Most educators acknowledge the significance of fluency, yet it often fails to receive the attention it truly deserves. While fluency is widely recognized for its impact on student comprehension, its evaluation is frequently limited to reading speed alone. However, fluency encompasses numerous other vital aspects that necessitate closer examination. In this post, we will delve deeper into the role of prosody in fostering fluency and enhancing comprehension.
What is prosody?
Prosody, encompasses elements such as stress, rhythm, and intonation, operates within the realm of fluency and enables speakers to communicate various nuances of meaning.
Slight changes in pitching, pausing, and emphasis can change the underlying meaning of a sentence. For example, consider how the meaning changes depending on the word that is emphasized in the following question:
What did you do?
What did you do?
What did you do?
By emphasizing different words, the intended meaning of the question can vary greatly. Furthermore, consider how the tone of our voice can transform the same question, giving it an air of curiosity or accusation.
Why is Prosody important?
In Timothy Rasinski’s article, Why Reading Fluency Should be Hot , he explains that prosody has a reciprocal relationship with comprehension and allows a reader to comprehend a text at a deeper level. Students who use prosody when reading are more likely to be processing information as they read it, which leads to better retention and comprehension as compared to students who read monotonously with little attention to prosody. Notably, research conducted by Zimmerman et al. (2019) supports the notion that students who demonstrate proficient prosody in their oral reading tend to achieve higher scores in comprehension during silent reading.
For a student to read with prosody, it is crucial that they attain a specific level of text comprehension, which becomes apparent through their skillful use of appropriate intonations and pitch. I am thrilled when my young readers engage in rereading to refine their intonation or emphasize certain aspects, as it serves as a clear indication that they are truly comprehending the text.
The utilization of prosody in reading has the ability to instill a sense of motivation within readers. By employing appropriate intonations, emphasis, and pitch, readers bring the text to life, enhancing its meaning and capturing the attention of listeners. When readers witness the positive impact their prosodic reading has on others, such as the reactions of listeners or their own improved comprehension, it further reinforces their motivation to continue using prosody as a powerful tool in their reading journey.
One study found that, “despite having age-appropriate decoding efficiency, poor comprehenders were outperformed on the text reading prosody task by the chronological-age control group…This suggests that although decoding may be necessary for text reading prosody performance, it is, in itself, not sufficient for text reading prosody to develop.” (Groen el al, 2019)
How to teach for prosody?
There are several effective strategies teachers can employ to teach prosody and draw attention to the importance of proper reading expression. Read-aloud sessions, shared reading activities, and audio books are excellent ways to bring the text to life and demonstrate variations in pitch, intonation, and other aspects. During shared reading, where all students can see the text, teachers can seize the opportunity to instruct students on reading with appropriate emphasis on punctuation marks.
Another valuable technique is repeated readings, allowing children to practice reading with prosody and refine their expressive skills.
Engaging students in poetry and reader’s theatre provides an opportunity for performance-based reading practice. Students can work on their expressive reading over the course of a week and then showcase their skills in a performance for an audience.
In Summary
While decoding efficiency, rapid automatic word recognition, and understanding word meanings are undoubtedly crucial for comprehension, it is important to acknowledge that they are not the sole factors that warrant our attention. Prosody, an often overlooked element, plays a pivotal role in our capacity to genuinely grasp the message conveyed through written language.
Resources:
Enhancing Outcomes for Struggling Readers: Empirical Analysis of The Fluency Development Lesson
Reading Fluency Instruction: Moving Beyond Accuracy, Automaticity, and Prosody
The Role of Prosody in Reading Comprehension: Evidence From Poor Comprehenders
literacypages.wordpress.com 