Punctuation Changes the Voice
Read each line out loud the way its punctuation tells you to. Then circle how it should sound.
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This is sheet #185024601.
How to do it
- Read the line out loud.
- Listen to how the punctuation changes your voice.
- Circle how it should sound.
Teaching tip
Have your student read the matching lines back to back so they can hear the difference. This sheet is aligned with Common Core RF.5.4b.
About this worksheet
Lines to read out loud, including some that differ only by their end mark, like "We won." and "We won?" Students circle telling, asking, excited or upset, trailing off, or sudden stop. Fewer, Standard or More give 6, 8 or 10 lines. Includes an answer key.
What kids practice
Reading with expression means reading out loud so it sounds like real talking, with the voice showing what the words mean. Fifth graders learn how punctuation changes the voice, how stressing one word can change what a sentence means, and how to match a character's tone. They practice on poems and on longer passages, reading each one more than once.
Watch for
- Reading every sentence in the same flat voice, even questions and exclamations.
- Rushing past commas, ellipses and dashes.
- Using a big dramatic voice that doesn't fit what is happening.
- Speeding up to read more words and leaving the expression behind.
It's free to print, with Fewer, Standard or More on the page and an answer key. See the full reading with expression guide for 5th grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. Reading with Expression ChartEight punctuation marks, each with what it tells your voice to do and a line to try, plus six parts of reading with expression: volume, pace, phrasing, tone, stress and character voices. 
3. Stress a Different WordThe same sentences read with a different word highlighted each time, and three meanings to choose from. Fewer, Standard or More give 4, 6 or 8 sentences. Includes an answer key.
4. How Would They Say It?Short situations, each with a line of dialogue and three tones to choose from, like nervous, proud or disappointed. Fewer, Standard or More give 4, 6 or 8 lines. Includes an answer key.
5. Poems to Read AloudFour original poems, each with a tip on how to read it and a three-read checklist for accuracy, punctuation and feeling. New sheet gives a different poem.
6. Timed Reading PassageSix passages of about 225 words, three stories with lots of dialogue and three nonfiction, with a running word count on each line, a score table for three reads and four questions. New sheet gives a different passage. Includes an answer key.
7. Expression RubricA partner rubric for volume, pace, phrasing, tone and character voices, scored from 1 to 4 on two reads, with a total and lines for one part that sounded great and one thing to try next time.