and have the student do the activity. All the activities are towards the bottom of each page:
K-1 activities
2-3 activities
4-5 activities

 Read as many  phrases as you can in  one minute. Scroll down the page to see all phrases here. There are 83 cards. Write down the results.

Check out these sample activities:
                                                                       Synonym Bingo


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Cute ideas: