Fluency
Use punctuation to enhance phrasing
and prosody
Readers look to punctuation to signal phrases in text and to alert them when they need to change or adjust their intonation, vocal stress, pitch, loudness, tempo, and rhythm—aspects of language known collectively as prosody.
KEY DETAILS
Get to know this strategy
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Definition
Readers look to punctuation to signal phrases in text and to alert them when they need to change or adjust their intonation, vocal stress, pitch, loudness, tempo, and rhythm—aspects of language known collectively as prosody.
When to teach this strategy
If you see readers who . . .
- read through punctuation and misinterpret the meaning of what is read.
- read in a monotone, lack intonation, or use incompatible tempo.
Why we teach it
The meaning of what is read is embedded in phrases we read, not just in the isolated words themselves. Word order and the way words are put together to make a sentence and then a paragraph help convey the meaning of the text.
Secret to success
When reading aloud, we need to read the way we speak. Paying attention to punctuation helps us read more fluently.
How we teach it
We begin with our read-aloud. We model and explain explicitly what fluency is, how it sounds, and why it is important. Before we even introduce phrasing, we cue readers into the intonation of our voice, or prosody, showing them how we make our voice go up and down, and how that affects what we are saying.
- Teach the students that their voices rise at the end of the sentence Will you please be my partner?
- Use your finger and draw a line showing how your voice follows a straight line, drops or rises, and ends at a higher pitch than when you started.
- Talk about how it feels if someone ends the statement with a rising voice or a falling voice.
Scooping the phrase:
- Using a shared text, we show a sentence. For example, He looked for her in the sweep of his flashlight, calling, “Kitty, kitty, kitty.”
- We tell the students to look at the punctuation to help figure out the phrasing in a text.
- With a pencil or our finger, we start at the word He and draw one scooped line to the comma after the word flashlight, another under calling, and a final one from the first kitty to the last kitty.
- Then, reading this sentence back, we scoop the words and read them together in those three phrases.
Suggested language:
- Did punctuation help you read that phrase?
- Show me by drawing in the phrases you will say here.
- I am going to draw in this phrase; now you say those four words together quickly. Let me show you what that sounds like.
Instructional Pivots
Possible ways to differentiate instruction:
- Check readers' book choices and make sure they are reading good-fit books.
- Draw the phrase in a sentence, right under the words, using a scooping motion with a pencil.
- Point out the punctuation that helps readers decide where a phrase begins and ends.
Reconsider materials, setting, instruction, and cognitive processes.
Partner Strategies
These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:
- Read Text That Is a Good Fit
- Adjust and Apply Different Reading Rates to Match Text
- Reread Text
- Check for Understanding; Monitor and Self-Correct
Common Core Alignment
K
1stRF.1.4
2ndL.2.2
3rdL.3.2
4thL.4.2
5thL.5.2
6thL.6.2, L.6.6
7thL.7.2
8thSL.8.6
BOOKS
Books with Lessons to Help Teach This Strategy
Each book below has a coordinating lesson with an explicit example to teach this strategy. Select a book cover below, then download the lesson to see for yourself. At The Daily CAFE these were called Lit Lessons.
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A Bad Case of Stripes
By David Shannon
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A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue
By Julia Cook
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A Quiet Place
By Douglas Wood
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A Very Improbable Story
By Edward Einhorn
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Ambitious Girl
By Meena Harris
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An Extraordinary Egg
By Leo Lionni
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Chrysanthemum
By Kevin Henkes
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Cinder Edna
By Ellen Jackson
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Count On Me
By Miguel Tanco
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Crickwing
By Janelle Cannon
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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
By Mo Willems
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Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
By Mo Willems
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Dragons Love Tacos
By Adam Ruebin
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Feathers: Not Just for Flying
By Melissa Stewart
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Frog and Toad Are Friends
By Arnold Lobel
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Gingerbread Baby
By Jan Brett
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Greedy Zebra
By Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennawa
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Green Eggs and Ham
By Dr. Seuss
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Harry the Dirty Dog
By Gene Zion
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Hidden Figures
By Margot Lee Shetterly
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How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids
By Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
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How I Became a Pirate
By Melinda Long
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Huggapotamus
By Steve Metzger
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I Will Never NOT EVER Eat a Tomato
By Lauren Child
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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
By Laura Numeroff
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Inside Out and Back Again
By Thanhha Lai
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Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
By Kevin Henkes
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Mirette On The High Wire
By Emily Arnold McCully
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Miss Nelson is Missing
By Harry G. Allard Jr.
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Mummy Math
By Cindy Neuschwander
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My Brother Martin
By Christine King Farris
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My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother
By Patricia Polacco
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Officer Buckle and Gloria
By Peggy Rathmann
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One Word Pearl
By Nicole Groeneweg
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Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
By Eric Litwin
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Pink and Say
By Patricia Polacco
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Ruby the Copycat
By Margaret Rathmann
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Skippyjon Jones
By Judy Schachner
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Small Saul
By Ashley Spires
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Snowmen at Night
By Caralyn Buehner
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Sofa Boy
By Scott Langteau
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Stephanie's Ponytail
By Robert Munsch
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Strega Nona
By Tomie dePaola (retold by)
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The Camping Trip That Changed America
By Barb Rosenstock
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The Furry Caterpillar
By Felicia Law
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The Graves Family
By Patricia Polacco
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The Grouchy Ladybug
By Eric Carle
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The Kissing Hand
By Audrey Penn
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The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)
By Philemon Sturges
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The Most Magnificent Thing
By Ashley Spires
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The Recess Queen
By Alexis O'Neil
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The Sandwich Swap
By Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah with Kelly DiPucchio
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The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
By Jon Scieszka
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The Very Clumsy Click Beetle
By Eric Carle
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar
By Eric Carle
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This Is the Dream
By Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander
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Those Darn Squirrels!
By Adam Rubin
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Walter the Farting Dog
By William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray
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When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry
By Molly Bang
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Where The Wild Things Are
By Maurice Sendak
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Zinnia and Dot
By Lisa Campbell Ernst
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Zoom Broom
By Margie Palatini
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