Independent Reading
The video below shows an app, Read With Me, as an excellent tool for developing reading independence. Students have the choice to make the text bigger, and the app measures their accuracy. It can be use with more than one device, allowing easier tracking for keeping track of student growth.
In order to encourage students to read independently, a degree of student choice is top priority. Not only do students need opportunities to read texts of interest to them, but they must also be taught how to identify if a book is too hard or too easy for them. Once a teacher has provided the students with modeling and assisted practice, students are ready to explore applying strategies on their own to become independent readers.
This is a more difficult decision for members of a choir to make, because it involves a decision made for many rather than an individual. Over the years, I've learned to seek input from students about one particular genre that appeals to them: popular music. During the coldest month of the year in Minnesota (January), my students enjoy discussing and providing ideas about a popular song they can sing in May. They have many ideas about what they think is appropriate, yet at the heart of our discussion is what makes a good poem.
Before choosing a song, it may be wise to have students view others their own age reciting poems from memory. A good poem can be easily remembered with practice. The same is true to good lyrics. Below is a sample of middle school students reciting poems for the Poetry Out Loud contest, a national competition in secondary schools. When given a choice, students choose poems they love, and practice speaking them with fluency and expression, often rising to a high performance level before an audience. Choral directors can adapt this idea by having choral members recite the poem of a choral song with this level of polish while teaching the song itself.
This is a more difficult decision for members of a choir to make, because it involves a decision made for many rather than an individual. Over the years, I've learned to seek input from students about one particular genre that appeals to them: popular music. During the coldest month of the year in Minnesota (January), my students enjoy discussing and providing ideas about a popular song they can sing in May. They have many ideas about what they think is appropriate, yet at the heart of our discussion is what makes a good poem.
Before choosing a song, it may be wise to have students view others their own age reciting poems from memory. A good poem can be easily remembered with practice. The same is true to good lyrics. Below is a sample of middle school students reciting poems for the Poetry Out Loud contest, a national competition in secondary schools. When given a choice, students choose poems they love, and practice speaking them with fluency and expression, often rising to a high performance level before an audience. Choral directors can adapt this idea by having choral members recite the poem of a choral song with this level of polish while teaching the song itself.
In addition to the discussion of poetry, there are other ways to develop independent reading in a choral setting and outside of the classroom:
1. Strophic songs use the same structure with many verses. After a teacher models one verse, assists students on a second, students will be ready to learn a third verse independently.
2. Repeated phrases within a song allow students to master reading independence, using computer assisted learning.
3. Using speech recognition software to "type" a student's reflection of a song or book chosen for independent reading.
4. Digital Poetry
5. Student reads a book aloud.
6. Skype with an author or class across the country or globe!
1. Strophic songs use the same structure with many verses. After a teacher models one verse, assists students on a second, students will be ready to learn a third verse independently.
2. Repeated phrases within a song allow students to master reading independence, using computer assisted learning.
3. Using speech recognition software to "type" a student's reflection of a song or book chosen for independent reading.
4. Digital Poetry
5. Student reads a book aloud.
6. Skype with an author or class across the country or globe!
Below is an example of a student giving a report about a book he has read. Notice how his presentation is prepared and polished. This type of oral report that is video recorded is another example of a strategy for fostering fluency. Students could do similar types of reports on a piece of music being studied in choir.
References and Resources for Independent Reading
Janeczko, P. B. (2011). Reading poetry in the middle grades: 20 poems and activities that meet the common core standards and cultivate a passion for poetry. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Janeczko, P. B. (2011). Reading poetry in the middle grades: 20 poems and activities that meet the common core standards and cultivate a passion for poetry. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.