Good readers read with fluency. And fluent readers read with expression.
Have you ever heard someone talk about the expression on someone's face? A facial expression can tell you whether someone is happy, sad, or angry. Reading with expression can help you do the same thing.
As you read, you can make changes to your voice to give your reading more feeling. One way to do this is to change the pitch of your voice. This means that you adjust how high or low your voice is as you read different parts of a text. When you come to an important word or phrase, your voice should go up so that someone listening knows you have come to an important part.
You should also adjust the volume of your voice as you read. This means that you should adjust how quiet or loud your voice is. You should raise the volume of your voice a little when you come to a word or phrase that is important.
You can make changes to your voice when you are reading the words that a character is saying. You may also change your voice when you want to give your readers a clue about the mood, or feeling of different parts of the text. This makes your reading more interesting for you as the reader, but also for those who are listening to you.
Listen as I read. I will read two different ways. First, I will read with a flat voice and not change the pitch or volume of my voice. Then, I will read with expression, changing how high or low and how loud or quiet my voice is.
Since the Wright Brothers' first flight, airplanes have gotten larger and faster. The Wright Brothers' first plane carried only one person. Some airplanes in use today can carry over 800 people. The Wright Brothers' first flight carried them only across a field. Today, people fly all over the world in planes.
Did you notice that the second time I read, I changed my voice so that I said important words, such as Since, first, larger, and faster in a higher and louder voice? This is how fluent readers read.
Long ago in France, two brothers found out that hot air from a fire could make a balloon rise. Next, they tried it with a basket tied to a very large balloon. A sheep, a duck, and a rooster rode in the basket, and were the first to ever ride a hot air balloon. A month later, two men from the king's court became the first people to go. A hot air balloon has three parts: the envelope, the basket, and the burner. The burner heats the air that fills the balloon. Since hot air is lighter than cool air, the balloon floats up. The envelope is made of nylon. It can have many patterns on it. People ride in the basket below the balloon. Today ballooning is a sport and hobby. When a pilot gets ready for a ride, he or she spreads the balloon out on the ground. Then, the pilot blows air into the balloon with a fan. When it is half full, the pilot turns on the burner. This heats the air. As soon as the balloon starts to rise, the pilot jumps in the basket. When the ride is over, the pilot turns the burner down. The air cools, and the balloon slowly goes back down to the ground.
If student scores 3 or better, score this item as correct.
The envelope is the balloon part.
Please evaluate the student's answers:
Excellent
Good
Okay