And the Race is On…
Rationale:
In order to
become
successful readers, students must be able to read fluently. In this
lesson
students will reread texts and practice with one minute reads to gain
the
ability to read fast, smooth, and with expression. When children become
fluent
readers, they increase their comprehension which is the ultimate goal
of
reading.
Materials:
Teacher copy of Lee
and
the Team
1 copy of Lee
and the
Team per pair of students
1 stopwatch per
pair of
students
Speed
Record Sheet
Name:________________
Date:__________
1st
time:____
2nd
time:____
3rd
time:____
Procedure:
1.
“Today we are going to work on becoming more fluent when we read.
Fluency is
when someone reads fast, with expression and correctly. Becoming a
fluent
reader takes a lot of time and practice, so today we are going to
practice and
work on becoming fluent readers. We are going to practice becoming
fluent
readers by reading the same book three times. Remember that sometimes
you will
not be able to read every word that you come across. If you come across
a word
you don't know try reading the rest of the sentence or use the cover up
method
(Which is simply covering up a part of the word to give clues about the
word)
to figure out the word as you sound it out.”
2.
"Why do you think it is important for us to be able to read fast? I'll
give you an example. I will read the first sentence very slow. What do
you
think I could do to make this sentence sound better and make it more
fun for
you to listen to? Your right! I can do this by adding expression to the
sentence. Today we are going to work on reading with expression and
fast. We
are going to read the story Lee and the Team three times
so that
we become very familiar with the story, this will help us be able to
read more
fluently.”
3. Next
I will split the group up in pairs. Each pair will receive one book,
one time
sheet per student and one stopwatch per pair. . (If there is an uneven
number,
I will be a child’s partner). I will pass out the book, Lee and the
Team
out to each child and then give each child a Speed Record Sheet. Book Talk: “This book is
about a boy named Lee. He is on a
baseball team. On the day of his game, the team is going to be
late. The team is supposed to run to the game so they will be on
time,
but they do not want to. Will the team make it to the baseball
game on
time? We will have to read to find out!” I will explain that the
student
that is not reading should be timing the other student for one minute,
and then
figure out how many words the student read. I will call for a
volunteer, and
show the students how I want them to do this activity.
4.
"We are going to do this two more times. Remember to use the same
directions as before. If you have any questions raise your hand and I
will come
to your group."
5.
"When you have completed the reading three times. I want each partner
to
come up with three questions relating to the story. I want you to
discuss the
answers while in your group. This will help the students remember that
although
they are reading fast they are also building comprehension.
Assessment:
For
assessment I will collect the speed sheets. I will look to see that
they have
increased their word count each time. The groups will tell the class
what they
have learned from reading the book to ensure that they have built
comprehension.
References:
Brown,
Mary Cox. Speeding into Fluency. http://www.auburn.edu/%7Emurraba/constr/browngf.html
Lee
and the Team. Educational Insights.1990
Mosley,
Meredith. “On your mark, get set, GO!!!”
http://www.auburn.edu/%7Emurraba/invent/mosleygf.html
Ciampi,
Meghan. “Score with Fluency”
http://www.auburn.edu/%7Emurraba/invent/ciampigf.html