Leaping Into Reading!
By:
Susanna Pate
Growing
Independence and Fluency
Rationale:
For children to enjoy
reading they must learn to read fluently. A child must read
consistently,
accurately, and with expression in order to be a fluent reader. Fluency
is also
intended to help increase comprehension skills.
Becoming a successful reader entails reading and rereading
decodable
texts. Teachers should scaffold fluent
reading and show how much better it sounds rather than segmented slow
reading.
Materials:
1.
Book:
"Frog and Toad are Friends"
by Arnold Lobel. New York, NY. HarperCollins. 1970. (enough for every
two
students)
2.
Chart
with a picture of pond on it with lily
pads that have Velcro on them. (enough for each student) Beside each
lily pad
should be a line to write the number of words the children will read in
one
minute.
3.
Frog
laminates with each child's name on
them.
4.
Stopwatches
(enough for every two students)
5.
Pencils
6.
Worksheet
with three simple sentences on it.
Sentences: 1.Frog ran up the path. 2. He had fallen asleep. 3. I am a
frog.
7.
Assessment
sheet with the following
questions:
1.
Does the student read smoothly?
2.
Does the student demonstrate advancement?
3.
Is the student reading fast enough?
Procedures:
1.
To
start off the lesson, tell the students that to become excellent
readers we
have to read quickly so that the words flow better.
Explain to them that it is easier to
understand and listen when we read quickly instead of slowly. To make it even clearer for the students read
them a sentence slowly and then again more fluently. "Okay, I want you
to
listen how I read these sentences. Thheee ffrroog hhoopees iiinnn
tthhee
ppoonnd. Does that make sense? The frog hopes in the pond? If the
sentence does
not make sense we need to crosscheck to find the word that is not
making sense.
Let's read it again. The frog, oh, HOPS in the pond.
Now let's read it quickly and smoothly, the
frog hops in the pond. Which sentence sounds better to you? You're
exactly
right the second one sounds much better because it is quicker and
smoother."
Now, tell the students that we will be working on our reading to help
us read
quicker and smoother.
2.
Next,
you will pair the students with partners and have them read, to each
other, the
worksheet with the three sentences on them.
"Now, I want you to get with the partner that I assigned you.
Here
is your worksheet. I want you to read
each sentence to your partner. Try to make your sentences quick and
smooth.
Make sure you each get enough practice reading the sentences."
3.
When
the students are finished tell the students that we will be reading
"Frog
and Toad are Friends." "This book is about a frog that is super excited
that it is spring and he wants his friend Toad to come outside. But, Toad does not want to come outside with
Frog. What will Frog do? Do you think he
will get him out of bed or will he always stay inside? To find out we
are going
to have to read!"
4.
After
the teacher gives the book talk she/he should pass out the charts,
frogs, and
the books. To begin the teacher will read a couple of pages out of the
book to
model fluent, fast reading. (Talking to
the students) "Today we are going to read this same book that I have
just
read from. Along with reading you will
have a chart and a frog with your name on it.
I want you to put your frog on the first lily pad. You will read
for one
minute to your partner while they follow along and time you. When the one minute is up you will count how
many words you read and write that number on the line beside the lily
pad. This will be your starting point.
Now, I want
you to add ten to that number and write it on the next blank. Keep
adding ten
to the numbers until all four lines are filled.
Everyday we are going to read and when you reach the next number
on the
line or go over you can move your frog to the next lily pad."
(Demonstrate
on board)
5.
Give
the students enough time to read and time each other.
Explain to them that need to keep reading and
timing each other until they fill in all four blanks.
If they do not fill them all in it is okay
they can continue the next day. This is
a daily exercise that will help with their fluency.
6.
To
assess the students walk around to each group while they are reading. The teacher should have an assessment sheet,
for each child, with the following questions.
1.
Does
the student read smoothly?
2.
Does
the student demonstrate advancement?
3.
Is
the
student reading fast enough (yet slow enough to understand what they
are
saying) Make sure the students do not make it a competition.
*Call each child to
your desk and have them read their favorite part of the book for one
minute. This will ensure to the teacher
exactly how fluent the child is and is becoming.
References:
Burbic, Cindy. "It"s My
Party and I"ll cry If I want to…." http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/begin/burbicgf.html
Pegues, Jennifer. "Dive Into
Reading". http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/begin/peguesgf.html
Mandy Williamson: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/explor/williamsongf.htm