Rationale- Fluency is an
important part of reading. Teaching children to read fast, with
expression, and
without mistakes develops fluency. We will use timing today to increase
fluency.
Materials-
The book:
Caps for
A chart made with a track
and stick on cars to track progress
Stopwatch
Fluency chart for each
child
Time sheet for each child
Procedure
1. I will introduce the lesson by
letting each
child know that reading fluently takes a lot of practice.
Explain that fluency is when someone reads
fast and also reads with expression and correctly. (Model how
each of
these terms would apply to their reading). Then explain that we
are going
to practice becoming fluent by reading the same book three times. Remind them that sometimes they will now know
every word they come across. Tell them that when this happens,
they need
to either read the rest of the sentence, or use the “cover up” method
to figure
out the word as they sound it out. Model this if needed.
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 of Caps
for
3. Next I will split the
class up in pairs. If the number is
uneven I will pair up the student. Each
pair will receive a book and a speed sheet .
4. Tell the students that
one person is going to read and the other is going to be record the
times.
Explain that after the first person has read, they will switch places. I will explain that each time they read they
will begin at the beginning of the story and read for one minute. I will also tell them that I will keep the
time, so I will tell them when to start and stop. When
I say stop the child reading will put
their finger on the word where they stopped and the child who is
recording will
count the words to the child’s finger and write them on the speed
sheet. The
child’s whose turn it is reading will move their car to the number of
words on
the race track. . The child
recording will also circle the areas there partner did well in during
this
reading. They will then switch turns and
the child reading becomes the one recording. They will then
follow the
same steps in their new jobs.
5. for the second and
third rounds let them use the same directions as before.
Remind them to fill in the speed sheet and
the fluency rubric.
6.
When they have completed reading
three times, have them talk to their partners about how they did.
Have
them ask each other what they think they have learned through this
exercise.
7. For assessment I will
collect the speed sheets and fluency rubrics . I will look to see
that
they have increased each time. We will also discuss the book we have
read to
check for comprehension. I will also
give them something fun to do with this story for comprehension by
having them
draw a picture and tell their favorite part to the class.
This would be something great to display to
show what we learned from our story.
References:
Slobodkina, Esphyr. CapsFor Sale.
Scholastic Inc. 1968.