DD's teacher wants her to read "with expression". AIBU to think this is counter-productive?

[Toadinthehole]

DD is in her fourth year of school. The teachers say she is shy. Over all, she appears to be middle-of-the-road academically. Her best subject is reading and she has been above average with reasonably good vocabulary and good comprehension skills ever since she started school.

Her reading homework constitutes about 15-20 minutes reading out loud either to me or DW each evening. For a long time she has tended to read in a monotone. I've not really minded too much, as long as her articulation is clear.

However, DW and the school do mind very much, so it seems. It has turned up on her reports again and again that she doesn't read "with expression". It seems that it has become a bit of a battleground as, although she reads a good deal to herself, she doesn't like reading out loud at all. In fact, I'd say her articulation is worse than it was two years ago. When it is my turn to be read to, I can now hardly understand what she says because she runs words together. My view is that she simply hates reading out loud, and my asking her to repeat something doesn't help ease the pain.

I raised this concern with her teacher last year, but nothing seems to have improved. Her reading remains above average, but she's probably slipping back, comparatively.

AIBU to think everyone should back right off on the "expression" front until her confidence returns?

YABU It is a really important skill for many of the reasons mentioned above.

Slightly off topic, over the years I have seen so many women's careers grind to a halt because they are completely terrified of addressing an audience. The ability to address others in an articulate, expressive way and the willingness to do so are really crucial skills. Not that it's easy - took me several years to get to grips with it and I was hugely shy.

I agree with Goblin...a complete monotone does indicate a lack of comprehension. Ds2 is 4 and learning to read and at the moment is completely tone-less as he's just looking at each individual word and trying to decipher it.

You can still be shy, quiet and not read in a monotone iyswim? Ds1 is quite quiet and reads quietly, but still with expression in his voice.

What about questions? Does her inflection change when reading those?

I am a speed reader and always have been. I find it incredibly difficult to read aloud with expression because I lose track of where I am and consequently hate reading bedtime stories. Now that DD (7) can read she reads to me and we discuss what she read. She's shy and doesn't like reading out loud at school but she will do it with me.

She finds it difficult to read with expression because she gets bored. According to her, she can see the story in her head and having to speak slows the picture down. She does have a vivid imagination and can deconstruct and re-tell the story with the appropriate expression, but she doesn't enjoy speaking in front of people (it's taken 3 years and a change of school for her to read to the teacher in class).

Reading with expression is one of the things teachers have to assess to determine their marks even in y1

Using expression will help her to take more notice of grammar and punctuation, and therefore help broaden her understanding of the structure of English language.

It will also help her develop presentation skills which she may need in her chosen career.

You can have excellent comprehension and still read in a monotone if you don't like reading aloud.
I don't see the words when I read, it is like the cinema - and has been for as long as I can remember. I am a fast reader and can always answer questions on the text.

I agree that she needs to do it - but it is a skill that has nothing to do with her comprehension or enjoyment.

This is very interesting. DS reads chapter books (eg Mr Gum) to himself quite happily but hates reading aloud.

When questioned, he understands what he is reading but because he is autistic he reads using inappropriate intonation. Could this be why he has only attained a 1b in reading at the end of KS2?

He is being given Treetops (ORT) at school. When I was teaching (aaaaaaages ago) my level 1 pupils were not able to decode or comprehend them at all.

*KS1

Personally, I think the only thing your DD will develop if you all keep going on at her is a life-long hatred of reading. I never make.my children read out loud as it's monumentally tedious to all involved. If one actually engages with one's child it should be perfectly clear whether they can read or not without ever having to endure the horrors of Biff and Chip.

I agree with others that reading with expression is a skill she needs to develop. However, it seems to me that the school is going the wrong way about it: the more they say "you must read with expression", the less inclined she is to do it. To quote the old line: one sign of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

What the school needs to do is find out why she doesn't like reading with expression and address that. Have they shown any sign of attempting to do that? Have you asked your DD, OP?

YABU.

Children much younger than your dd are taught to read with expression, and if she's that good a reader she will be able to do it by year four. If she can't, it suggests her comprehension and fluency is not as good as you thought.

I understand not liking reading aloud, but it's something she's going to have to get used to if she's going to continue to do well as school over the next few years. My dc are now at secondary, and they do quite a lot of presentations to the class across all subjects, and they have to be confident speakers if they want to do well at languages.

The teacher is quite right to encourage your dd to stop reading unclearly in a monotone.

yesjesse chn need to be able to infer from the text as well as answer questions that relies on their comprehension. Your DS might find this tricky.

