I Can Read!
Growing Independence and Fluency
Rationale: This lesson is designed to help students become more fluent in their reading. Repeated reading is essential in helping children master fluency. Children must read everyday in order to reach mastery in reading fluency. This lesson will help students read more fluently.
Materials: Four books new to all the children, four different puppets.
Procedures:
1. I will begin the lesson by giving a book talk for each of the four
books. The purpose of these book talks will be to raise the interest
of the children in these books.
2. Divide the class into four groups and let each group choose a puppet
and a book. Each child will read the book twice once normally then,
once with expression and being more fluent than before while the rest if
the group listens tentatively. Remind the students if they come to
a word they do not know, just blend the words using the sounds of each
phoneme.
3. After reading the books each group will be told to pick an order
in which their group will read the book to the rest of the class.
4. Each person from each group will read aloud their part of the book
with the puppet. The books will switch groups during the week so
that each group is able to read all four books. The above process
from the first day will be repeated and the groups will switch puppets.
Each group will have the opportunity to use each puppet. Each student
will have the opportunity to read aloud to the class each of the four days.
This is how I will assess their individual reading. I will keep a
checklist of the word miscues as well as a sheet that describes the flow
of the student’s reading.
5. This activity may last for four days or more. Books can be
added and the activity could last longer. To wrap up the lesson each
day, the teacher will read an entirely new book to students to model reading
fluently and expressively.
Reference: Eldredge, J.L. (1995). Teaching Decoding in Holistic Classrooms. New Jersey: Printice Hall (p. 125).
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