Fancy and Fluent
A Growing Independence and Fluency Design
Rationale: It is extremely
important for students to be able to read with fluency. In order for students to
become expert readers, students must be able to recognize words effortlessly and
with speed. In this lesson,
students will practice reading fluently with one minute reads and by reading a
text through multiple times.
Materials:
Copies of Diary of a Spider for
each student, cover up critters, one-minute reads recording sheets, fluency
checklists, stopwatches (one for each pair of students), whiteboard, dry erase
marker
Procedures:
1. I will introduce the
lesson by talking to the students about what reading fluently means and
explaining that the more fluent you read, the more of an expert reader you will
be. Say: "Reading fluently means that you are able to recognize words
effortlessly and quickly. When you are able to read fluently, you will be able
to remember and understand more of the story you are reading.
When reading fluently, you can read a passage in a short amount of time
without stopping to sound out individual words. One way we can work on reading
fluently is to read a text more than once. With each reading of the text, you
get a little faster. Today, we will practice fluency by reading a text more than
once."
2. Say: "Let's review some skills that we have been working
on that help us decode words. If I was reading a story and saw the word take
[write word on board] and didn't know what that word was, what is the first
thing I should do? [allow students to answer] Yes! I should get out my cover up
and try to sound it out. First, we have to look at the special spelling of this
word. We know that the spelling take follows the special rule of a silent
e that makes the
a say it's name /A/. Now we uncover
the rest of the word to figure out what that word is." I will uncover the rest
of the word and show the students how to fully decode the word
talk.
3. Say: "Now we are ready
to learn how to practice fluent reading. I am going to read a sentence twice and
I want you to tell me which one sounds better. I will write it on the board so
you can follow along with me. "Babe sits in her cage." "Bbbbaabbbbeee
sssiiitttss iiinnnn hhhheeeerrr ccccaagggee." Which one says better to you? I
agree! The first one sounds much better."
4. Say: "Now, I am going to
pass out copies of Diary of a Spider
to everyone. Have you ever heard of a spider writing in its diary? Today, we are
going to read book and see into the life of a spider. Let's read to see what
happens during a spider's day!" Then, I will instruct the students that they
will be reading the story multiple times and completing a fluency checklist for
their partner. A fluency checklist checks for remembering words, reading faster,
reading smoother, and reading with expression. "Each one of you will work with
the person next to you and read the story to them. As your partner is reading,
you should look for the following things: Does your partner remember the words?
Do they read faster than last time? Do they read smother than last time? Are
they reading with expression? The first time your partner reads the story to
you, you will not mark anything down. The second and third time they read it
you, you will complete the chart to show where they have improved."
5. The last activity to be
done will be a one-minute read. One partner will have a stopwatch and the other
will read. They will time each
other to see how many words they can read in one minute.
6. I will assess the
students by having each student do a one-minute read with me of
Diary of a Spider.
I will check to see if the child's
number of words read per minute is going up with the previous records of each
student. I will also check to see if the partner recorded the one-minute read
correctly. Each child should show a higher level of fluency through the
one-minute read and the fluency checklist.
Fluency Literacy Rubric:
Name:
_______________________
Partner's Name: ___________________
Date: _________
I noticed that my
partner...(check the lines that apply)
After 2nd
After 3rd
______
______
remembered more words
______
______
read smoother
______
______
read faster
______
______
read with expression
Speed Record Sheet:
Name:
________________________
Date: __________
1st reading: _________
2nd reading: _________
3rd reading: _________
References:
Blackmon, Mary Jo. Speedy Reading. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/invitations/blackmongf.htm
Cronin, Doreen.
Diary of a Spider. HarperCollins.
2003.