Teaming up for Fluency

By: Constance Wood

Rationale: Reading fluently is key to becoming a successful reader. Skilled readers must be able to read at a faster pace than the beginning reader. The purpose of this lesson is to reinforce fast reading and teach students how to successfully read passages at a faster rate.

Materials:

Class set of Jake Makes the Team

Cover ups (this can be a bookmark, popsicle stick, etc. to aid students in decoding words)

White board and markers

Stopwatches (1 for every 2 students)

Fluency checklist sheet (1 for each student)

Procedures:

-Say: “today we are going to learn how to become fluent readers. A fluent reader can read faster, more expressively, silently, and voluntarily. We will focus on reading faster first. To become a fast reader, we can read a text more than once. Each time we read the text, we go through the words faster and comprehend more.”

-Say” Let's review how to decode words before we get started. If I am reading and come upon this word (write the word lack on the board) how would I decode it? That's right; I can pull out my cover up to help. Try this: l-a-ck. We know ck=/k/ and a=/a/ (I will cover up each segment while walking through the word).

-Say” Now we are ready to discover reading fluently. I am going to write a sentence on the board (write: Jack drives to the park.) Now listen to me say it twice: JJJaaack dddrrriivvvees ttoo thee ppaarrk. Jack drives to the park. Which sentence sounds best? Right! The second one. I read the sentence faster, more fluently.”

-Say “I am going to pass out the book Jake Makes the Team. I will pair you up to practice reading fluently. Read to your partner once and let them read to you. Then I will give you a checklist for your second and third time reading. Answer these questions about your partner on the checklist: did my partner remember more words the 2^nd time? 3^rd time? Did my partner read faster the 2^nd time? 3^rd time? Did my partner read smoother the 2^nd time? 3^rd time? And did my partner read with more expression the 2^nd time? 3^rd time? ” I will mostly focus on the speed for this lesson, however I do think it is a good idea for students to be aware of the other ways fluent readers read.

-After the students read with partners and complete the checklist, we will do a one-minute read activity. Say: “I will give each partner set a stopwatch. You will time your partner read a passage from Jake Makes the Team. See how many words they read in one minute. Then swap and let the other student have a turn. Write your partner's word count at the bottom on their checklist sheet.”

-I will also pull students individually, assessing them with the same one-minute passage read (I will choose the passage).

Fluency Literacy Rubric:

Name: _____________________________ Partner's Name: _________________________

Date: _____________

I noticed that my partner… (check the circles that apply)

After 2^nd                    After 3^rd

  O                                     O                      Remembered more words

  O                                     O                      Read faster

  O                                     O                      Read smoother

  O                                     O                      Read with expression

My partner read _________words in one minute.

References

       Sims, Matt. Jake Makes the Team. High Noon Books, 2002.

Blackmon, Mary Jo. Speedy Reading.      http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/invitations/blackmongf.htm

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