Teach Phonics, Advanced Word Patterns, and Fluency with Karaoke

Did you know that Beat It by Michael Jackson repeats the -ea, -igh, and -an sounds?  The classic song, Stand by Me by Ben E. King repeats consonant blends.  Karaoke is an extremely effective way to review phonics skills, advanced word patterns, and build fluency.  Many websites such as www.azlyrics.com and more can provide free lyrics to songs.

Younger Students

For younger students, Michael Jackson songs, Ben E. King Stand by Me, My Girl by The Temptations and Katy Perry Wide Awake are surefire kid hits.  Each student is given a copy of the lyrics.  The rule is they must read the words while singing.

Older Students

For older students, create karaoke song lists using popular radio music (that have edited lyrics and the instrumental version).  Older students love this so much too!  Editing assists educators with being "creative" with lyrics. Add prefix and suffix patterns that fit the lesson that you are currently working on.  Karaoke is especially helpful for older students that need extra phonics assistance too but might shy away from traditional word study practice.  

When organizing music in your karaoke binder, identify the sounds or affixes that are constantly repeated in the songs.  For example, Beat It by Michael Jackson repeats the -ea, -igh, -an, and -ear word patterns.  Stand By Me by Ben E. King repeats consonant blend patterns such as the st-, cr-, and fr- sounds.  

This makes a great whole class activity or can be used as a fluency and/or phonics center.

Also include reader's theater.  Alternate between karaoke, reader's theater, and traditional phonics or fluency practice.

Click Here For Long Vowel Sound Reader's Theater