Publication Date
10-1-1990
Abstract
One of the universal languages of humankind is music, a source of rhythms for toe-tapping, melodies for humming, and lyrics for remembering. Like nursery rhymes, many simple songs contain repetitive and/or predictable language which can serve as a means for teaching sight vocabulary to beginning readers (Bridge, Winograd, and Haley, 1983). Predictable text is characterized by the repetitive pattern of the author and concepts familiar to children (Rhodes, 1981). This repetition may be evident in the rhyme and rhythm of the language and/or the cumulative pattern in stories or songs. By introducing beginning reading vocabulary through music, the children's psychological involvement in the experience is intensified and the range of clues on which they can rely is multiplied (Kuhmerker, 1969). This article describes a procedure for providing children with multiple opportunities to recognize high frequency words in dependable musical contexts.
Recommended Citation
Renegar, S. L. (1990). Using Predictable Songs in Beginning Reading Activities. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 31 (1). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol31/iss1/4
