INCREASING COMPREHENSION FOR SONG LYRICS FOR TALENT SHOW SUCCESS USING THE SOUNDS OF WORDS

My reading students chose to participate in their annual talent show recently. They chose to sing along with songs they liked. Once they selected a song, I copied the lyrics for them. Then we used The Sounds Of Words to read and learn the lyrics. After learning all of the words to the song, they learned to sing each word as we played the selection. When they became comfortable singing along with the selection, they added costume and movement.

The students selected a variety of songs and styles of music. They worked hard to read and memorize the words correctly, and to learn to sing along with the melody. One student even chose to learn to use sign language to "sing" the words to one song. All of them practiced and learned to sing along with "God Bless The USA" for the finale.

The night of their performance the students said they were nervous. However, when each one stepped onto the stage, the practice and learning was evident. They sang along with the selections, correctly hitting every word, every note. The audience of parents, support professionals, team leaders, and directors thoroughly enjoyed each individual performance at the annual talent show!