PD #21 VOICE BOX

 

Click to view PD #21 Voice Box

A “voice box” can be used to capitalize on children’s natural interest in dramatizing. They can all be actors and actresses as they practice reading, counting, sight words, math facts, and other skills with these creative voices. Write the different styles below on index cards and place in a small box labeled “Voice Box.” Invite different children to choose a card and then practice skills in that “voice.”

Three Bears
Speak papa bear style (with a deep voice), mama bear style (with a prissy voice), and baby bear style (with a wee voice).

Underwater
Put your index finger between your lips and vibrate as you talk.

With a Cold
Children hold their nose and read like their nose is stuffed.

Lip Sinc
Mouth the words.

Emotions
Read text with different emotions, such as happy, sad, angry, sleepy, etc. Which one fits the text best?

Pirate
Talk out of the side of your mouth. Grrr, matie!

Typewriter
Pretend to type with your fingers as you move eyes from left to right. Ding, and then “return the carriage” when you get to the end of the line.

News
Talk like a news reporter “on the street.”

Rock and Roll
Pretend to hold guitar and dance and sing.

Opera
Extend arms and sing words dramatically.

More!
Let children come up with their own creative voices.

You can download the fluency cards by clicking here:

 

Here’s a video where you can watch me demonstrate the different styles and strategies. The more dramatic you are, the more your students will get involved. 

 

Click here.

 

 

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS!

Here are more strategies to put those sight words in the brain!

Note!  Many of these activities could be adapted for letter recognition or vocabulary.

In the News
Give children a section of the newspaper and highlighters. How many letters can they find that they can read? Ask them to write the words on a sheet of paper.

*Children can also identify words with glass pebbles.

Roll and Write
Make a graph with six sections going across and down. Number the sections in the top row 1-6 and then write a high frequency word in each section. Children roll a die. They find that number at the top of their frame and then write that word under it. They continue rolling the die and 

writing words as long as time permits.

              

Four Square Writing
Show children how to fold a sheet of paper into fourths. Have them trace over the creased lines to make four squares. Number the sections “1,” “2,” “3,” “4.” Ask children to write one letter words in the section numbered “l.” Write 2 letter words in the second section, 3 letter words in the third section, and 4 letter words in the fourth section.

                                                        


Bookmark
Make a bookmark from a 2” x 8 ½” piece of construction paper. Give children old newspapers and magazines and ask them to out words they can read and glue them to the bookmark.
 

                        

Word Necklace
Cut a sheet of paper in half. Fold into eighths and cut on the creased lines. Staple to make a small book. Hole punch in the corner and tie on a piece of string. Children walk around the classroom and write words they can read.

*Use this necklace book for color words, shapes, adjectives, etc.

Rainbow Writing
Make “rainbow words” by tracing around each word with different colors of crayons.

Word Search
Prepare a list of words found in the classroom and run off. Children walk around the room searching for the words on the list. They can cross through the words as they find them.

Partner Read the Room
One child is the “student” and wears an empty pair of glasses. The other child is the “teacher” and holds a pointer. As they walk around the room the teacher points to words and the student reads them. After ten words they switch places.
Note! Whisper voices only for this activity!

WORD OWNERSHIP

Did you know that 3 words make up 10% of what we read? (I, and, the)

Did you know that 13 words make up 25% of what we read?

Did you know that 100 words make up 50% of what we read?

It just makes sense that if children memorize these words, then reading fluency and comprehension will be strengthened. Many of the high frequency words do not follow phonetic patterns and they cannot be sounded out. Additionally, these words tend to be abstract and have no visual connection. Children simply need to recognize them by sight. In fact, in the “olden days” we referred to these words as “sight words.” Now they are commonly called high frequency words or word wall words.

Memorization of these words will be enhanced with repetition. I’ve heard it takes the average child 25-36 exposures/experiences with a word before it is saved in their brains. Rather than drill and kill, I’ve got some games, songs and activities to make learning these words a little more fun. I’ll be focusing on sight words, but these same strategies can be adapted for letters, shapes, numerals, vocabulary words, and so forth.

Note! In addition to teaching words in isolation, use these games with phrase cards. Phrase cards are groups of words that come up frequently when children read. If they are learned as a “chunk” they will improve fluency when children read.

Lifetime Words
Refer to high frequency words as “lifetime words.” Explain that if you put these words in your brain, you will be able to read with them the rest of your life!

Treasure Boxes
Make “treasure boxes” (Altoids tins) where children can save the words as they learn them.

Word Rings
Give each child a book ring. When she learns a word (or requests to learn a word), write it on an index card, punch a hole, and let her attach to the ring.



Word Study Booklet
Go to theschoolbell.com (practice booklets) and download directions to make this tool. Each child will need a pocket folder and can progress at her own rate as she masters lists of words.

Note! The word lists on this site are appropriate for first or second grade. I would make my own list for kindergarten students with 8-10 words on each list.

Word Wall Office
Make a personal office with high frequency words for each child. Tape two file folders together and staple copies of your class word wall inside. I suggest stapling so you can change the sheets as the word wall expands throughout the year. Children can set these up on their desks when they write to make a study carrel.

Here's a great (FREE) website called sightwords.com where you can get materials and activities for helping children learn sight words in a meaningful way. I'm sure you'll find useful information for your classroom, but it might also be a great resource for your parents.

TOTALLY READING

Standards will be a lot more fun with the songs on this recording.  From phonics to phonological awareness to fluency to comprehension and vocabulary - let's get started!

1.  Don’t You Just Love to Read?
2.  Color Train
3.  Deck the Room
4.  Alphabet Antics

Phonemic Awareness
5.  Nursery Rhyme Marathon
6.  Rhythm Rhyme
7.  Miss Mary Fill in the Blank
8.  Pepperoni Pizza
9.  Syllable Clap
10. Put Together Compounds
11. Word Families

Phonics
12. Happy Birthday Letters
13. Who Let the Letters Out? (Open version)
14. I Know an Old Man Who Swallowed a Letter
15. Letter Box
16. Letter Round-Up
17. Sweet Vowels
18. Slide and Blend
19. Diagraph Walk
20. The Tools of Good Readers

Fluency
21. Rapping Words
22. Lifetime Words
23. Punctuation Pays

Disc Two

Comprehension
1.  Who? What? Where? When? Why?
2.  It’s Fact and Fiction Time
3.  Where Can You Go When You Need to Know?

Vocabulary
4.  Parts of Speech Hoedown
5.  Endings
6.  We Can Do Opposites
7.  Synonym Stomp,
8.  O, Those Contractions

Writing
9.  Ready to Write
10. Pencil Talk
11. Karate Writing
12. Writing Uppercase Letters
13. Rhyme to Write Lowercase Letters
14. Hi Ho Librario – Parts of a Book
15. Parts of a Letter
16. Good-Bye, Friends!

Instrumentals
17. Letter Round-Up
18. Deck the Room
19. Word Families
20. Pepperoni Pizza
21. Good-Bye Friends!
22. Nursery Rhyme Marathon
23. Synonym Stomp
24. Happy Birthday Letters
25. Rhythm Rhyme
26. We Can Do Opposites