Who doesn’t love a good song? This year my students burst into song just because they can. I thought I would turn this love of music into some good.
We have started using music to increase fluency.
Here’s how:
1. Print out a copy of song lyrics for your students.
2. Play the song so students can hear how it sounds.
3. Read through the lyrics a couple of times without the music.
4. Add the music and have students follow along.
5. Repeat as often as you would like. But remember to change up the songs so students do not fully memorize them.
We have done different things with these songs besides just singing them. I use them to teach themes, poetry (stanzas), etc.
One of my favorite things to do is make a musical big book.
To do this:
- Put 1-2 lines on a sheet of paper.
- Students then draw an illustration based on the lyric. Everyone helps by illustrating a page.
- Compile them into a class book.
The above picture is some of the pages from our musical big book waiting for me to bind together.
My students beg to listen and sing the songs. They get excited when we work on a new song.
Want to know some of my favorite songs to use to build reading fluency – continue reading to check out my top 14 songs and get a few free sets of lyrics already typed out for you.
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Beth Barker - Confessions of a Frazzled Teacher
I am a third grade teacher with over 10 years of experience. Sometimes I am frazzled, but I am always willing to share ideas, tips, and more!