Read and Rescue!!!

Joslyn Vilabrera

Rationale:  For children to enjoy reading they must develop a more fluent reading speed that would make reading enjoyable and increase the number of books they read overall. When their reading speed increase their desire to read also increase, which could eventually lead children to become avid readers. This lesson helps children to develop their reading speed by reading and rereading and gradually increasing the number of words each time.

Materials:         Poster board
                          E. B. White   Stuart Little
                          Pencils
                          Timer
                          Construction paper
                          Chalk and chalkboard
                          Overhead projector
                          Transparency with pages 1,2,3, of Stuart Little copied onto
                                                for your initial modeling
                          A wide variety of books  (preferably book that the children have read
                                    before and is within their zone of proximal development. For example:
                                                Angel Child, Dragon Child   by Michele Maria Surat
                                                Mathew and Tilly by Rebecca C. Jones
                                                Where the Wild Thing Are   by Maurice Sendak
                                                 Max and Maggie in Autumn   by Janet Craig
Draw a large ladder onto the poster board with the markers. Label each rung on the ladder in increments of five words.  Cut out a rabbit, a snake and a burrow from a magazine or on an Ellison machine. (You can use other types of animals)

Make a copy of the reading log for each student. (See figure 2) Prior to teaching the lesson have student draw their own ladder and cut out the animals they wish to use.

Procedures:
1. Begin by telling the students. “Today we are going to play a game called Read and Rescue (holding up the game pieces).
2. Explain “The objective of to read the number of words or more on the ladder where Rita Rabbit is standing. That means that you will have to read faster and faster each time to save Rita Rabbit from being eaten by the sneaky snake. If you do not read the number of words within the time and number of chances given the sneaky snake get to move up the ladder five words.
3. Before you get started review with students how they can use cover-ups to help them identify words while reading. First thing you do is to cover up all the letters around the vowel in the word and sound the vowel out then uncover the consonant in front of the vowel and add that sound to the vowel sound then add the consonants sound after the vowel and blend all together.
4. Stress that they have five chances to read the number of words needed to move Rita Rabbit up the ladder and away from danger. So they do not have to skip words or jumble words together. Explain “Your reading must be fluent so you and I can understand what is being read.”
5. If you read the number of words before the timer goes off continue reading. This will help Rita move up the ladder quickly.
6. “ Now I am going to demonstrate the difference between reading fast and reading slow.” While I am reading I would like everyone listen carefully so you’ll can tell me why they different.  (Read very slow and word by words)
7. Now read at your normal speed, but not to fast to prevent the children from understanding what is being read.
8. Can anyone tell me what made them difference?   Yes!   When I read the paragraph word by words it made it harder for you to understand what I was reading.
9. Now I would like everyone to open your copy of Stuart Little to the first page and we’ll read together. Our first rescue goal is to read 45 words 1 minute. Then we will increase it to 50, then 55 and so on, but remember you have five chances to reach that rescue goal.  I will set the timer and when I say start I want everyone to start reading silently. After the timer rings if you have or have not reach your rescue goal you must start reading again from the beginning. This will help you to keep track of how many words you have read so you can rescue you animal from danger.
10. Have student continue reading and increase the number of words per minute as they reach the rescue goal. (You can set different rescue word goals depending on the students).

Assessment:     Pass out the reading log to students and have students come up individually to do a one minute read to you and record the information then have the student go back and try to better that first reading.

Reference:     Wilson, Paul, (1998). Stories and Readers Among Nonreaders: Voluntary Reading, Reading Achievement, and the Development of Reading Habits
 

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