FAST,
FASTER, FASTEST!
Growing
Rationale: Successful readers
must
read consistently, fluently, accurately, and with emotion. This lesson
design
is to promote fluent reading by working on students’ reading speed. In
this
lesson, students will increase their fluency by using one-minute reads
with a
partner using books on their reading levels. Partners will record their
times
on a speed chart to see how their speed increases with repeated
readings.
Materials:
-Timer
(one per pair of students)
-One-minute
read charts (one for each student)
-Large
selection of decodable books (color-coded for different levels for
example
red-primer level, blue-pre-primer level, green-1st grade
level,
yellow-2nd grade level, etc. )
-Index
cards with color-coded dots (one for each student, like the books
above)
-Speed
Record Sheet
Procedures:
1. Tell the students what it means to be a
fluent
reader. Explain to the students how they will become better readers
while
working with their partners. “Fluency means that you can read words
fast and
easily. If you are a fluent reader, you can read with emotion; for
instance, it
might sound like you’re actually having a conversation with somebody.”
This
means that while you are reading, you will quickly say the words that
you see
and you will read with emotion. If I wanted to say, “Oh, No! The train
is
coming,” I would say it like this (demonstrate how fluent readers would
read
this sentence) and not like this.(demonstrate how readers who are not
as fluent
would read this sentence) Pass out index cards with color-coded dots to
each
student.
2. “Have you ever had a favorite book that
you just
couldn’t read fast enough?
You
liked
the book so much, but it was just hard to read for you? Well, today we
are
going to
work on that. We are going to learn how you can read that book faster
and with
more expression. After today, you are going to be able to make what you
are
reading sound sad, scary, happy, calm, or even exciting! Now, I need
everyone
to go to the book shelf and pick out a book that has the same colored
dot on it
that your index card has. Be sure to pick a good book that you can
really stay
interested in later!.” (Teacher should also go to the shelf and get a
book for
effective modeling.)
3. After
students have chose their books and are all seated, show them your
book. “This
book is called Bo’s Bows. The first time I read this book, I did not
know some
of the words in it. This made the book very difficult to understand for
me.
Since the book was so hard, I read very, very slowly, and could not
understand
what the story was really about. Bo has many booooowws. Some have
ch-ch-check-oh checks on them. Some have st-st-stipes, oh stripes on
them.
Then, I read the book again, and guess what? The story seemed easier
for me. Bo
has many bows. Some have checks on them. Some have stripes on them. It
was so
cool! The words that were hard for me during the first reading were
much easier
the second time I read the story. I even knew exactly what the story
was about!
I thought, how do I know all of these words this time that I could not
figure
out the last time? I got it! The more times we read something, the
easier it
gets! Now, we are all going to try reading something many times today
so we can
get better at it, too! Review: Give a short demonstration on how to use
cover-ups. If I don’t know a word, I can cover up everything except the
vowel.
Then uncover the beginning, and finally uncover the ending.
4. Now, I need
everyone to read the book that you chose from the bookshelf. I need you
to read
the book until I tell you to stop. If you finish reading your book
before I say
stop, just read your book again. (Give the students ten minutes to
read.)
5. After the
students have read individually for ten minutes, pair each student with
a
partner that is on the same instructional level. When
it’s your partner’s turn to read, you
need to time your partner to see how much time it took them to read.
(Explain
to students how the stop watches work)
Each of you need to read your book twice. After you read your
book, you
need to record your time on the time chart. Okay, how many times should
each of
you read your own book? Right, twice, and who’s time do you record on
the time
chart? Excellent, yours!
6. After all
students have read aloud to their partners, explain, “Now, Let’s chart
our
times on the time chart and see how we read faster the second time we
read our
book!”
7. After all of
the students have read their books twice and recorded their times on
the time
chart, tell the students “ I want each of you to take your books home
and show
your families and friends how well you can read. I know they will be
able to
tell that you are a fluent reader who reads fast and with emotion! Good
job,
class.”
Speed Record Sheet
Name:____________________________________ Date:____________
1st
time:___________________________________
2nd
time:___________________________________
3rd
time:___________________________________
Resources:
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/constr/clarkgf.html
(Read and Reread by Seth Clark)
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/invent/moncriefgf.html
(Faster and Faster
by Jane
Moncrief)
Bo’s
Bows. Scholastic
Readers. 2002.