Ready,
Set, Let’s Read!!
Lauren Barrowclough
Reading
Fluency
Rationale:
In order for a
child to read fluently he or she should be
able to read faster and smoother than when they first started to
read. Reading
fluency is the ability to recognize words accurately, rapidly, and
automatically. When a child is able to decode words automatically and
effortlessly reading becomes a much more enjoyable experience for
them.
The way to accomplish this is for the child to read and reread
decodable words
in a connected text. The more children work with a particular
piece of
text, the more fluent the text becomes to them. This lesson will
help
children learn how to read faster and more smoothly.
Materials:
Class set of
the book, What Will the Seal Eat?
Class set of laminated banana tree illustrations with words per minute
written
on them and accompanying Velcro monkey to show the student’s progress,
stopwatch
for each student, one minute read charts for each child (Speed Record
Sheet),
pencils
Procedures:
1. Introduction of why fluency is important while you read.
Let
students know that it is important to reread a text to help their
comprehension. “Today, we are going to learn how to read
fluent.
This means that you will learn to read words smoother and faster. When
reader’s
read with expression, smoothly, or faster, they are fluent. (Model how
each of
these terms would apply to their reading). We are going to read the
same text
three times so that we can learn how to be fluent readers on our
own.
Sometimes you may not know all the words in your book. If this
happens
you can either read the rest of the sentence, or use the “cover up”
method to
figure out the word as you sound it out. You use the
cover up
method by putting one finger over a word that you don’t know and he
slowly move
the your finger with each letter you figure out.”
2. Model reading with fluency.
Explain: I
am going to read you a sentence without fluency. (Write on the
board: The dog ran up a hill.) Read: The d-o-g r-a-n
u-p the
h-i-ll. Now read the sentence as a fluent reader: The dog
ran up
the hill. Ask: Do you understand the difference between
reading
with fluency and reading without fluency? Now, listen as I read
the
sentence again. The dog ran up the hill. I read the
sentence faster
this time because it was not the first time I had read these
words. The
other times I read gave me practice and helped me read the sentence
fluently
this time. Reading
with fluency
is what we will be practicing today.
3.
I will do a book talk: "In the book,
What will the seal eat?, the seal is very hungry and has a hard time
picking
out what to eat. He doesn't really like human food. What
will he
eat? Okay, you have to read the book to find out. When we
read this
book we are going to see how fluent we can read it. This means we
want
out words to be automatic and smooth.”
4.
Pair the students in groups of
two. Have the students do one-minute reads. Have one student read
while
the other operates the stopwatch. “We will do the same one-minute reads
in your
groups. We will do this five times. Be sure to record in your reading
logs and
move your monkey up the chart to see how you improve each time. Try to
read
with accuracy and expression.” I will walk around the room observing
the
students and taking notes on my student’s progress.
Assessment: For assessment I will take up the reading
logs and
the charts. I will review each students work. I will pay close
attention to see
how much each student has increased in fluency throughout the
lesson. I
will ask each student comprehension questions to see if they were able
to
comprehend the book correctly. This will make me see who is able
to
comprehend correctly. I will also look to see if any students need
individual
help. I will also take my notes from group observations during my
assessment. Weekly students should be checked for progress.
References:
Cushman,
Shelia and Kornblum, Rona. What
Will the Seal Eat? Phonics Readers. Educational
Insights, 1990.
Go, Speed Reader! Go by Manning, Marie http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/insp/manninggf.html
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