Simple and Effective Literacy Activities: CHORAL READING
This post is part of a series of FREE Simple and Effective Literacy Activities. To read more about my personal philosophy on how to help teach a love of all things literacy, head here.
WHAT IS CHORAL READING?
Choral Reading is when a teacher and student{s} read out loud together as a group. Choral Reading can be done with any text but is often done with short poems, chants, and songs.
WHY IS CHORAL READING AN EFFECTIVE LITERACY ACTIVITY?
There are multiple reasons why Choral Reading is an effective LITERACY ACTIVITY.
- It improves reading fluency by allowing the student to hear AND say the text in the correct tone, speed, and pattern.
- It expands vocabulary by exposing early readers to more than simple CVC words.
- It increases student confidence by taking the spotlight off of struggling readers while still encouraging them to participate.
- It speeds up letter to sound recognition by providing opportunities to track while reading with a group.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM CHORAL READING?
Anybody who has pre-readers, early readers, or unconfident readers should give Choral Reading a try. It would also be great to do with a variety of ages and could serve as a quick but purposeful activity to fill five spare minutes here and there. In my decade of teaching First Grade, I never had a student who did not enjoy this simple and effective literacy activity! I bet yours will too!
HOW SIMPLE IS IT TO DO CHORAL READING?
It’s uber simple! Even if you only have one student, you can introduce Choral Reading immediately and see the benefits quickly. You can read any short poem, song, or chant “chorally,” but the choices found in the free PRINTABLE are a great place to start!
Just print it out and follow these simple steps. {Of course, the directions can also be found in the free PRINTABLE too!}
The free printable includes the following songs/chants/poems:
- There Are Seven Days (Song)
- Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums Months of the Year Chant
- Whose Fine Face (Money Song)
Other suggestions for this activity would include any song, poem, chant or book your student has memorized such as:
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See
- Other Eric Carle books
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
- The Foot Book
- Green Eggs and Ham (though this would be lengthy, it would be fun and very effective!
- Other Dr. Seuss books
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
- Goodnight Moon
- Goodnight Gorilla
- Lllama, Lllama
- The Pout Pout Fish
- I Love You Like No Otter
- Happy Birthday Song
- What’s the Weather Like Today
- Five Little Hearts
- Here is The Beehive
- It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
- I’m a Little Teapot
- Five Little Monkeys
- The Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm
- Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes
- Hickory Dickory Dock
- Have You Ever Seen a Lassie
- Bingo the Dog
- Frere Jacques
- Other Nursery Rhymes
- Tom, Tom Turkey
- The Farmer in the Del
- Jingle Bells
- Frosty the Snowman
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Other Christmas Carols
- Oh Rainbow, Oh Rainbow- The Color Song
- The Wheels on the Bus
- The Ants Go Marching
- Baby Bumblebee
- Baby Shark
- Baby Beluga
- Down By the Bay
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
- Jesus Loves Me
CAN CHORAL READING BE MODIFIED?
Choral Reading is highly adaptable. It can be used with one student or in a classroom filled with 30 kids. It can be used with a Dr. Seuss book or a printout of the “Happy Birthday” song. It can be used with a large, pocket chart affixed to the wall or a simple three-ring binder. And, it’s very easy to personalize this literacy activity by selecting poems and songs of high interest to your students!
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE LITERACY ACTIVITIES
