93 Rhythm Walk
Janelle Scott
Strategy Overview
A Rhythm walk is a movement that focuses on the fluidity, appropriate speed, and natural phrasing of fluent reading. As students repeat the walk, they demonstrate remarkable growth in their fluency, and as their confidence grows, they begin to add variety to their steps and move and read in creative ways.
Peebles (2007) shows the success and importance of this strategy by quoting Jensesn who says, “Therefore, incorporating the element of movement into fluency instruction has been pivotal in motivating my students to participate in the proven method of repeated reading. Not only are students keen to ‘get up and move,’ but also I believe movement conceptualizes the rhythmic nature of fluent, expressive reading and allows children to experience and “feel” how fluent reading should sound, while enhancing the learning process by stimulating the neural pathways responsible for retention and cognition” (p. 578).
Strategy in Action
Student Example (from Patton, 2016, p. 48)
Before lesson begins, place the rhythm walk cards on the ground. To create rhythm walk cards, place one or two words on each card so that with each step the students will naturally read the words on the cards in a steady beat. The cards should be placed in order of where they appear in the poem. Say, “Today we are going to talk about the beat and rhythm of dance and reading.” Ask, “Who can tell me what they know about the beat of music?”
Say, “The steady beat of music is like the heartbeat of a song. It’s constant and steady and it keeps the song moving forward. Let’s see if we can identify the beat in a few songs.” Play a few songs and have the students tap their toes to the beat.
Say, “Now that we know how to find the beat of music, let’s figure out what the difference is between beat and rhythm. What do we know about rhythm?”
Say, “The rhythm of a song may be the steady beat, but it could also be more individualized. Remember how we did stomp, clap, stomp, stomp, clap? We kept the beat going, but we added a rhythm to it. Let’s practice making some rhythms with our body. We will do an echo, I’ll give you a rhythm, and then you’ll do it back.” Give three or four rhythms by patting knees, clapping, stomping, etc.
Say, “Now let’s make a connection. How do these concepts relate to reading?”
Say, “When we read we want to keep a steady beat or rate. When we read at a good rate, it helps us better comprehend the text.”
Teacher Tips:
- Allow students to move and connect with the rhythm so they are grasping the purpose and connection of rhythm to reading.
Related Resources
Haasch, A. L. R. (2016). Teaching english rhythm: The importance of rhythm and strategies to effectively incorporate rhythm practice within content lessons. School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations, Article 4247.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4247
Patton, N. (2016). Fluency: A steady beat in the making. Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects, Paper 647. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/647
References
Peebles, J. L. (2007). Incorporating movement with fluency instruction: A motivation for struggling readers. The Reading Teacher, 60(6), 578–581. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.60.6.9
