Reading with
Expression
Activities
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Reading with Expression Activities
Table of Contents
Page 3 ……..…....... Introduction to Reading with Expression
Page 6 …................. Understanding the Meaning of Punctuation Marks
Page 7 ……………. Intonation and Character Voices
Page 9 ……………. Choosing books and Kindergarten Management
Page 11 …..………. Self-evaluation and the Reflection Sheet
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Activity: Introduction to Reading with Expression
NSW Schools English Syllabus K-6: TS3.2; TS3.3; TS3.4
Time: 20 minutes.
Aim: To establish beginning awareness and understanding of the important aspects of reading
with expression.
Task:
1. Read a story to group of students without expression. For example, mumbling, low
volume, no pausing, fast speech rate, no character voices, no eye contact, bad body
posture, don’t show pictures, don’t change tone of voice.
2. Ask some questions to start discussion. For example, what could I have done better? How
could I make the story more exciting?
3. Discuss important aspects of reading with expression.
 Pausing at full stops and commas
 Using character voices
 Changing voice at exclamation and question marks
 Speaking clearly so everyone can hear
 Using good eye contact and body posture
 Speeding up and slowing down
 Changing voices to bring ‘feeling’ to the story
 Showing the pictures to the audience
4. Re-read the same story with varied levels of expression. Ask the students to rate the
expressive reading, giving ‘thumbs up’ for good reading and ‘thumbs down’ for poor
reading.
5. Directed discussion focusing on the above mentioned important aspects of reading with
expression.
Note: This activity could be adapted into a whole class activity by reading the book to the whole
class. Students can still give ‘thumbs up’ and ‘thumbs’ down feedback. After discussion, the
students could then read their own books to each other in pairs using the expression techniques.
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Pausing at full stops
and commas
Using character
voices
Changing voice at
exclamation and
question marks
Speaking clearly so
everyone can hear
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Using good eye
contact and body
posture
Speeding up and
slowing down
Changing voices to
bring ‘feeling’ to the
story
Showing the pictures to
the audience
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Activity: Understanding Meaning of Punctuation Marks.
NSW Schools English Syllabus K-6: TS3.4
Time: 20 minutes.
Aim: To demonstrate what the different types of punctuation marks mean when reading with
expression.
Task:
1. Discuss the four basic types of punctuation marks found in texts.
 Full stop
 Comma
 Exclamation mark
 Question mark
2. Discuss within the group how the following sentences would change with different
punctuation and how this may change the meaning of the sentence to a listener.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
The town is never quiet. e.g. The town is NEVER quiet. Is the town never quiet?
There is something at the window.
The dog is brown.
It is very late.
My shirt is on backwards.
It is bedtime in the henhouse.
Somebody is creeping in.
The dogs are in trouble.
Everyone is getting ready for bed.
3. Punctuation Shapes: Students are given 2 minutes per punctuation mark to come up
with the most creative way to make the different punctuation marks. Students are not
given resources for this activity, they must only use themselves. Students should be
encouraged to work as a team.
Whole Group Activity: Simon Says
1. Show the students the actions and sound effects for each punctuation mark.
 Full Stop: Crouched down in a ball and making no noise.
 Comma: Bent down with hands behind knees and a gasping sound to signify taking a
breath.
 Question mark: Arms bent above head to form question mark shape and say “What?”
with expression.
 Exclamation Mark: Arms straight above head and shouting “Ahhhh!”
2. Run game as per ‘Simon Says’ rules.
Activity: Intonation and Character Voices
NSW Schools English Syllabus K-6: TS3.4
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Time: 20 minutes
Aim: To create awareness of how using intonation can change the meaning of different
sentences.
Task:
1. Whole group activity for Intonation: Discuss intonation and how meaning can be
changed when different words are emphasised. Write sentences on the board. Underline
words which the students are to emphasise. Have the children discuss how the meaning
has changed.
For example,
I never go to parties (eg. I don’t go to parties often).
I never go to parties (eg. I don’t go to parties talking to someone who does).
I never go to parties (eg. I don’t go to things like parties, maybe somewhere else).
What have you done?
What have you done?
What have you done?
What have you done?
I wish he had gone.
I wish he had gone.
I wish he had gone.
What do you want?
What do you want?
What do you want?
2. Small Group Activity for Character Voices: Cards are handed to students in the group
(see next page). Students do not show each other their cards. Each card contains a
sentence and how the sentence is to be read. For example, “I don’t want to go home” and
sadly. Other students in the group have to guess how the sentence was to be read.
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Cards for Character Voices Activity
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Say the following sentence in a SILLY voice:
Didn’t you promise that the grass would be blue?
Say the following sentence in an ANGRY voice:
I want you to clean your room right now.
Say the following sentence in a CHEERFUL
voice:
Well it’s a lovely day today.
Say the following sentence in a SCARY voice:
I wouldn’t go in there if I was you.
Say the following sentence in a QUICK voice:
I didn’t put my name in that cup.
Say the following sentence in a JOKING voice:
You’re so silly.
