1, 2, 3...Blast OFF
Growing Independence and Fluency
Rationale:
To
read fluently, a student must read quickly, smoothly, and expressively.
Word
Recognition must be automatic for students to comprehend what they
read. If
word recognition is automatic, reading becomes an enjoyable activity
for a
student. In order to become automatic in word recognition, students
should read
and re-read connected decodable texts. The more exposure a student has
to a
specific text, the more fluent they become. In this lesson, students
will learn
how to read quickly, smoothly, and expressively in order to gain
fluency. Students will do this through
repeated
readings and one minute reads.
Materials:
1. Sentence strip
with "Next
summer we will go to the beach." written on it.
2. Individual
pieces of paper
with the sentence, "My dog loves to go on walks in the park." and a
corresponding picture on them.
3. Large picture of
stars for
each student (progress chart). There
will be a trail of Velcro so the students can move their rocket to how
many words
per minute they read. The chart will also be labeled in increments of
ten to a
hundred.
4. Velcro to stick
on the
back of the rockets.
5. Rockets for each student (with Velcro on the back)
to go on progress chart
6. One stopwatch
for every
two children
7. Multiple copies
of In the Big Top and Bud the Sub(enough
copies for
one book per two children). Both books will be marked with
pencil after
every five words sot that the children can count the words quickly.
8. Pencils for each
child
Procedure:
1. Ask
the students to look at the sentence strip. The teacher will read
the sentence slowly and then quickly. "I am going to read a
sentence
twice and I want you to see if you notice anything that is different
the second
time I read it. Here we go. (read) N-e-xt
s-u-mm-er w-e w-i-ll
g-o t-o th-e
b-ea-ch. Great job. Now listen again.
(read) Next summer we will go to the beach. Raise your hand if you can
tell me
how the two sentences sounded different from each other. That's right.
The
first time I read it very slowly and it was not very interesting or fun
was it.
The second time I read it faster and it sounded much better. The way I
read the
sentence the second time is the way fluent readers read. It is very
important
for readers to read quickly and smoothly. When we read quickly and
smoothly,
two things happen: our reading sounds exciting and we can understand
what we
can read better. Also, our reading becomes more fun and interesting.
2.
Place the students into groups of two. The groups will be homogeneous
so that they can share a graph and be able to use the same group. Pass
out
paper with "My dog loves to go on walks in the park". Now I am
going to put you into groups of two. Each group is going to get a
sentence to
read. I want each person to read the sentence out loud to their
partner.
Remember to pay attention to the way it sounds the first time that each
of you
reads it. After you have read it out loud, I want you to read the
sentence
silently to yourself five times. Reading the sentence over and over
will help
it make more sense, sound better and you will be able to read it faster
each
time. Once you have read it to yourself five times, I want you to read
the
sentence to your partner again. (allow time for students to do
activity) "Did
you notice a difference from the first time that you read it out loud?
What
made it sound better? Which time did it sound better, first or second?
3. Pass
out stopwatches, rockets, star progress chart and books to each
group. Instruct students to conduct one-minute reads, record the number
of
words they read, and move their rockets according to the numbers on the
progress chart. Each student will do four one-minute reads. "Okay
boys
and girls, now each group is going to practice using a real book. When
one
person is reading a book, the other person will time them using the
stopwatch.
The reader will be timed for one minute. If you are the reader, I want
you to
read as many words as you can during one minute. If you get to a word
that you
do not know try and use your cover up strategy to help you figure it
out.
(model how to use cover ups) If cover ups do not help, ask your partner
to help
you. I will walk around and help anyone who needs it. The reader will
read for
one minute four different times. After each one minute read, the reader
will
record the number of words they read on their log and move the rocket
on their
chart. There will be numbers along the side to help guide them. The
goal is to
move your rocket closer to the stars and finally reach the stars. Then
you will
switch and the other person will get a chance to read.
Assessment: When
every group
has finished, the students will turn in their completed progress chart.
It
needs to have the student's name and date on it somewhere. I will
assess the
student's by looking at their progress charts. The chart and log will
show each
student's beginning and ending point which will allow me to see the
improvement.
References:
Eldredge, J. Lloyd. (1995) Teaching Decodable in Holistic
Classrooms.
In the
Big Top. Phonics Readers
Short Vowels. Educational Insights.
Cushman, S. (1990). Bud the Sub. Phonics Readers Short Vowels. Carson,
California: Educational
Insights.
Davis, H. (2006). Get Ready to Race. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/invent/davisgf.html
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