Speeding on The Sea Foam for Fluency
Lesson Design for Fluency
Rationale
Reading fluently, with expression, and accurately are key points to becoming a
good reader. When a reader is
fluent, they are able to understand the text better and to enjoy the reading
experience. It is the goal of this
lesson to help the students with their fluency.
When the reader doesn't have to decode every word, the message of the
text becomes clearer to them because the word recognition becomes effortless.
The students' reading fluency will be tracked in this lesson by using
words x 60 / seconds to keep the text intact.
Materials
Timer (each group of students has one)
Partner Repeated Reading Checklist
Timesheet
Set of The Sea Foam books for the
class
Procedures
1. Start the lesson by explaining to the students what fluency is and why it is
important to reading. "Today class,
our goal for reading is going to be fluency.
Fluency is the ability to read words quickly, smoothly, and with
expression. Fluency is a sign of
automaticity, which means that the words just jump off the page at you and you
don't have to figure them out by breaking the word down.
When you read fluently, it should sound almost like you are talking with
another person rather than reading.
Fluency is important because it will make reading more fun for you and your
partner because you will be able to understand the meaning of the story better
and it will sound more pleasing."
Pass out the books The Sea Foam
2. "When you are working on your fluency, it is very important to go back and
re-read words until you make the sentence flow together like a sentence you
would normally say to a friend in conversation.
Doing this is a strategy called cross checking.
As you already know, we use cross checking whenever we come across an
unfamiliar word. We can also use
cross checking to work on our fluency because the more times we read a word, the
easier it is for us to read because it becomes automatic.
When the words are automatic, you free up your brain so you get the
message easier and you can read with expression just like when you have a
conversation."
3. Use modeling to help students
understand the concepts. "Sometimes
when you read a book, you will come across new words.
Have you ever noticed that you read slower when this happens?
I'll show you how to help fix this."
Read a selection of the book. (a sentence or two).
Make sure to read the sentences in as a child would, slow and struggling
without much intonation. "A
d-a-y l-i-k lick
oh like t-h-i-s i-s
f-in fin
fine o-n
t-h-e s-e-e-a. Class, did
you all see how hard it was for me to read those unfamiliar words on the first
try? It was hard for me to read and
it didn't sound very smooth did it?
Since it was so hard the first time, I am going to try reading it again. "A day
l-i-ke th-is is f-ine on the sea."
Wow. That time I was able to read
it faster because I started to recognize the unfamiliar words.
I am going to read it to try to read without any pauses this time. "A day
like this is fine on the sea." That
time I read it smoothly, but I still didn't use much expression.
Let me try it one more time and use expression.
Reread with expression. "The
more times I read the sentence, the better I got at reading it. This is how we
build fluency.
4. Now class, it is time to read the book
The Sea Foam. It is about some
friends that go sailing with their pop.
While they are out on the sea, a fog rolls in and they can't see a thing!
Will they make it home safely?
You'll have to read to find out.
5. Read until I say to stop.
If you finish the book, just start over and read it again.
Let the students read for 10 minutes.
6. Pair the students up.
7. "This time I want you to work in
pairs. One of you should read while
the other times you with the timers.
Each of you should read through the book three times.
Record the times for each reading on the paper I give you."
8. "When your partner is reading, I
want you to check and see if they are improving in their fluency with each read.
Use the evaluation sheet I gave you to check off the boxes where you feel that
your partner is really doing well."
9. "Great job class! You all are
becoming fluent readers. Feel free
to practice this at home too and before you know it, you will be able to read
anything.
References
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/realizations/frasiergf.htm
(Growing Independence and Fluency by Mallie Frasier)
The Sea Foam
(2002) leveled reader by Matt Sims.
High Noon Books, Novato CA
The Reading Genie: The Reading Genie: Developing Reading Fluency http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/fluency.html