Choral Reading

Choral reading is reading aloud in unison with a whole class or group of students. After hearing the teacher read and discuss a selection, students reread the text together. Choral reading helps build students' fluency, self-confidence, vocabulary knowledge, motivation, and enjoyment of literature. eading and rereading shared texts may have the additional benefit of building a sense of community in the classroom.

How Choral Reading Can Foster Fluency in Struggling Readers

Choral reading provides support for students who may ordinarily feel self-conscious or nervous about reading aloud in class. eading along with more fluent readers enables less proficient readers to be successful with a shared text. Choral reading may provide the support necessary to encourage struggling readers to take risks and build their confidence. !hen students participate in choral reading on a regular and repeated basis, students will internali"e the fluent reading of the text being read and begin to transfer their developing fluency to other texts.

Choosing Texts for Choral Reading

Almost any text can be read chorally. #horter texts with rhythm and distinct parts often work best. $sing community texts can help build school spirit, classroom community, or civic consciousness. Poetry (see Poetry page for more ideas)

%oems by &ewbery 'edal !inner %aul (leischman, such as o Joyful Noises: Poems for Two Voices )*arper+rophy, ,--./
o o

Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices )Candlewick, .000/ I am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices )*arper+rophy, ,-1-/

Boo s with rhyme! rhythm! and repeated phrases

(avorite rhymes and songs, such as o The Itsy Bitsy Spi er

o o o

Fi!e "ittle Pumpkins #u olph the #e $Nose #ein eer Peter %ottontail

%redictable text, such as Brown Bear& Brown Bear

Songs

'any songs can be found on the 2nternet, such as www.songsforteachers.com

Texts with community "alue

#chool song +he %ledge of Allegiance 'artin 3uther 4ing, 5r.'s 2 *ave a 6ream speech

Types of choral reading (adapted from The Fluent Reader #y Timothy Rasins i)
$ntiphonal -- 6ivide the group into groups and assign parts of the text to each group. 7ive students an opportunity to practice how they will read before bringing them back together to chorally read together. %ialogue -- #elect a text that contains different speaking parts. Assign the part of the narrator to one group and each character to other groups. Cumulati"e Choral Reading -- +he number of students reading gradually builds as the text is read. An individual or small group reads the first line or section of a passage, and then they are joined by another group. 8y the end of the passage, the whole group is reading. )+his can also be done in reverse, starting with whole group and ending with just one person or group./ &mpromptu Choral Reading -- As a text is read, students join in or fade out as they choose. #ome students may choose to highlight certain words or sections of the text, read every other line, or the whole selection. #tudents choose ahead of time what section)s/ of the text they will read. )2f no one selects a section, someone usually jumps in9/ 2f you like these ideas, asinski includes more ideas for choral reading in his booksThe Fluent #ea er and 'oo (ye #oun #o(in.

'hat it (oo s (i e
$ Poem to Read! $ Song to Sing

3aura 7arrett's .nd graders begin each day with a poem and a song. #he introduces a new poem

and song each 'onday, and the students love rereading and singing the songs throughout the week. #he often coordinates poems or songs with science, social studies, or author study units.

Teacher Tips
*ow do you use choral reading in your class: #ubmit your ideas here9

Resources and (in s

'e#sites
Choral Reading )ethod -- 2ncludes suggestions for selecting text for choral reading, as well as some strategies for using this with your class. http;<<www.d.,.k,..il.us<dept=instr<langarts<parentinfo<choral=rdg.html Choral Poetry - !riting choral poetry lesson plan. 2ncludes samples of choral poetry http;<<www.readinga-".com<poetry<lesson=plans<choral=poetry<choralpoetry=print.html *sing Poetry to Teach Reading -- 2ncludes teaching and management tips, plus a nice collection of poetry-related links. http;<<teachersmentor.com<readingk><using=poetry.html

$rticles
+oyful ,oises- Creating Poems for .oices and /ars by 3aura Apol and 5odi *arris. "anguage )rts, ?ol. @A, 2ss. B, pp. >,B->.>. www.ncte.org 6iscusses the efforts of a fifth-grade teacher and a visiting poet to rekindle students' sense of poetic passion and pleasure. 6escribes how the authors introduced students to poems for two voices )using %. (leischman's C5oyful &oiseC/. +he poetry unit culminated in a project in which students read and performed (leischman's poems, then wrote and performed their own poems for two voices. *sing Choral Reading to Promote (anguage (earning for /S( Students by 5oyce 4. 'cCauley D 6aniel #. 'cCauley. #ea ing Teacher, ?ol. BE 2ssue @, pE.A-E>>. www.reading.org Fxamines the benefits of choral readings as they relate to language acGuisition in general. (actors that promote second language acGuisitionH +he role that choral reading plays in enhancing children's progressH 2mplementing choral readingH %oem suggestionsH esearch results.

References

Cunningham, %. ).00E/ Phonics they use: *or s for rea ing an writing. 8oston, 'A; %earson. asinski, +. ?. ).00>/. The fluent rea er: +ral rea ing strategies for (uil ing wor recognition& fluency& an comprehension. &ew Iork; #cholastic. asinski, +. ?. D %adak, &. ).00B/. ,ffecti!e rea ing strategies: Teaching chil ren who fin rea ing ifficult )>rd ed./. Columbus, J*; %earson. #trickland, 6. #., 7anske, 4., D 'onroe, 5. 4. ).00./. Supporting struggling rea ers an writers: Strategies for classroom inter!ention -$.. %ortland, 'F; #tenhouse.