During each hot timing, you rate the student's expression (prosody) from 1 to 4. The expression score indicates how well the student used appropriate inflection, phrasing, and pacing while reading the story. The student must receive an expression score of 2 or higher to pass the story. Use the table below to determine the appropriate rating:
| Select | If the student: |
| 1 | Reads haltingly; seldom uses phrasing; reads without expression. |
| 2 | Reads phrases of three or four words (especially for familiar words); usually pauses for punctuation. |
| 3 | Usually uses correct phrasing; uses appropriate inflection and attends to punctuation in some of the story. |
| 4 | Reads conversationally; consistently uses correct phrasing and inflection; attends to all punctuation. |
Reading with proper expression (prosody) is an important component of fluency and influences comprehension. Students need to be taught that expression matters. A simple explanation is to tell them to "try to read like you speak." Model for your students how to read with expression, grouping words into appropriate phrases rather than reading word-for-word, pausing for commas and periods, and reading at an appropriate pace.
Expression is taught during the Read Along step. The narrators in the audio recordings emphasize important words, group words into phrases, recognize punctuation marks and read at an appropriate pace, modeling for students how to read fluently. When students read along with these recordings, their expression and comprehension improve. The Practice step gives students additional opportunities to develop the ability to read more expressively and fluently. Attending to expression continues in the final Pass step of the program. During this step, teachers listen to the students read, and then rate their expression on a scale of 1-4. This piece of the final evaluation process is essential, and we encourage teachers to discuss this rating with students, especially those who struggle to read with expression. Point out students' improvement on the expression scale and remind them to notice how the narrator reads the next time they read along with a story. You may need to adjust your ratings and comments based on your understanding of and reasonable expectations for each individual student. Some common feedback teachers give to students include the following:
- Try to read like you speak.
- Don’t rush. This is not speed reading.
- Remember to pause for commas and periods.
- When we ask questions, our voices go up at the end. Can you hear that?
- We often emphasize important words. Let’s read this sentence again together and emphasize [word].
- Use your voice to express that something is good, bad, scary, or surprising.
