Growing
It’s Fun to be Fluent!!!!
Growing
And Fluency Lesson
Rationale: In order for children to read
effectively,
reading comprehension must be developed. In order for children to be
able to
read a sufficient amount of material in a certain amount of time they
need to
be able to read fluently and skillfully. If a child is to become a
fluent
reader, he or she must learn to read faster and more smoothly. Children
will
find how much more enjoyable and fun reading is when done fluently.
Materials: Stopwatch, monkey and banana
tree, so the
students can move the monkey on the Velcro up the tree for fluency
improvement.
Pseudoword flashcards: bain, sloor, yat, tade, blub, gad, bap, kelpt…..
and Pat’s
Jam.
1). I will begin the
lesson by introducing fluency to the students. I will explain to the
students
that reading with speed, ease, and skill make it easier for the text to
be
comprehended.
2). Then, we will do
an activity with pseudoword cards. I will hold up a card with a pseudo
word on
it and ask the students to read the word. I will then tell the
students, “okay
guys, sometimes in order to decode a word you are not familiar with and
don’t
know how to pronounce, you must chunk the word. For example, “ here is
a word, “baseball”
that can easily be chunked.” “I would identify “base” and then “ball.”
3). Next, I would
continue to review the pseudoword cards with the students. “Now I am
going to
see if you guys can try and chunk some “fake” words.” Continue to
review the
words until all the students catch on to the concept.
4). Then, I will
write a sentence on the blackboard. I will write, “I am going to the
ice cream
parlor after school.” I will read the sentence aloud to the group real
choppy
and slow. “Notice how I had to concentrate on each individual word and
could
not even focus my attention on the meaning of the text.” “Now, I am
going to
practice repeating this sentence over and over again.” As I repeat the
sentence
I will be able to say it faster. “Why am I able to read the sentence
faster?”
Let the students answer, then explain to them that practicing the
sentence over
and over resulted in my being able to read more smoothly and
effortlessly; therefore
allowing me to focus more on the meaning of the text.
5). Provide another sample sentence to be sure that the students understand what is going on. “Which sentence sounds better? The boy dribbled the basketball fast down the court.” Read the sentence two times. Read it choppy the first time and smoothly the next.
6). Hand out the book, Pat’s
Jam.
“We are going to practice reading this book until we can read it
fluently. Who can tell me what the word fluently means
again?” Give
the students time to raise their hands to answer the question.
7). Give the students time to
read the
book to themselves a few times. During this time, walk around the
room
observing each student and helping those who have any questions.
Give
each student a monkey and banana fluency chart. Time each student more
than
once and let them move the monkey up the tree if their reading gets
faster!!
9). Assessment: Use
the
stopwatch to time each student while reading the book. Record the
time on
a chart.
References:
Practice Makes Perfect/ Heather
Mauldin
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/elucid/mauldingf.html
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