Blair Brewer
Rationale: “Fluency is fast, expressive reading.” This
only comes when children are able to develop automatic and immediate
identification
of words. The only way to develop fluency is through reading easy
books. Children need lots of practice with easy books. Most
of the children that suffer from non-fluency are older. Older
children
suffer from non-fluency more than young children. When older
children
slip through the cracks and are having problems reading, they do not
want
to read easy books because the books are “baby books”. So how do
we deal with this? The solution is reading easy for independent
fluency.
Materials: easy books (Dr. Seuss books, Clifford books, and
nonfiction picture books), a tape recorder, and charts.
Procedures:
1. We will review how to cross check. (when you read a sentence and
you come to a word you don’t know, try to figure it out and pronounce
what
you think it is, then finish reading the sentence and see if it makes
sense)
2. Now we will learn how to read fluently.
3. This is how fluent readers read. I will model fluent reading.
4. This is how non-fluent readers model non-fluent reading.
5. Partner each while with another child and arrange a time each week
to read these easy books.
6. Get lots of different easy books.
7. Teacher reads these books to the students, allow them to choose
the book they want to prepare to read to the buddies.
8. The children practice reading their books. First read with
partner. Second, read on tape. Third, read to the teacher with
expression.
9. The teacher makes a chart in which each child lists books that they
read during the weeks. Review the books that have been read.
Remind
them of books that have not been read.
10. Have them choose another book and repeat the steps. Do this
until the end of the year.
References:
Phonics They Use. P. Cunningham, pg 114-116. p. 1997.
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