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Prosody: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Diana Phillips • September 8, 2023

When some people hear the word “prosody,” they might think it sounds like the name of an Internet startup or a new medication. Prosody— the pitch, tone, volume and rhythm in oral reading—is an important component of fluency. The National Reading Panel describes prosody as “proper expression,” and when teachers are explaining it to their students, they might say, “Try to read like you talk.” Readers who use correct prosody group words into phrases rather than reading word-by-word. This expressive style of reading shows that readers understand what they’re reading, and it helps listeners understand better as well. When we listen to an expressive reader, we’re able to create meaning as they read, just like we create meaning for ourselves as we read silently.


Is it possible to teach prosody, or do kids simply learn it naturally? Tim Shanahan, a leader of the National Reading Panel and former first grade teacher, believes that evidence supports direct teaching of prosody. In a recent blog post, he cites research by Wolters, Kim, & Szura (2022) that found that prosody plays a part in not just fluency but also reading comprehension, because it allows readers to create and maintain meaning in what they read.


The teachers who developed One Minute Reader agree with Shanahan: Prosody matters and should be taught. You can tell that we care about prosody when you listen to the audio recordings of the stories in the Read Along step of our program. The narrators in our audio recordings are real people (not robots!) who emphasize important words while they’re reading, make exclamations sound exciting and questions sound uncertain, and so on. When kids read along with these recordings, imitating expression and phrasing, their prosody and comprehension both improve. Good reading comprehension is dependent on more than reading individual words correctly. In order to make meaning out of text, readers need to develop the ability to “chunk” words into phrases. Kids who work in One Minute Reader are taught this skill through the Read Along step.


In his blog post, Shanahan also mentions that repeated reading, another strategy incorporated into One Minute Reader, has been found to improve the prosody of early readers (Logan, 1997; Stoddard, Valcante, Sindelar, O'Shea, & et al., 1993). When kids practice reading the same passage over and over, as is required in the Read Alone step of One Minute Reader, they are improving their accuracy, their automaticity, and their prosody. Combining the audio-supported Read Along step with the Read Alone step in One Minute Reader gives kids important tools to read more expressively and fluently.


Prosody is emphasized throughout the process as kids work through the steps of One Minute Reader. This focus on prosody not only allows kids to sound like better readers, but it helps them to actually be better readers—readers who are fluent and who comprehend the material.


Check out One Minute Reader to learn more about how teacher modeling and repeated reading work together to develop students' literacy. And be sure to read Shanahan's informative article on the importance of prosody.


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By Anne Hauth September 23, 2025
Reading fluency is a crucial skill that bridges the gap between decoding words and understanding their meaning. One effective strategy to build fluency is repeated reading —a technique where a student reads the same text multiple times until they achieve a level of fluency that feels natural and confident. What Is Repeated Reading? Repeated reading involves selecting a short passage at an appropriate reading level--ideally at or slightly above the student's instructional level. The student reads this passage several times, focusing on improving speed, accuracy, and expression with each reading. This practice allows for mastery of the text, leading to fluent and confident reading. Fluent reading should sound like conversational speaking--natural and expressive. Why Does It Work? Research shows* that repeated reading can lead to significant improvements in reading performance. The benefits include: Improved Word Recognition : By encountering the same words repeatedly, students become more familiar with them, leading to quicker and more accurate recognition. When these words become automatic, the students no longer need to put effort into decoding them. Increased Reading Fluency : Reading the same passage multiple times allows students to build fluency--each time reading it more smoothly and with greater expression. Enhanced Comprehension : As fluency improves, students can focus more on understanding the text, leading to better comprehension. This improvement in comprehension extends to unpracticed passages as well. Increased Confidence : Repeated reading is a form of mastery learning. Many beginning or struggling readers don't often get the opportunity to hear themselves sounding like fluent readers. After reading a passage multiple times, they've mastered it--and they sound great! This is a huge confidence boost that motivates them to keep reading. Repeated Reading at Home Incorporating the repeated reading strategy into your child's home reading routine doesn't have to be complicated or boring. In fact, many kids already do it! You've probably noticed that they often want to read the same book over and over. Don't discourage this--as long as they haven't totally memorized the entire text, they're building skills each time they read it. To work on repeated reading with your child at home, here's a simple strategy: Use an Appropriate Passage : Have your child choose a new short text that is slightly challenging but still within their level. Listen to Your Child Read : Have your child read the passage aloud to you. Note any words that are difficult for them to decode. Read Aloud Together : Read the passage aloud with your child, modeling fluent reading. Do this one to three times. Identify the difficult words together, and provide definitions. Independent Practice : Encourage your child to read the passage independently a few more times, focusing on improving their expression with each reading. Celebrate Progress : Affirm how much your child improved from the first reading to the final reading. Acknowledge their hard work and progress to build confidence and motivation. Additional Tips Keep Sessions Short : Aim for 10- to 15-minute sessions at first, to maintain focus and prevent frustration. Consider Using a Timer : If your child is open to the idea, set a timer each time they read the passage. Note their improvement in time, and celebrate their fluency growth. Make the timing element a fun challenge, but emphasize that this exercise isn't about speed reading--it's about building fluency. Repeated reading is a powerful strategy that can significantly enhance your child's reading ability. If you're looking for an easy-to-use program that incorporates this research-proven strategy, check out One Minute Reader . This program uses repeated reading and gamified learning to help kids at various reading levels build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence. * Dowhower, S. L. (1987). Effects of repeated reading on second-grade transitional readers’ fluency and comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly , 22(4), 389–405. Kuhn, M. R., & Stahl, S. A. (2003). Fluency: A review of developmental and remedial practices. Journal of Educational Psychology , 95(1), 3–21. LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. J. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology , 6(2), 292–323.
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