Prosody
Last updated
Prosody is the expressive part of reading aloud: phrasing, stress, intonation and pacing that match the meaning of the text.
Topic: Reading and writing instruction
In plain terms
A reader with good prosody groups words into meaningful phrases, pauses at punctuation, raises pitch for questions and shows emotion in dialogue. It reflects understanding, not just speed. A student can read quickly and accurately but in a flat, word-by-word way, which may signal weak comprehension. Teachers build prosody by modeling expressive reading, practicing phrasing, and rereading short texts such as poems and scripts.
How it shows up in an IEP
Prosody is usually measured with a short rating scale for phrasing, smoothness and expression. It can be added to a fluency goal alongside WCPM.
Example
After repeated reading practice with a poem, a student's prosody score on a 4-point scale rises from 2 (choppy, two-word phrases) to 3 (mostly meaningful phrases).
Related terms
- Oral reading fluencyOral reading fluency is reading text aloud accurately, at a good rate, and with appropriate expression.
- WCPM (words correct per minute)WCPM is the number of words a student reads correctly in one minute from a passage, used to measure oral reading fluency.
- RubricA rubric is a scoring guide that describes several levels of quality for each part of a task, so work can be scored consistently.
- Reading comprehensionReading comprehension is understanding and making meaning from text, by combining word reading, language knowledge and thinking skills.
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