Say the following sentence in a LOUD voice:
You can’t be hungry.
Say the following sentence in a SLOW voice:
Listen to me very carefully.
Say the following sentence in a FRIENDLY
voice:
Do you want to play?
Say the following sentence in a HAPPY voice:
Friday is the last day of term.
Say the following sentence in a QUIET voice:
Don't tell anyone but I have a secret.
Say the following sentence in a SURPRISED
voice:
I can’t believe you bought me flowers.
Say the following sentence in a SHY voice:
I’m not very good at making friends.
Say the following sentence in a CARING voice:
I’ll look after you when you feel sick.
Say the following sentence in a RUDE voice:
Who cares what you think?
Say the following sentence in a NERVOUS
voice:
You mean I have to go in there.
Say the following sentence in a SAD voice:
I don’t want to go home.
Say the following sentence in a JEALOUS
voice:
I wish my mum bought me new shoes like yours.
Say the following sentence in an EXCITED
voice:
It’s my birthday tomorrow.
Say the following sentence in a GUILTY voice:
I only took four cookies from the jar.
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Activity: Choosing books and Kindergarten Management
NSW Schools English Syllabus K-6: TS3.1; TS3.2; TS3.3
Time: 20 minutes (10 minutes for each task).
Aim:
1. To assist the students in their management of the kindergarten students by discussing
strategies that can be used to engage their attention.
2. To discuss and identify what makes an appropriate book for reading to the kindergarten
students.
Task:
1. Kindergarten Management
Strategies for keeping the Kindergarten’s attention
 Keep them entertained – Read with expression.
 Be energetic, loud and outrageous – make it fun for both of you.
 Introduce the book. Talk about the front cover and the title and what the story might
be about.
 Sit against a wall and then the Kindergartens will only get a choice of you or the wall.
 Find a spot away from other groups.
 Be confident – if you’re confident the Kindergarten are more likely to listen to you.
 If you need to, tell them to listen, sit still or be quiet.
 Stop reading when the Kindergartens stop listening.
Strategies for if you finish early
 Ask the Kindergartens to choose a favourite page, picture, character or part of the
story. Ask them why it is their favourite. Get the Kindergarten students thinking and
talking about the story.
 Reread the story. You could ask the Kindergartens if they can remember what
happens.
 Have the Kindergarten students retell the story back to you.
 Swap Kindergarten students when another Year 5 has also finished reading.
2. Choosing Appropriate Books
Discuss the points on the “Choosing books for Reading Teams” poster (see next page). Take
a random selection of books from the library. Make sure to get some inappropriate books
such as non-fiction and novels which the Kindergarten students wouldn’t understand or be
interested in. Discuss each book and if it would be appropriate for reading to the
Kindergarten students.
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
CHOOSING BOOKS FOR
READING TEAMS
 Pick a book that would be interesting
to the Kindergarten students.
 Pick a book that tells a story that the
Kindergartens will understand.
 Pick a book that has lots of pictures.
 Pick a book that has a text size that
your audience can read.
 Pick a book that you can talk about
afterwards.
 Pick a book that has just the right
amount of words – not too little and not
too many!
Hints:
 Think of a book that you used to like
when you were younger.
 Pick a book that you feel comfortable
reading.
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
Activity: Self-evaluation and Reflection Sheets
NSW Schools English Syllabus K-6: TS3.2; TS3.4
Time: 15 minutes.
Aim:
1. To discuss the importance of reflection and self-evaluation on learning.
2. To demonstrate how to fill in the “Reflection Sheet”.
Task:
1. Discuss with the class the importance of self-evaluation and reflection on learning. It
aims to have the students think about what the skills they have and what they might
need to do to improve their reading and tutoring skills. It should be emphasised to the
students that there are no right or wrong answers and their answers will be
confidential.
2. Discuss the rating scale of the Reflection Sheet (see next page). The rating scale is as
follows:
Not so good --------- Good --------- Fantastic
1
2
3
4
5
Students are to rate themselves on the following aspects covered in the Reading with
Expression activities.
 Fluency
 Pace
 Character voices
 Intonation
 Change in volume
 Pausing at commas
 Pausing at full stops
 Changing voice at question marks
 Changing voice at exclamation marks
The Reflection Sheet also requires students to think about:
 What went well during the session?
 What didn’t go well during the session?
 What could been done differently to make next time better?
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.
READING TEAMS REFLECTION SHEET
Name: _________________________
Date: _________________________
Not so good --------- Good --------- Fantastic
Fluency
1
2
3
4
5
Pace
1
2
3
4
5
Character voices
1
2
3
4
5
Intonation
1
2
3
4
5
Change in volume
1
2
3
4
5
Pausing at commas
1
2
3
4
5
Pausing at full stops
1
2
3
4
5
Changing voice at question marks
1
2
3
4
5
Changing voice at exclamation marks
1
2
3
4
5
What went well today?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
What didn’t go well today?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
What could you do differently to make next time better?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Produced by the Schools Project Partnership, 2005.