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?

Rather than the chore of "reading aloud" can you suggest she reads a bedtime story to you/sibling/stuffed bear - pick any story book, not necessarily a dull school one.

How about reading jokes?
Maybe the intonation would come naturally as they tend to follow a pattern?
Then progress to comics with dialogue. I say 'say it as if you mean it!' Rather than asking for more expression iykwim.

Can you download some film scripts? Make a movie together?

Or try poetry?

level one and two reading assessment grid

AF1 (assessment focus 1) shows what they have to be able to do intonation wise to be awarded the tick for that bit.

How does your normally speak? If it is with normal expression and pauses in correct places etc then maybe she has a phobia of public speaking. I'm pretty sure its called Glossophobia.

Toadinthehole - can you ask her what the words sound like inside her head when she reads? If you read a passage to her in a monotone, and then with expression - which does she 'hear' when she is reading to herself?

If the reading in her head has expression, that would say to me that she is comprehending the over-arching flow of the sentences and paragraphs - and that should reassure you - at least somewhat.

Loads of sympathy to you. DS1 is achieving A* at GCSE and yet this was a battle for him throughout primary school, as he hated reading novels outloud, and that was what his teacher always assessed him on. Hang on in there, it becomes much less important at secondary school.

Nurture her love of reading. Let her read books/novels to herself, read them to her, enjoy them together. Then when you have done the important stuff, spend some time getting her to read a page outloud with expression, because that is what her teacher needs her to do.

Reading with expression is one way of showing comprehension but it is not the same thing as comprehension. This is a painful stage for her but it will pass.

Expression indicates comprehension
But it is not the ONLY way of determining comprehension.
Questioning and discussing can ascertain the same information.

Being able to read out loud with expression is a precursor to public speaking, which is a key skill in the modern age
Maybe when she gets older. It certainly isn't important now. There are numerous adults who never have need to do public speaking. But even then, reading with expression is not the foundation for public speaking. Lots of people can read expressively, but would never stand up and speak publically. Others have no difficulty in public speaking, but lack expression. They are different skills.

I hated reading out loud but my comprehension was fine. I have no difficulties in public speaking now. I would then and now, have hated drama club. Despite having no difficulties in public speaking, I really don't like reading out loud when I do. I can give talks, do presentations, lead discussions or debates, without ever having to read out loud.

I don't think you should ignore the school, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. It isn't important at all for her GCSE. 15-20 minutes reading out loud every night, is ridiculous and is more likely to make her hate reading. Let her do 15 minutes reading, then discuss what she has read. Ask her questions about what happened, why it happened, what the characters were thinking and feeling, what might happen next, which characters she likes etc
That will tell you far more than her expression about her comprehension.

I would also encourage her to choose a small passage to practice, and for her to read that out loud with expression to you. Maybe she could have a couple of paragraphs that she could practice reading out loud over the course of a week. That way she is learning the skills of reading and comprehension, and reading out loud with expression, as separate tasks in line with her ability for each one. It makes it more achievable and less daunting.

YouTheCat - sadly for DC, many teachers believe that not getting the expression right is a sign of poor comprehension when this is not by any stretch an infallible test.

Bonsoir, I doubt you know what many teachers believe. Do you get to talk to any about their philosophy of teaching reading? Teachers all have their own individual ideas about what is important, but also we have to follow the curriculum and one of the assessed points is to be able to read with expression. Ignoring this is failing the child and the school so all teachers are going to pick up a child reading like a robot.

I've talked to a lot of teachers and other people involved in primary literacy in several countries over the past few years so I have a good idea of common myths in different cultures! I think reading with expression is a very important skill. What it doesn't reliably tell us is whether there is understanding. And vice versa. I could expound on this point for a long time.....

Can you read a paragraph with expression if you have no comprehension of it? I doubt it. At the level where we get serious about asking for expression, children are reading 'Biff opened the door, "oh no!" she said.' Style of sentences. All we want is 'oh no!' to be said as one phrase with a little bit of a raised voice. There is no need for the child to become a miniature thespian, just add some inflection to this sentence in the appropriate place.

I can read out loud without processing any of it, and those are the times I read monotone, because I'm on auto pilot. If she's reading monotone it's because she's not comprehending or processing that text. You should listen to what she reads and ask her questions about what she just read to see what she's retaining.

Yes you can! I can do it in some languages! Expression is no guarantee of understanding (though the correlation between understanding and expression is much greater that way round than when expression is poor).

In my experience as a dyslexia assessor and tutor, primary school teacher, etc. Bonsoir is absolutely right. Please don't worry, OP.

