Reading Like a Cheetah
Growing Independence and Fluency
Rationale:
This lesson will help students become more fluent in reading. Fluent reading is
important in becoming a successful reader. When you are a fluent reader you will
better be able to comprehend what you are reading. This lesson will help
studnets be more fluent reader because it will make the reading more familiar
there for improving their speed, make their reading smoother, and read with more
expression. Student will become fluent buy participating in repeated readings of
decodable text.
Materials:
White board/marker
Fun in the Hills- a copy for each student
Checklist for each student
Procedure:
Explain to students that fluent reading is reading recognizing words as soon as
you see the words and you read smoothly and with expression. Fluency will help
you read quickly and will help you understand the story better. To practice
fluency we are going to do some repeated readings. As you read it the story will
become more familiar and easier to understand.
Let's remind ourselves how we are going to figure out words that we do not know.
Ask students if they know a way. One way we could figure out a word we do not
know is by using our cover up critter. We could use our cover up critter to
decode the word couch. We cover up everything but the c we now that says /c/
then we uncover the ou ccc ooo uu now uncover the ch say cccooouucchh c-ou-ch oh
couch!
Now we are going to demonstrate being a fluent reader. I am going to read a
sentence two ways to you and you tell me which way sounds better. I like to read
books. IIIII lllliiiikkkeee toooooo rrreeeeaaaddd boookkkkss. That's right, the
first way I read the sentence sounded better. The best way to become fluent is
to practice. When you read something over and over it makes it easier for you to
recognize the words and be able to understand what the story is saying.
I am now passing out Fun in the Hills. Ted and Sam are hiking to the top of the
hill. They run into all kinds of things on the way up there. They finally make
it up the hill. What do you think they are going to find when they get up there?
You are going to have to read to find out. After the book talk explain to the
student that they are going to be reading to a partner and they are going to be
listening to how fluently you read after each time you read it using a
checklist. Show students the checklist and explain that you will listen to your
partner read the story three times. After the second time you check whether your
partner read the story remembered more words, read faster, read smoother, and
read with expression. Do the same thing for your partners third time and then
switch partners and do the same thing.
Assessment:
To see if students reading is improving, after students have finished their
repeated reading I will call each student to the back table individually to read
the book to me. I will time them reading the book then count the number of words
are in the story. I will then calculate their fluency by using the fluency
formula, total wordsx60/seconds it took to read the story.
References:
Flying with Fluency by Lauren Thomas
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/doorways/thomaslgf.htm
Fluency Check list:
I notice that my partner…
After 2nd
After 3rd
_____
_____
Remembered more words
_____
_____
Read faster
_____
_____
Read smoother
_____
______
Read with expression