Still, 1b sounds low if he is reading Mr Gum books... There are loads of things children need to be able to do to achieve a level 1or 2 or whatever, decoding the text is just one of them. They should be able to express likes and dislikes, connect what they read to their own experiences and cultures, comment on feature of language and all sorts!

So yes, intonation shows that they are paying attention to question marks, exclamation marks or words written in bold or in bigger or smaller fonts etc.

I teach children to read. Once they have mastered getting the expression right, I know they are understanding the text and also the punctuation. It is a very important skill.

Thanks Checkpoint, that makes sense. I have clearly forgotten rather a lot. Still, spending time with just one child / reader will do that

YouTheCat - while I agree that getting the expression right is a sign that children have understood what they are reading and have mastered punctuation, the reverse is not true. Children who cannot manage expression and punctuation when reading aloud may have excellent comprehension of the text.

SaucyJack if you and your children found reading aloudc'monumentally tedious' I'd suggest that perhaps you were reading the wrong texts. How can it be tedious sharing an excellent novel or a non-fiction text on a subject that fascinates you?

I hate it because I prefer to read at my own pace. Reading a word at a time slows me right down. It's very frustrating. I'd rather not share subjects I find fascinating either. I've been on the end of DS' Star Wars and Mario stats for years!

Do you read to her? If you 'model' reading out loud to her for the sheer enjoyment of it, then she will pick up the idea of reading with expression. It should be fun...

IMO, reading aloud, with expression, is a completely different skill to reading in your head for your own enjoyment. When reading for my own pleasure, I read at great speed but when reading bedtime stories for my children, I read slowly and with expression to convey the story.

I think that, when you read in your head, your brain automatically adds in the expression at the same time as it reads the words. When reading in my head, I find that I read whole phrases at once rather than individual words and the expression is simply there at the same time. If someone is reading to you in a monotone, you get nothing as your brain does not get the chance to add the expression at the right time. You only hear one word at a time.

If she's reading with fluency, understands all she reads (most of it, anyway), has a decent recall of what she's read and can identify the evidence on the text relevant to comprehension questions, then... YES. celebrate how fantastic she is and let her be!
I think that this pressure and focus is both unnecessary and will undermine her confidence and self-esteem - particularly if this is her 'best subject'. Teachers (I'm a teacher, assessor and educational consultant) need to state a goal / next steps/ objectives in each subject area. The teacher just can't come up with anything else as your daughters got it dooooown (as they say in America ?!?!). Lol

IF, however, you would KIKE to work on her expression, do it sneakily. Get her the CD of a musical / song that she likes. Have her song it as the singer does, with expression. Read to her in monotone and ask her 'which way makes you more interested in listening?' Don't mention the word 'boring'. Don't focus on this too much, either.

If SHE would line to read with expression, a drama class might be fun for her and help with overcoming shyness. Otherwise, identifying ONE 'key word' in each sentence through reading ahead (a sentence at a time) and expressing that particular,at word only in a 'different voice' is a clear and scientific way to go about it. Good for those who don't know how to go about it naturally. A 'different voice' refers to one that is: louder/ quieter, higher/ deeper, faster/ slower, etc. you can do this on TWO sentences a day. No need to blast through paragraphs / pages, slogging through.

littlejohndory's advice is what I'd do.

Agree with OwlCapone - reading with expression and comprehension are different skills and shouldn't be looked at as one.

15-20 mins of reading is a lot to do out loud. How about letting her read to herself for 15 minutes, then getting her to recap the story/discuss it. Then she could read one page in her "with expression" voice.

One of my DCs sometimes reads like your description of your daughter, simply because he is interested in the story and wants to get ahead. He has perfect comprehension and reads a lot for pleasure. If I ask him to do it in his "acting voice" for short bursts he can, but I wouldn't expect him to keep it up for 20 mins.

Reading with expression is a milestone they have to master in the National Curriculum I think which is why the teacher is probably getting fixated on it. It's also a useful lifeskill (but a separate one to understanding and enjoying books)>

I don't think it's the same as public speaking as speeches shouldn't be read. I can talk expressively when I'm giving a talk, but do read in monotone because I hate reading aloud as I read too fast and pronounce words wrong when I read out loud, but not when I'm giving a talk

Bonsoir, they usually don't. If they can't get the intonation right and make the correct punctuation pauses then most of the time they will miss much of the meaning.