Growing
Leah Steiner
Ready, Set, Read!!!
Growing
Leah
Steiner
Rationale:
In order for a child to read fluently he or she should be able to read
faster
and smoother than when they first started to read. When a child
is able
to decode words automatically and effortlessly reading becomes a much
more
enjoyable experience for them. The way to accomplish this is for
the
child to read and reread decodable words in a connected text. The
more
children work with a particular piece of text, the more fluent the text
becomes
to them. This lesson will help children learn how to read faster
and more
smoothly.
Materials: Sentence strips
with
different sentences written on them (My dad and I ran home for dinner
because
we were late), (I hit a home run at the baseball game and I was so
excited!).
There will be one sentence strip for every group of two students. A
variety of
books for each group of two students to practice reading faster. Each
student
will have a record chart. (They will be able to choose a track with a
runner, a
football field with a runner (the yard lines being the number of
words), or a
tree with bananas and a monkey. Pencils.
Procedure:
1. Let's begin by talking about how
important it
is for readers to read both quickly and smoothly. Not only does
it sound
better when we read this way, but it also helps us to make more sense
of what
we are reading. This means that the stories are more interesting
and fun
to read. Let me show you. I am going to read a sentence one
time
through just like a beginning reader would and then I am going to read
it again
like a really good reader would read it. Listen closely to the
difference.
"M-y-ddd-a-d-a-nd-I-rrr-an-ho-m-f-o-rr-d-d-I-n-e-r-be-cause-weee-w-w-e-r-l-l-la-te."
That didn't sound quite right did it? Now let me read it
again.
Notice my speed this time. "My dad and I ran home for dinner because we
were late." That sounds much better doesn't it? What are
some
things that I did differently in the second sentence than in the first
sentence?
2. Now I want you to get into groups of two. I am going to give
you each
a sentence to work with (My dad and I ran home for dinner because we
were
late). I want you to read the sentence through for the
first time out
loud to each other. Listen to the way that it sounds the first
time that
you read it. Then I want you to read the sentence silently to yourself
at least
five times through. Reading the sentence repeatedly will help you with
your
speed. Then I want you to read the sentence again out loud to
your
partner. Notice how different it sounds this time. What
makes it
sound better? Did it sound better when you read it fast or
slow?
Great job!!!
3. Now let's try this with a real book! I am going to give each
group a
book to read. While one of you reads the book the other one is
going to
be the timer. You will be timed for one minute. Read as
many words
as you can. If you come to a word that you do not know, use the
cover up
method to try to figure it out. If you still cannot figure it out
look at
the rest of the sentence. If that doesn't work, ask your partner
for
help. I will also be walking around to help you. We are
going to do
this several times so that you can become a faster reader!
4. After one minute is up you will count how many words you read and
place your
runner on that number on the track. Then you will switch and your
partner
will do the same thing. Before you start all over, make sure you
move
your runner or monkey to the correct spot on your chart and write the
number of
words you read beside it. (If you read more words move the object
further, and
if you read fewer words move the object back. “I bet after a couple of
times
reading the book, your runner will get farther and farther on the
track.
Let's see· Ready, Set, Read!”
Assessment: I will
assess the
students by looking at their progress chart. They will mark on
the track
where they began and where they ended and turn it in for me to
evaluate.
Eldredge, J. Lloyd. Teaching Decoding in
Holistic
Classrooms.
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/discov/orsogf.html
(Discoveries, On your mark, get set, read!)