Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Listening, Speaking and Word Power

Reading with Expression: Phrasing, Intonation and Purpose

B2.3 B3.1 A1About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can read in meaningful phrases instead of word by word.
  • I can read prepositional phrases and clauses as chunks.
  • I can use punctuation to guide my pauses and intonation.
  • I can change my expression to fit the purpose of the text: a story, a poem, a report or instructions.

Words to know

prosody
Reading with the rhythm and expression of natural speech.
phrase
A group of words that go together, like under the bridge.
prepositional phrase
A phrase that starts with a preposition (a position or time word like in, on, under, after, during) and tells where or when: over the hill, after lunch.
clause
A group of words with a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone; a dependent clause, like when the bell rang, cannot.
intonation
How your voice rises and falls as you read.
expression
How your voice shows feeling and meaning.

Let's start with a robot

Read this like a robot, one word at a time: When. The. Bell. Rang. We. Ran. Out. To. The. Snowy. Field.

Now read it like a person: When the bell rang, | we ran out | to the snowy field.

The second way is easier to understand because you read in phrases: groups of words that go together. Reading with natural rhythm and expression is called prosody.

Read in chunks

Two kinds of chunks show up in almost every sentence:

  • Prepositional phrases tell where or when: in the forest, under the ice, after supper, during the storm.
  • Clauses are groups of words with a subject and a verb. A dependent clause often starts with when, because, if, although, while or after and needs the rest of the sentence: When the bell rang, | we ran outside.

Read each chunk smoothly, and pause a tiny bit between chunks.

After school,we walkedto the rinkRead each scoop as one chunk
Scoop the sentence into chunks: After school, / we walked / to the rink. Read each scoop as one chunk.
Worked example

Let's scoop a sentence into phrases

Read: During the long winter, the bears slept in their dens under the snow.

  1. Find the prepositional phrases: During the long winter (when), in their dens (where), under the snow (where).
  2. The main part is: the bears slept.
  3. Scoop it: During the long winter, | the bears slept | in their dens | under the snow.
  4. Read it smoothly, with a short pause at the comma and tiny pauses between scoops.

Reading in phrases helps you and your listeners understand when and where things happened.

Punctuation is your road sign

  • Comma , → a short pause.
  • Period . → a full stop; your voice usually goes down.
  • Question mark ? → for yes/no questions, your voice often goes up at the end (Are you coming?). For questions with who, what, where, why, how, it often goes down.
  • Exclamation mark ! → strong feeling: more energy.
  • Quotation marks " " → someone is speaking; use a voice that fits the character.
  • Ellipsis ... → a trailing-off pause, often for suspense.

Stress the important word

Changing which word you stress can change the meaning!

  • "I didn't take your mittens." (Someone else did.)
  • "I didn't take your mittens." (I took someone else's.)
  • "I didn't take your mittens." (I took something else.)

Think about meaning, then stress the word that matters.

Stress a different word, change the meaningIdidn'ttakeyourmittens.→ Someone else did.Ididn'ttakeyourmittens.→ I took someone else's.Ididn'ttakeyourmittens.→ I took something else.
The same five words, three meanings. The stressed word (in the box) tells the listener what matters.

Expression changes with purpose

The Grade 4 curriculum asks you to adjust your expression and intonation depending on the purpose of the text.

Kind of textPurposeHow to read it aloud
Story with dialogueTo entertainDifferent voices for characters; show feelings; build suspense.
PoemTo share feelings or imagesFeel the rhythm; pause at line breaks when it makes sense; savour the words.
News report or information textTo informClear, steady and confident, like a news reporter; stress key facts.
InstructionsTo explain stepsCalm and clear; pause between steps.
Persuasive speechTo convinceStrong, energetic voice; stress the important words.
Match your expression to the purpose
Worked example

Let's read one idea for two purposes

Two texts about the same thing:

A. "Watch out!" Sam shouted. "The ice is cracking!"

B. Ice on ponds and lakes should be checked by an adult before anyone walks on it.

  1. Text A is a story with dialogue. Purpose: to entertain. Read with urgent, loud, scared expression. The exclamation marks show strong feeling.
  2. Text B is information. Purpose: to inform and keep people safe. Read in a calm, clear, serious voice. Stress the key words: checked by an adult.
  3. Same topic, different purpose, different expression.

Expression should match the purpose of the text.

Just for fun

Why did the robot read so choppily?

It. Had. Not. Learned. About. Phrases. Yet.

Hands-on activity

Readers' theatre at home

You need: a short story with dialogue (a picture book or a chapter you like), two or more family members, and a highlighter or sticky notes (optional).

  1. Choose a scene with 2 or 3 characters and a narrator.
  2. Give each person a part. Mark your lines with sticky notes.
  3. Practise your lines 2 or 3 times. Scoop long sentences into phrases with your finger or a pencil.
  4. Think about how each character feels in each line. Plan which words to stress.
  5. Perform it for someone! No costumes needed; your voice does the work.
  6. Then read one paragraph from a nonfiction book as a news reporter. Talk about how your voice changed.

Ask afterward: Which line did you read with the most feeling? How did punctuation help you?

Your turn

1

Scoop into phrases: After lunch we played tag in the schoolyard.

2

Find the prepositional phrase that tells where: The fox hid behind the woodpile.

3

What should your voice do at the end of Are you coming to the game?

4

How should you read "Hooray! We won!" yelled Priya.?

5

Should a set of instructions be read with a spooky voice? Why or why not?

6

What does a comma tell a reader to do?

7

Find the dependent clause: Because it was snowing, we wore our boots.

More practice: warm-up

1

What is prosody?

2

Is under the bridge a phrase or a full sentence?

3

What does a period tell you to do?

4

Name one preposition that tells when.

5

What kind of voice fits a news report?

More practice: on your own

1

Scoop into phrases: When the maple sap started running, we hung buckets on the trees.

2

Say "I didn't eat the cookie" three ways, stressing a different word each time. What does each one mean?

3

How would you read this poem line: Snowflakes drifting, soft and slow...?

4

Why does reading in phrases help listeners understand?

5

Read: Although the wind was cold, the sun felt warm on our faces. Where is the pause, and why?

Challenge

1

Scoop this long sentence and find two prepositional phrases and one dependent clause: While we waited for the bus, a red fox trotted across the road near the school.

2

Write one sentence about a thunderstorm two ways: as a line from a spooky story and as a line from a weather report. Describe how you'd read each one.

3

Explain why a reader should think about meaning before deciding how to read a sentence aloud.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a prepositional phrase?

2.

Which shows the best phrasing?

3.

What does a comma usually tell you to do?

4.

How should you read a news report aloud?

5.

Which is a dependent clause?

6.

What does prosody mean?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 4 B2.3 asks students, when reading aloud, to adjust expression and intonation according to the purpose of reading. Reading in phrases connects to B3.1 (recognizing sentence parts such as prepositional phrases and independent and dependent clauses). Grammar for writing is taught in the companion writing unit; here the focus is on using sentence structure to read smoothly and understand.

How to help at home:

  • Read aloud to your child often, even in Grade 4; you are the model for expression.
  • Take turns reading pages and give specific praise: "Your voice really sounded worried there."
  • Try readers' theatre, poems and joke books, which are perfect for practising expression.

Common difficulties:

  • Word-by-word reading. Scoop phrases with a pencil and reread.
  • Ignoring punctuation. Point to commas and question marks before reading.
  • Same voice for every text. Ask "What's the purpose? How should it sound?"