Do I really sound like that?

Do you have students in your class who are reading accurately, but struggling to put words and phrases together smoothly, quickly, and with expression?  It's hard for students to hear themselves when they are working so hard on reading words correctly in front of a teacher or classmate.

Let them listen to themselves read!  Use an audio recording device or program to record students as they read a selection.  Then, let them listen to it.  The first few times they will be totally entertained by hearing their own voices.  They'll often say "That's not me!  Do I really sound like that?!"

Now that you've got them engaged, ask them to listen for certain things.  Use a fluency checklist (see below) and let them evaluate their reading.  After they have evaluated it (and they are usually painfully honest!), help them pick one aspect of fluency to work on.  Then let them record again.  Play it back to them and let them compare the two readings.  Depending on the age of your students, you may be able to teach them to do this independently or with a buddy.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

If you want to take it a step further, record a small group performing a Reader's Theater.  Some programs, like GarageBand, allow you to add sound effects!  Not only will students be listening to and evaluating their own reading, but they may learn a thing or two about using technology to become better readers!