INCREASING COMPREHENSION FOR SONG LYRICS USING THE SOUNDS OF WORDS

Today, I helped a learner planning to sing a self-selected country song for a talent show this fall. He has listened to the music on the radio and already knows some of the words. He enjoys singing along with the parts of the lyrics he has learned. Since he wants to sing that song in the talent show, he must know all the words. So, this morning, I helped him decode, say, and type all the lyrics. He enjoys the song and will enjoy singing it in the show.

Because every word is concretely and multi-sensorily decodable, and because The Sounds of Words applies phonics, B is now able to learn to read every word of the lyrics. Because he is able to read every word, he is able to learn to sing every word of the song. He will eventually commit each word to memory, and then he will sing the entire song in the show.

Two years ago, B was not well-versed in the sounds of words. He sang along with a song in that year's talent show but had not memorized some of the words. He was unable to sing all the lyrics. He had difficulty with consistent focus. Now, practicing The Sounds Of Words, he has learned to focus on the words he needs to learn, to decode and read them. He will enjoy singing all the lyrics of this year's song!