Rationale: In order for a reader to be more fluent,
they must read faster, smoother, expressively, silently, and voluntarily.
In order to obtain the goal of being a fluent reader, students should read
and reread decodable words in connected texts. The more frequently that
a child experiences a text, the easier it becomes for them to read it.
This lesson focuses on how to help the child learn to read faster. The
child will be timed on repeated readings and the time should improve by
rereading the text over and over. This lesson will focus on increasing
the words read per minute
Materials: The book Race on The Lake by Elizabeth Strauss (Sleek-Vaughn Phonics Readers), stop watch, marker, tape, chart with racetrack on it, and a paper race horse and jockey for each student with their name on it. On the chart write numbers in intervals of 10 to represent the number of words each student reads per minute.
Procedures:
1. Review the correspondence ai = /A/ because it
is used in the book we will he reading. Introduce the lesson by giving
a book talk on Race on The Lake. Ask the student what things
they can do and then tell them that in this book a little girl their age
talks about things that she can do.
2. Read the book Race on The lake in a very slow,
monotone voice. Then stop about halfway through and ask the students if
there is anything I could be doing to read better. (Students respond).
Explain to the students that I should read faster and use more expression
to make the story more interesting. Tell the students why it is hard to
understand a book if you read it slow and you sound like a robot.
3. Reread the book and this time pick up the pace
and add more expression, ask the students if that time was better and what
made it better. (Students respond)
4. Hand out students's racehorse and tell them about
the racing game they will he playing.
5. Time each student on their words per minute reading
Race on the Lake and let them tape their horse on the race track a the
appropriate place, based on the number of words read per minute.
6 Continue to reread and re-time the students each day, allowing them
to move their horse if they improve their words per minute rate.
7. For assessment, simply compare and evaluate the
student's performance from their first time reading and compare it to their
previous or last. If a child gets 60 words per minute and reaches the finish
line. They will be rewarded and get to pick a prize out of the prize box
and they will get a blue ribbon.
References: Koskinen, P.S. & Blum, I.H. (1986). Paired repeated reading. A classroom strategy for developing fluent reading. Former CTRI) student, Christie R. Davis