“When children read with expression, they develop competences in grammar, memory, attention, sequencing, and understanding cause and effect” (Healy 1990). Through multiple readings, children develop a sense for the emotions and ideas present in the Reader’s Theater character parts and learn how to express them through their voice and gestures. To read aloud effectively, students must employ proper breath, posture, vocal variety, gestures, and eye contact.

Over the past several months, we have done a series on the key elements to expressive reading, which are summarized below.

• Breath- To read expressively, children need to breath from their diaphragm or “stomach breathing.”
• Posture- Good posture supports “stomach breathing” and enhances the sound produced.
• Vocal Variety- Vocal variety is the musical instrument that creates expressive reading and is comprised of seven parts: volume, pitch, rate, duration, tone, articulation, and inflection.
• Gestures- Gestures are an extension of the voice and help punctuate the feelings and ideas of the character.
• Eye Contact- Eye contact with the audience helps engage the listener and holds their attention.
• Expressive Reading Assessment- This month's feature! An integral part of the oral reading experience is receiving feedback. Using Reader’s Theater in small groups allows students to receive constructive feedback from their peers in a safe environment. After students have read aloud their assigned character parts for the day’s assignment, other members of the group give feedback on how the text was read using the expressive reading skills.

Click the exercise link below for additional information on how to instruct your students in expressive reading, a poster reminding students what to pay attention to while reading aloud, and a form for teachers to use in evaluating students' expressive reading abilities.