Growing Independency and Fluency
- Rationale: When trying to be a successful reader it is important that you can read fluently. One way to become a fluent reader is to read frequently and repeat and reread what you have already read. Through repeated readings, readers can increase their fluency and build they confidence in their reading abilities. Also, repeated readings help students gain a greater and wider knowledge of the texts that they have read. Fluent readers will eventually read with enthusiasm and excitement. This in turn will make the experience more pleasurable for listeners. Being a fluent readers also helps readers with comprehension and understanding of texts. In this lesson I will use repeated one minute reads.
- Index cards with tape or post it notes
- A stopwatch for every pair of students
- Class set of decodable books, „Fuzz and the Buzzš decodable text by Sheila Cushman (1990 by Educational Insights)
- Kite progress board maps with spaces ranging from 0-85 (numbers should be erasable incase students need higher numbers)
- Kite tails for students to trace their progress on their progress boards
- Fluency time sheets to mark students scores as seen at bottom of page
1. I will start the lesson by explaining to students what being a fluent readers means and why it is important that students are fluent readers. Students, today we are going to begin working on a new special skill for reading. We are going to learn to be fluent readers. This means that we can read a text easily and with an appropriate speed. We also need to have excitement and enthusiasm in our voice so that others can enjoy what we read. Being fluent is important because it helps you become a better reader and you can understand your readings better.
2. Then tell students that they will be working to become fluent readers by practicing timed repeated readings. Students, today we will practice repeated readings. This means we will read a passage for one minute. We will stop after one minute and see how many words you have read. We will do this several times and count the words each time. It is important to remember what you read. Reading quickly is important but it is also important that you understand what you are reading.
3. Model how to reread a passage from a text. Students I am going to read a sentence to you several different days. When I have finished I want you to tell me which way sounds the best. (Read text slow and choppy the first time. The second time read in steadily but with out expression. Finally read the sentence smoothly and with expression.) Can you tell how my reading got better each time I read the text? You see each time I read the text I got better. That means each time you read a text you will get better. That is how rereading things make us better readers. Which one sounded best, the first, second, or third way I read? Then have students practice becoming more fluent readers.
4. Provide each pair of students with the decodable book Fuzz and the Buzz, a stopwatch, a progress board, and a fluency time sheet. Let‚s try rereading texts to become more fluent in our pairs with a book of our own! Fuzz is a playful bear. Fuzz like to have fun all the time. Let's read and find out what happens to Fuzz while he is playing outside. As you read the book, your partner is going to time you for one minute. Read as many words as you can and stop when your partner says stop. If you see a word that you do not know, try to sound it out and then read the rest of the sentence. If you still can not figure out the word ask for help. After the minute is completed, place the note card or the post it note where you stopped reading. Then go back to where you started and count all of the words that you read during your reading. Write that number in the first blank for you fluency time sheet and move your kite tail up to that number on the kite string. Then, swap with your partner. After your partner has completed swap back. Complete this three times recording each of your outcomes.
5. After you have completed your readings and filled in the chart, talk with your partner to see how you did.
Assessment: To assess my students I will call each student up tom me to do a final one minute read. This will individually assess reading fluency. Also, I will collect the charts that each student completed to assess how they worked as a pair.
Clabby, Caitlin. Ready.. Set.. Go.. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/persp/clabbygf.html
Name: _______________________ Date:________________________
Title of Book: _________________
1st timed reading: ______________
2nd timed reading:______________
3rd timed reading:______________
Name of stopwatch holder: ________________________
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