PSLE Oral – What exactly is expressive reading?

Many of the children I coach for PSLE Oral will come in for their coaching sessions and tell me that they have been told to read more expressively. But when asked “what is expressive reading”, most will then share that they don’t actually understand what it means. And without this understanding, it is a challenge for them to improve what they do not have a grasp of.

Expression equals Comprehension

First of all, why is expressive reading important? Because expression equals comprehension. It means that you are able to place yourself into the shoes of the writer and bring to life what each word or phrase means. In order to match the correct expression to the written words, you have to have an accurate understanding of not just the meaning of the words, but also the grammar and the context of each sentence.

Expression is gauged by the listener, not by the speaker

As per all communication elements, how successful you are in communicating is gauged by the listener, not the speaker. So what may seem slightly odd and dramatic to you, may be the necessary tool for the listener to fully grasp the meaning of what you are trying to say. Expressive reading is the skill of reading aloud with variances in pitch, tone, pace and emotion. In other words, you are injecting life into written words by mimicking natural speech patterns and emotional cues so that the listener is able to have an accurate depiction of the written words without having access to the visual representation of the words.

How to coach for expressive reading?

Different children will require different strategies to boost their reading skills and to build up fluency and expressiveness. But here are a few tips to improve reading skills:

Go slow

This will feel extremely strange for some and will in fact feel uncomfortable and too slow. Change is always odd, but speed is fundamental in giving yourself room to make variations to how you speak.

Repeat, repeat, repeat

When something does not go right, or could be done better, attempt it again. Do not just brush over it and keep on going. Train the brain to recognize the problem and convert it into a solution.

Respect the punctuations

Upward tonality for question marks, slight pauses for the commas, big pauses for the full stop, and strong pitch and volume for the exclamation. Simple in theory but it needs to be executed well.

Be brave

Don’t hold back. Good reading skills requires a certain degree of boldness. Step out of your comfort zone and be a performer for a few minutes.  

Written by Siew Ling Hwang, Founder, Discovering Potential Pte Ltd

www.discoveringpotential.com.sg

Siew Ling is the founder of Discovering Potential and she specialises in providing Interview Skills Coaching and Communication Skills Coaching to youths and adults. Her experience includes both 1-on-1 coaching and workshop coaching for clients that come from a wide range of industries and age groups. 

Siew Ling coaches students for their PSLE Oral examinations. She is also the author of the PSLE SBC Guidebook. In addition, Siew Ling coaches students for their Primary 6 and JC DSA interviews as well as university entrance interviews in many areas including medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, law, business, accounting, renaissance engineering and more for both local Singapore universities and overseas universities. She has also coached students for scholarship interviews including ASEAN scholarship, PSC scholarships, SAF scholarships, MOH scholarships, MOE scholarships and others. 

In 2024, the candidates that Siew Ling coached have received confirmed DSA P6 offers for the following schools:

• RI, RGS, HCI, NYGH, MGS, SCGS, NUSH, Dunman High, St Nicholas Girls, Crescent Girls, SOTA, NJC, TJC, Chung Cheng High, Nan Hua, Nan Chiau High, Maris Stella, Fairfield Methodist, Catholic High, Temasek Sec, Victoria School, Singapore Sports School as well as entrance into international schools including SJII, ACSI and HCI. 

  
  

Her 5 star Google reviews can be seen on the homepage www.discoveringpotential.com.sg