Expressive Readings

In my classroom this week I am starting my 9th graders into reading The Odyssey. So far, we have gone through the background of Greek Culture, and The Trojan War. In an effort to involve more of my students I had them read, in parts, expressively, the myth "The Labors of Hercules." As we are preparing to read The Odyssey, I was explaining the concept of minstrels, traveling poet/singers/story tellers.

I assigned several students, both higher and lower-level readers, to each read one of the labors of Hercules. I made sure to stack the higher-level readers toward the beginning of the readings. I told them to read for "more than the words." They needed to read with emotion, and amazingly they did.

This assignment not only kept the attention of their classmates, but it also allowed students who typically acted out (often at inappropriate times) focussed on what they were about to read. Then when it was their turn they were more emotional, in their readings, than their higher-level reading classmates. I highly recommend this strategy.