The Buzz about
Fluency Lesson
Plan
Rationale: To become good readers students must learn to read
fluently. This lesson will provide students with techniques for
reading
with expression to become more fluent readers as well as provide them
with
repeated reading practice and partner feedback to help them increase
their
fluency level.
Materials:
Chart
paper
Marker
Partner
assessment sheet for each student:
Copy
of Fuzz and the Buzzby Sheila
Cushman and published by Educational Insights in 1990 for each student
Pencil
for each student
Teacher
assessment page:
Fluency
ratings: read smoothly, quickly,
stopped rarely, or less smooth, less quick, or stopped frequently and
miscue
notes. Comprehension questions: How does Fuzz get away from the
bugs? What would you do if you were Fuzz
being chased by a bee?
Procedure:
1.
Explain to the students what it
is to be a fluent reader and why it is important. "A fluent
reader
is someone who can read a story and recognize most of the words as they
read. Think about when your parents read to you or when I read to
you. People like this easily and quickly
recognize words as they read them. They
also can read fast. They read with
expression, and don’t sound like a robot.
Most importantly, they understand and remember everything they
read. As you become a more fluent reader
you will be able to do this too!"
2.
Modeling fluent reading:
On
chart paper write the sentence: She ate
a turkey sandwich. Begin by reading the sentence as a beginning
reader. "Remember to start with the vowel when you are decoding
then
add the front and the back of the word.
She ate a tur-k-ey…turk-ee…turkey s-and-wich…sanwich."
"Because I had not seen some of the words before I had to decode them
as I
read. Now that I have read the words and figured out the ones I
did not
know I am going to reread the sentence." Now reread the sentence
smoothly as a fluent reader "She ate a turkey sandwich!"
"Since I have seen the words before and I have decoded them I am able
to
read the words in the sentence with less difficulty. This is why
we read
books over and over in our class. The
more times you read it, the better and faster you read it.
When someone is making a speech in front of
the whole school, they read their speech over and over. They have to
practice a
lot in order to be good at it. This is just like what we have to do to
learn
how to be good readers."
3.
"Today we are going to read
in partners. Remember to use your word
worm to help you decode any words you may not recognize."
4.
Divide the students into groups
of two and give each student copy of the partner assessment sheet
listed in the
materials section to record reading progress. Give each group a
copy of Fuzz
and the Buzz. Model how to use the assessment sheet by
reading
the book three times. The first time read slowly stumbling over several
words
and having to decode them completely.
The second time read less slowly and decode only a few words. The last time read quickly and only decode
some words. Then pretend like you are
the partner and check off the "my partner read faster" box. Explain
what the
other options to check are briefly modeling/giving example of each.
5.
Book talk:
One
day Fuzz goes for a walk. Along the way he
finds some nuts and tugs on them. The nuts fall and hit Fuzz on
the head
and he is mad! Then bees start to buzz around Fuzz and chase
him.
Let's read the story to see how Fuzz escapes the angry bees!
6.
Have the student first read Fuzz and the Buzz out-loud
together
using chorus reading to become familiar with the book. Then have
them
read two more times to their partner. Each time they read have them put
a check
mark on their assessment page to remember how many times they have read
the
story. Each partner will evaluate the
other based on the assessment sheet given to them.
7.
Walk around the room to help and
monitor as the read to their partner.
Assessment: To assess I will review the student's progress chart
that they
filled out with their partner. I will then pull aside the
students having
trouble reading Fuzz and the Buzz to have them read to
me. I will
note their fluency by making notes about whether they read smoothly,
stopped
rarely, and read with expression. For individual assessment, I
will also
ask the children questions to test their comprehension of the
story.
Questions: What kind of animal was Fuzz? How does Fuzz get away from
the
bugs? Then I will make a check list of
fluency understanding. + is understands and – is doesn’t understand.
Resources:
Cushman,
S (1990). Fuzz and the Buzz.
Ashley
Keel- Read, Read, Red Dog!
Duncan, Megan.
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/sightings/duncangf.html
Lipham, Hayley.
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/sightings/liphamgf.html