A 3rd-grade student with excellent decoding displays which reading issue?

Choosing reading in a monotone without expression accurately reflects a specific reading issue that can occur in students who have the necessary decoding skills but may struggle with the prosody of reading. Prosody includes the rhythm, intonation, and expression of spoken language. Even when a student can accurately decode words, they may not apply appropriate expression during reading if they focus solely on word recognition, leading to a flat or monotone delivery. This can indicate a lack of engagement or a developmental stage where they have not yet mastered the ability to convey meaning through voice modulation despite being able to read words correctly.

In contrast, the other options reflect different contexts or challenges. For instance, reading without understanding the text points to a comprehension issue, which is different from the mechanics of reading. Slow decoding due to lack of practice would relate to the student's fluency in recognizing words, which is not applicable here since the student demonstrates excellent decoding skills. Lack of interest in the material could impact motivation and engagement but does not inherently connect to the student's reading capabilities regarding expression. Therefore, recognizing the issue of monotone reading aligns well with a student who is proficient in decoding yet may be missing the expressive elements of fluent reading.