Classical Education Reading AloudThe other day I was in the children’s section of the local library pulling example books for a homeschooling workshop that I was giving at our state convention on the benefits of reading aloud.  As I advanced further and further into the shelving, I began to hear a sweet little voice confidantly reading aloud.  Every now and then she heroically pushed her way through an unfamiliar word, but by and large, she successfully managed the written word.  I peeked around the corner and discovered not one little child reading to her mom, but several little kids gathered on the floor with picture books carelessly scattered.  The simultaneous voices of children (one reading to her mom, another reading to a friend, and a mom reading  to her son) cheered my heart and brought a knowing smile to my face.  My spirit swelled, “ah, thank you, Lord, for books and the simple pleasures of reading aloud!”

Where did this precious little girl learn to read with such feeling and emotion?  Surely her parents or siblings have consistently demonstrated the skill of inflection because she couldn’t have been more than six or seven years old, yet she tackled that picture book with as much sensitivity as a little child can muster. To inflect an object is to bend or curve it.  Words can be inflected as well.  All you have to do is change the pitch or tone of your voice.  But this is not as simple as it sounds.

In fact, reading with feeling is a difficult task that takes lots of practice.  At first, all a beginning reader can do is decode the pronunciation.  Next comes comprehension.  Eventually the child learns how to glance ahead so that he can decide what kind of emotion to put into his voice.  Here are three ideas for teaching your homeschool kids how to express themselves when reading aloud.

What Does the Punctuation Mark Mean?

Don’t wait until your homeschooler is officially studying English grammar to teach the meaning of punctuation marks.  As you read aloud with your child, use your finger to show them that each sentence ends with a special mark that is not a letter like the ABCs, and sometimes these funny marks show up at the beginning or middle of sentences when someone talks or when a series of things are being listed.  Tell him that each punctuation mark has a special purpose that requires a certain vocal response.  Demonstrate these common punctuation marks when you are reading aloud to your homeschool children:

Period – come to a complete stop (take a breath after the period to force yourself to stop)

The puppy played with the sock. [stop and breathe]

Comma – pause when reading

Noel, [1 second pause] please put your dirty clothes in the laundry room.

Question Mark – bring your voice pitch up at the end

Can I please have a chocolate chip cookie? [cookie should be higher than can]

Exclamation Point – verbally punch the thought with excitement or alarm

Tommy left his bicycle in the street! [add some tension to your voice]

Quotation Mark – talk as if you were the character

Granny said, “my old feet are aching after all that walking at the garage sale.” [trembling voice]

Parenthesis – lower your volume like you’re telling a secret or go back to your own voice as narrator

The crowd cheered with excitement (Dad wouldn’t mind if I took a quick peek). [whisper]

Practice punctuation responses every time you read aloud. In fact, this is a great exercise to do every time you ask your child to read until he gets the hang of it.

How Does the Punctuation Mark Sound?

Now that your homeschooler knows what the most common punctuation marks mean, practice making these sounds out loud without words!  Yes, you read that correctly…without words!  Substitute your favorite sounds for the words, and read the “sentence” out loud using the proper inflection for the mark like this:

Da da da da da. [stop and take a breath]  Da da da da da? [bring your voice up at the end of the sentence] Da da daddaa. [stop and take a breath].  Da da dadada! [increase your volume and act surprised]  Da da da, [pause for 1 second] da da da da da. [stop and take a breath] Da da da, “da da dadaaada.” [talk with the character's voice then stop and take a breath]  Da da da da (da da da). [lower your voice like you're telling a secret then stop and take a breath]

You can type out a conversation with your favorite nonsense sounds to practice this skill, and eventually, your reading child will be able to look at a written text and substitute “blah blah blah” for the words and see only the punctuation marks.

How Would Your Emotion Change the Meaning?

Even little kids understand the idea of emotion.  Children experience feelings just like grown-ups, so give them a list of emotions and have them read simple sentences as if they were feeling a certain emotion.  For example, take the following sentence and read it five times using a different emotion each time:

The dog ate my last brownie.

Read it as if you are:  shocked, distressed, amused, afraid, and outraged.  Now choose a basic sentence and give your child some options as to what feelings she wants to express, then have her read the sentence out loud.  You can do this with singular words, too, like “hey, well, and no.”

Learning how to read with appropriate expression can really add depth and meaning to the written text.  Start teaching punctuation and inflection today, and your young reader will eventually delight and entertain his or her audience by creating lasting images and bringing home school books to life.