I think that a lot of people just don't understand shy children!
Making a huge 'thing' of it will make it worse.
Reading in a monotone could mean a lack of comprehension,but equally they could have excellent comprehension.

I was a painfully shy child and I was able to read with expression. Especially if this was reading to a parent or the teacher.

Reading aloud isn't reading; it's acting!

Agree with Bonsoir, it is perfectly possible to read without expression and understand what you read. When I was at primary school, once you could read silently, that is what you did. Once past the very basic scheme books, you no longer read out loud, yet I think most of us understood what we read. It meant you could really get into a book without having to worry about anybody else. The other way round, I agree that to be really expressive to make a story come to life for the listener, there will very likely be some understanding - though I found when reading aloud to DS when he was small, I could actually be thinking of something else at the same time!

I don't think OP is being unreasonable at all. He seems like the only reasonable one in this scenario. If she can't read for 5 minute with expression, the expression is hardly likely to come after 15 or 20 minutes when she is getting tired and resentful. And it does seem she is digging her heals in if her reading aloud has got worse rather than better. I would back right off for the time being or just ask her to read a paragraph before she reads the rest to herself.

Back off.

Lead by example - read to her with expression, she will realise that expression makes the story.

Let her read a couple of pages to you (5 mins at most) and let her do the rest in her head.

I have always attributed ridiculously ott accents to different characters when reading bedtime stories, try doing the same - she's still young enough to appreciate being read to.

There is a world of difference between out loud in front of the class and out loud one-to-one with the teacher. I have students who are dreadful in front of the class, fine one-to-one. I have students who have excellent comprehension, crap out loud skills full stop. I have students who read beautifully out loud without one whit of comprehension.

Presumably, the tecaher has asked her to practise it because they've identified the need for it. I particularly advise reading out loud for students who have little comprehension of punctuation in their writing ( because reading out loud consolidates the need for it!), those students who miss word endings, and those students who lack comprehension.

My ds is a very competant reader who hates reading out loud, unless it is a tedious lego book, in which case he can put oodles of feeling into just how many bricks are in each set. My dd loves reading out loud and has an automatic expression thing: she notices, for example, when a question is likely to be asked and so will be putting the intonation into the sentences before she has read to the end of it. This shows me that she has a good comprehension as well. It's this sort of thing that really ties into the writing / comprehension linking to reading as well.

I second the use of comic books and graphic novels. They are fast moving and easily read aloud with a parent.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I note the point that expression shows comprehension. However, her comprehension is apparently particularly good (according to standardised tests, which put her in the top 10%). It is her strongest skill.

Thanks also for the various points raised, and my answers may explain why I think shyness is the issue.

Littleturkish and TweedleDi

Yes, I read to her most evenings, and like to think I do "expression" pretty well :-)

shockinglybadteacher

I have asked, but she says she doesn't like reading out loud. When I have tried to explore the subject, she says she just doesn't like it. For want of a better expression, she is quite modest, but she is quite good at not disclosing information when she doesn't want to. Possibly she doesn't know, but I think also she doesn't want to discuss the point.

(also to littlejohndory)

Yes I do believe she comprehends pretty well what she reads. I sometime ask her by-the-way comprehension questions, and she gives answers that I think are fine. She picks up imagery and metaphor much better than I did at her age. What I do note is that I sometimes have to ask further questions to get the answers. I am very careful not to ask leading questions. It is as if she knows the answer, but doesn't really want to say what it is. She is the same with her maths.

pudcat

Don't laugh - but I have got her to pretend she is reading me a bedtime story. It helps a bit.

As an aside, some years back I had some kind of infection of my tongue, that meant in the evenings it was sometimes too painful for me to speak. She read her favourite bedtime story to me. (I should point out before anyone thinks I'm making her out to be a prodigy, she'd heard it so often she knew it word for word). At the time her expression was fine. It has got much worse since then.

daisychain01

We recently put her in an amateur dramatics class as we thought that might help. The tutor has come to us with the same complaint as her teachers. I am now worried that the classes might actually be counter-productive. While it was our intention that they help her gain confidence, I'm worried that it might actually damage her confidence more.

elvenbread and checkpointcharlie

We're in NZ - don't know what the curriculum here says about expression.

goblinlittleowl and WooWooOwl

My belief in her advanced reading standard is not based on my subjective assessment, but on her school reports.

Saucyjack

Yes, this is precisely my concern.

JustWonderingAbout

A good idea, but she won't sing (although she can). We can all sing. She used to when she was younger, but now she prefers not to.

enterthedragon

A very interesting question. When she speaks normally, she does speak with expression. However, it is almost as if she is consciously thinking about how to express herself. The voice seems almost put on... rather than just coming out naturally.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius

Thanks very much for that suggestion - will try it.