"Race to the Top with Reading!"
Growing Independence and Fluency
Rationale:
The goal for all students is to become fluent readers. Fluent reading is being
able to have automatic word recognition and with that the students reading
become smoother, faster, and more expressive. A great way to help build fluency
is through repeated readings. In this lesson children will work in pairs reading
a book and charting their progress. This will be beneficial to practicing and
gaining reading fluency.
Materials:
Student copies of Night at the Shore by Matt Sims
Word Count sheet for each student (see example)
Reading Evaluation Form for each student (see example)
timer for each pair of students
Progress Fluency chart for each student (This will be a monkey that moves up the
tree to the bananas. Numbers that indicate the number of words read in a minute
will be placed on each branch as he moves up the tree. Each time the child reads
the text, they will move their monkey to the appropriate number. This will help
to visually show the students their progress. These charts will be kept and used
in future fluency lessons. At the end of our fluency lessons, the students will
be able to take them home so that they will be encouraged to practice fluency at
home.)
Word Count Sheet
Name: _________________
Date: ________________
The first time I read ___________ words.
The second time I read __________ words.
The third time I read _________ words.
Reading Evaluation
Name: _______________ Date: _________
Evaluator: _______________
My partner……… (Fill in circle)
After 2nd time
After 3rd time
Read faster
O
O
Read more smoothly
O
O
Read with expression
O
O
Read the most words
O
O
Procedures:
1) "Today we are going to practice fluency; this will help us to read faster and
smoother. We all want to be skillful readers and to achieve that goal we all
need to practice. I am going to show you an example. Listen closely so you can
help tell me what I need to do. Read the sentence "Bobby and Sue went to the zoo
and saw many animals." (Teacher reads
very slowly). "How did that sound?
My words didn't flow together, and I
kept stopping and I was reading too slowly. I am going to read it again listen
to see if it sounds better. (Teacher read faster but not using expression)
"Did that sound better? What
did I do differently? That's right,
I read it faster. I am going to
read it one more time so I want everyone to listen." (Teacher reread it using
speed and using expression. "That
time, I read the sentence quickly and my words flowed together smoothly. Did you
notice how my voice went up and down as I read certain words?
That is called expression. This is what makes a fluent reader. To become
a fluent reader we need practice so today we are going to practice and use our
chart to make our progress on all becoming fluent readers."
2) Explain to the students what they are
going to be doing. "Today we are going to work on reading using speed, to gain
fluency. To help us do this we are going to the read the same book three times.
Each time that we read it, we will become more familiar with the words in the
book which will help us read more fluently, being able to have automatic word
recognition also helps us to become fluent readers."
3) Divide the class into pairs (2
students). Give each pair of
students a copy of Night at the Shore
along with two speed record sheets and reading evaluation rubric for your
partner.
4) Give Book talk: Pierce and Sandy are bored on a night that is stormy. When
Pierce dares Sandy to race to the top of the light house she takes the
challenge. When they get to the top they see someone in danger. What should they
do? Are they going to be able to help? Let's read and find out.
5) Give the students directions for the
fluency activity: "In this activity each of you will have a turn at reading the
book and being the listener. The listener will time the student who is reader
with the timer. Read the entire book and the person with the time will time you.
. Your partner will count the words the reader read and record the data in the
chart given. Then after that you will switch jobs. You will repeat this until
each of you has read the book 3 times. Remember that each time you read begin at
the beginning of the book. After each
child has done each job three times, both students need to fill out the reading
evaluation. Make sure your name is on it because the teacher will take them up."
6) Give each student their own fluency
chart. This will be to chart their progress. Explain how they are to use them.
"You are going to use these chart to help monitor your fluency. The numbers that
are going up the tree represent how many words you are able to read correctly.
After each time you read and count your words, move your monkey up the tree to
that number. Each time that you read, your monkey should move closer to the
bananas at the top of the tree. We will be using these in later activities, so
make sure to take care of them. At the end of the today's activity, I will take
them up and hold onto them for you."
7) Once everyone has finished reading
three times and filling out the charts, I will ask the students to be sure their
name and the date is on their charts. Have students turn it their work so that
you can chart their progress as well.
Assessment:
Evaluate the Word Count Sheet and the Reading Evaluation Rubric. On the Word
Count Sheet, compare times for each reading. . The time should have decreased..
On the Reading Evaluation Rubric, each student should have accomplished each of
the goals by the 3rd reading.
Comprehension Question For story:
1) Who was the story about?
2) What was the dare?
3) What did they see from the light house?
4) What happens to Sandy and Peirce? Who do they help?
5) What happened to the man and child's boat to make them stranded?
6) What happened
on Sandy and Peirce's way back to shore?
Resources:
Murray, Dr. Bruce. Developing Reading Fluency.
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/fluency.html
Young, Emily. (2007). "Race into Fluency!"
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/odysseys/younggf.html.