Story Voice Superstars

This sequence focuses on developing oral reading fluency and expression in 1st-grade students using read-along tools. Students learn to differentiate between monotone and expressive reading, match their voice to emotions and punctuation, and perform stories with prosody.

The Robot and the Storyteller

Students listen to two versions of a text excerpt: one robotic and one expressive. They discuss how the expressive version makes the story more interesting and easier to understand, establishing the goal for the unit.

Feeling the Words

Using a read-along story, students pause to identify how a character feels based on the narrator's tone. They then practice mimicking that specific emotion while reading the corresponding highlighted sentence.

Stop Sign Detectives

Students follow highlighted text while listening specifically for pauses at periods and pitch changes at question marks. They use physical movements to signal when they hear and see these punctuation marks in the read-along.

Echo in the Canyon

Students engage in a structured echo reading activity where they listen to a sentence, pause the audio, and repeat it back, aiming to match the speed and musicality of the narrator.

Audiobook Stars

Students choose a short passage to practice repeatedly with the audio support. Finally, they record themselves reading independently to demonstrate their fluency and expression.