Creating synapses in the brain is like making pathways in the woods. The more you walk over the same path through the woods, the clearer it will become. Similarly, it’s important to repeat information to make pathways in the brain so that children will remember. These are some strategies that will keep children engaged as you repeat poems, chants, and other choral reading activities.
Three Bears
Read papa bear style (with a deep voice), mama bear style (with a prissy voice), and baby bear style (with a wee voice).Emotions
Read text with different emotions, such as happy, sad, angry, sleepy, etc. Which one fits the text best?
Sit Like a Boss
Children get to scoot back their chairs, put their feet up on their desk, cross their arms over their chest, and “read like a boss.”
Cowboy & Cowgirl
Children turn chairs backwards and straddle them as if riding a horse.
Underwater
Put your index finger between your lips and vibrate as you read.
With a Cold
Children hold their nose and read as if they have a stuffed nose.
Charlie Brown’s Teacher
Children mouth words as they go, “Wa-wa-wa.”
Download the fluency cards here