Ready, Set, Go!!

Growing Independence and Fluency

 Micah Moore

 Rationale:
 One of the most important ways to become a fluent reader is to be able to read faster. Reading fluently means to read smoothly, faster, and with expression. Repeated readings have been proven to help improve a student’s reading speed. This lesson will help reinforce fluent reading by allowing students to reread a passage in three, one minute reads. When students become fluent readers, reading will be more enjoyable to them.

Materials:

• Class set of decodable books, Liz is Six
• Stopwatch for every two children
• Post-it-notes
• Progress chart for each child (A race track with a race car that goes around the track. The track will have numbers around it that indicates the number of words read in a minute. The car will stop in front of the number of words the child read.)
• One minute read charts for each child (Speed Record Sheet)
• Fluency rubric for each child
• Pencils

Speed Record Sheet

Name:________________           Date:__________

     1st time:______

    2nd time:______

    3rd time:______

Fluency Literacy Rubric

Name:____________         Evaluator:____________         Date:___________

I noticed that my partner… (color in the circle)

After 2nd                         After 3rd

O                                    O                          Remembered more words

O                                    O                          Read faster

O                                    O                          Read smoother

O                                    O                          Read with expression

Procedures:

 Explain Why
        Introduce the lesson by explaining the importance of fluency. When we reread a text, it helps you comprehend better. Today, we are going to learn how to read smoother and faster. When reader’s read smooth with expression and are faster, they become more fluent. We are going to read the same text three times so that we can learn how to be fluent readers on our own. Remind them that sometimes they will not 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 (When you take a stick or something similar to cover up parts of a word to help focus on one chunk of the word at a time) to figure out the word as they sound it out.  Model this if needed.

Review
        Model how to reread a passage from the text. I am now going to read a sentence to you in different ways. After I am finished, I want you to tell me which way sounded the best to you. Liz is Six is not big. During the first reading, read the sentence like a beginning reader, choppy and slow emphasizing each phoneme. Then read the sentence smoothly and with expression. Could you tell how my reading improved the second time I read the passage? Then the children will practice becoming more fluent readers.

Explain How
        Split the students up into groups of two. (If there is an uneven number, I will be a child’s partner). Pass the books out to each child and then  give each child a Speed Record Sheet and a Fluency Literary Rubric.  

 Model
      Each student is going to read to their partner. One is going to be the “reader” and the other will be the “recorders.”  Explain to the children that after one person reads, they will then switch jobs. They will start at the beginning of the book and read for one minute. I will be in charge of starting the stopwatch and telling the “reader” when to stop. When I tell them to stop, the reader will put a post-it-note on the word they were on. The “recorder” will then count the words that the “reader” read and then record them on the speed record sheet. The “reader” will move their race car up to the number on the track that they read. The “recorder” will also fill in the Fluency Literary Rubric by coloring in the circles that describe how the “reader” did.  They will then switch turns and the “reader” becomes the “recorder.”  They will then follow the same steps in their new jobs. 

Simple Practice
    After the first round, have the students reread for one minute starting at the beginning and using the same steps as they did before. Don’t let them forget to record the number of words they read each time and move their race cars. Remind the “recorder” to be filling in the fluency literary rubric after the second reading.

Whole Text
     Allow the student to repeat these steps three times. We will stop when they have filled in all of the charts. When they are finished, each student will talk to their partner to see how they did.

Assessment
       I will take up the Speed Record Sheet and the Fluency Literary Rubric. Compare the first and last readings. All of the students should have increased each time. The class will also have a discussion about Liz is Six to make sure they comprehend the text. As a treat, read the rest of the book to the class since they more than likely didn’t get to finish it during their minute reads.

References:

Phonics Readers-Short Vowels: Liz is Six.  Educational Insights.  ©1990.

Melton, Shealy. Ready to Race.
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/connect/meltongf.html

Tippett, Dorsey. Race to the Finish Line!
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/connect/tippettgf.html

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