Junie B

Junie B. Jones and Some Fabulous Fluency

Growing Independency and Fluency

Rationale: It is imperative students learn to read fluently. Fluent readers are accurate, automatic and clear. The goal of this lesson is to teach students to read fluently using timed, repeated reading. By gaining fluency, children are able to concentrate on the meaning of the text and comprehend, instead of decoding words.

Materials:

Copy of Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying by Barbara Park for each student

Stopwatch for each pair

Pencil for all students

Speed reading record time sheet for all students

Reading evaluation sheet for all students

Procedure:

1. Explain the purpose of the lesson to the students. Say: "Today we are going to learn how to be more fluent readers. Fluent readers read rapidly and correctly. Reading rapidly means to read fast and smooth. We don't want our reading to sound choppy. Fluency is important to understand the meaning of a book. This way, you won’t be distracted trying to figure out what word the letters make and you can focus on the meaning of those words. Remember to not get discouraged if you come to a word you don't know! We all do that. Remember to use the cross- checking technique by reading to the end of the sentence to figure out if the word makes sense with the sentence.

2. In order to model fluency for the children, write a sentence on the board, such as Junie B. Jones is in kindergarten. Say: "Alright boys and girls, first I am going to read this sentence without fluency. Listen to how choppy and unsmooth it sounds, and how it is read with no expression. J-u-n-i-e/B./J-o-n-e-s/i-s/i-n/k-i-n-d-e-r-g-a-r-t-e-n. Is this a good way to read the sentence? No, it's not! Listen to how I read the sentence this time. Junie---B.---Jones--is--in--kindergarten. That time it was better, but was it as smooth as we want it? Nope, it wasn't! Now listen as I read the sentence again. Junie B. Jones is in kindergaten. How did that sound? Good, it sounded smooth and un-choppy. I made my sentence flow, I read it pretty quickly, and you could understand me easily. That is how a fluent reader reads a sentence, which is what we are going to practice today!

3. Say: "Now we are going to read a book called Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying. We are going to practice our fluency while we read this book. Junie B. Jones is in kindergarten and has a great teacher named Mrs. Junie thinks she is the best spy ever because she is so sneaky, but when she spies on Mrs. Junie learns something and she’s not sure if she should tell anyone. Will Junie tell anyone what she saw? Will she get in trouble for spying on Mrs.? We'll have to read to find out! First, I am going to read some of the story to you, and I want you to notice how I read fluently. Everyone get their listening ears on! (Teacher reads first five pages of chapter one to class, modeling fluency).

4. Instruct the students to read the rest of chapter one to themselves, practicing their fluency. Walk around the classroom, observing each child as they read.

5. Say: "Now that you have heard me read this book fluently, it's your turn. You are going to practice reading fluently with your reading partner. You have a stopwatch and a book on your desk (passed out to the class beforehand). One of you will be the reader and the other will be the timer. Then, you will switch jobs. When it is your turn, I want to you read as fluently as you can. Remember, fluent reading means reading smoothly and not choppy. I want each of you to read to page 15. When your partner gets that far, stop the stopwatch. Write that number in your progress chart I have put on each of your desks, labeled "Speed Reading Progress Sheet". Remember to fill out your partner's chart of fluency, marking what you noticed about his/her reading. Then switch and the previous timer will now be the reader and read from page 11 to page 15 while the previous reader becomes the timer and uses the stopwatch to time their partner’s reading. Again, note the time on the “Speed Reading Progress Sheet” for your partner and write down anything you noticed about their reading.

6. While the students are reading, walk around the room to make sure everyone is on task, and to make sure each student is timing each other. Also make sure everyone is able to use the timers properly.

7. After everyone has completed their reading, instruct the students to read the rest of chapter two to themselves, practicing their fluency. Walk around the classroom, observing each child reading.

8. Assessment: To assess the students' ability to read with fluency, the teacher will individually access each student. She will meet with each student individually and look over the progress sheets and fluency timings that have been recorded during partner reading. She will also assess their comprehension of the story by asking them simple questions about the parts they have read thus far i.e.: "Why is Junie a very good spier?" "How did Junie wake up her brother Ollie?" "Why does Junie want to know where Mrs. lives?" If there is concern about a student's ability to read fluently, the teacher will assess the student herself using Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying. Additional help will be given if needed.

References:

Murray, Bruce. Developing Reading Fluency.

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/fluency.html

Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying. Scholastic Inc. 1994.

Fancy Fluency, by Carmen Harper

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/doorways/harpercgf.htm

Speed Reading Progress Sheet:

Name: _______________________ Partner's Name: ___________________

How many words read:

1st Read:

2nd Read:

3rd Read:

Chart of Fluency:

Name:_____________________ Partner's Name: ____________________

My Partner: ( Put x's under time)

After 2nd time: After 3rd time:

Read Faster: