Voice Up
Let your voice climb at the end of a question or an exciting word.
Student Key
Prosody is the way your voice matches the meaning of the words. These six marks show you where to climb, where to drop, where to hold on, where to speed up, and where to breathe.
Voice Down
Let your voice drop at the end of a statement. The thought is finished.
Stretch
Hold this word longer so everyone hears every sound inside it.
Zoom
Zip through these little words. They join the sentence together.
Breath
Stop here and take one breath. Read in phrases, not one word at a time.
Big Words
Say these words louder and slower. They carry the big idea.
Remember. Your voice tells the story. A history passage sounds steady and serious. A question lifts at the end. A big idea lands heavy. The marks show you where to put your voice so listeners can feel the meaning too.
A Promise Written Long Ago
Grade 4 | Cluster 1
Source. Listen and Follow Along, A Promise Written Long Ago, Grade 4 Cluster 1, read aloud in Randi Whitney's voice and listed on the Grade 4 Reading Passages page. The passage words are unchanged. The marks below cover the whole passage, with the closing lines set apart at the end.
In the year a very important document called the was created
At that time, King John ruled Many people, especially powerful landowners called were with how he treated them. The king collected and made
The barons wanted the king to They believed even the king should So, they forced King John to meet them at There, the Magna Carta was agreed to
The Magna Carta was important the king's It said that the king had to just like everyone It also protected certain rights of the For example, it said that free men could not be punished
The at the time helped shape the Magna People were and wanted Because of this, the document shows that people long ago cared about
The ending
Hundreds of years later, the ideas from the Magna Carta influenced other Leaders United States used similar ideas when creating the Like the Magna Carta, the Constitution and protects the rights of
Even today, the Magna Carta reminds us that people deserve to be
Read it three ways. First read it flat, with no marks. Then read it with the marks. Then read it to a partner and let your partner tell you one mark you did well.
Watch the gold box. Play the Listen and Follow Along passage first so you hear each mark in Randi Whitney's own voice before you read it yourself.
Echo Reading Routine, Prosody Marks
You read one sentence, and the class echoes it back the same way. Then partners take over and do it for each other. Keep the marked passage in front of students for every round, because the marks are the instruction. The whole routine takes about six minutes.
| Round | What students do | Teacher SAY and DO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teacher models You read the marked passage aloud. Students watch your voice follow every mark. | SAY: "Look at the marks. They tell my voice what to do. Up arrow, my voice climbs. Down arrow, my voice drops. The long arrow, I hold the word. The double chevron, I zip. The slash, I breathe. Big words, I say them loud." DO: Read the first paragraph twice. Touch each mark as your voice follows it. |
| 2 | Class echoes You read one sentence. The class reads it back the same way, sentence by sentence. | SAY: "I read one sentence. You read it right back the same way. Copy my voice, my pauses, and my speed." DO: Read one sentence, wait, and have the class echo it. Use the four sentences that hold a fall and a rise. |
| 3 | Mark hunt Students find the marks on the page before anyone reads aloud. | SAY: "Show me a question mark in your reading voice. Now show me a stretch arrow." DO: Call out one mark. Have students point to it in the passage before the class reads. |
| 4 | Partners echo Partner A reads a sentence. Partner B reads it right back the same way. Then they switch. | SAY: "Partner A reads. Partner B echoes the same sentence. Then switch." DO: Send partners to the paragraph about the barons. Listen for the stretch on Magna Carta and the breath before So. |
| 5 | Partners read Each partner reads the whole passage alone, keeping every mark in place. | SAY: "Now read it yourself. Keep every mark. Find one place where your voice should go up." DO: Walk the room and use the checklist below. Give each reader one specific thing you heard. |
| 6 | Students close Students name the mark that helped them most and finish the self check. | SAY: "Which mark helped you most today? Tell your partner." DO: Have two students name a mark, then point them to the self check below. |
A Quick Prosody Feedback Checklist
Voice up. The reader let the voice climb on a question or an exciting word.
Voice down. The reader let the voice drop at the end of a statement.
Stretch. The reader held the stretched words longer than the rest.
Zoom. The reader sped through the little joining words.
Breath. The reader breathed at the slashes and read in phrases.
Big words. The reader said the bold words louder than the other words.
Feedback sentence frame. "I noticed you ___ like a fluent reader. One mark to try next is ___."
Stretch it across the week. Repeat these same six rounds with the same passage two or three times in one week.
Stretch it across the week. Repeat these same six rounds with the same passage two or three times in one week.
My Prosody Marks Self Check
Read A Promise Written Long Ago with the marks. Then circle the box that tells the truth about your reading today.
| What I checked in my reading | Yes | Almost | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| I let my voice climb on my questions. | |||
| I let my voice drop at the end of a statement. | |||
| I held the stretched words longer than usual. | |||
| I zoomed through the little joining words. | |||
| I breathed at every slash. | |||
| I said the big words louder than the rest. |