Read, Speed Reader, Read!
Rationale:
Reading smoothly,
quickly, and expressively are all characteristics of fluent reading.
Reading fluently requires automatic word recognition. Through fluent
reading, a reader can begin to read
silently, which is faster than oral reading. The fluency formula is
"read and reread decodable words in connected text." This lesson will
use that formula by reading a decodable text, and then rereading it to
aid in the development of fluency.
Materials: A stopwatch, a copy
of Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble, Fluency chart
for each student (the chart has a column with numbers counting up
towards the top of the page. The chart has a
Speed Racer theme), dry erase board with markers.
Procedures:
1. Begin the
lesson by explaining what fluency is. "Fluency is when you read fast,
smoothly--so you don't sound out each word--and when you read with
expressions in your voice." Tell them that being a successful reader
requires fluent reading. "One way we can all become successful, fluent
readers is by reading a text more than one time. Today, we are going to
try to improve our fluency by rereading a text."
2. Use your dry
erase board to write a sentence. My sentence will be, "I have a dog
named Mudge and he is very big and likes to run." Now, review decoding
steps. "What do I do if I get to a word and do not know what it is?
That's right! I use the cover-up method. Show me that you remember how
to use the cover-up method by trying it with me now." Use a word on the
board to practice. "Let's try it with the word dog.
First we find the vowel. Which one is the vowel? Right! It's
o. The letter
o makes the /o/ sound. Then we uncover the letter d which makes the /d/ and say out loud by blending the
/do/ together. Then we uncover the letter
g which makes the /g/ sound. The we blend all the
sounds together to say dog." Then we check to make
sure we blended correctly by rereading the sentence to check that dog makes sense.
3. "Now I am
going to show you the difference between reading
without fluency and reading
with fluency. First I will read my sentence without
fluency, and the next time I will read it with fluency." Write on your
board the sentence, "I love my red bag." Then demonstrate reading by
reading slowly "I-l-o-v-e-m-y-r-e-d-b-a-g. What did you notice about my
reading? I got stuck on a few words. Did that make you have trouble
understanding me? It did! This can happen a lot when we read, but the
more we practice reading the same words, the better we become at
reading. Now I will read the same sentence again in another way, not
getting stuck on the words. 'I love my red bag.' Which one sounded
better? Why? The second one sounds better because it is faster and more
fluent that the first. The second time you could understand be better
because I was not getting stuck on the words. I was not trying to sound
out every word, so I could focus on what the text was saying. This is
what we are practicing today.
4. Give each
student a partner. Pass out a book (Henry and Mudge in
Puddle Trouble) to each child. "Follow along in your book while I
read the first two pages. I am going to read them three times to
practice reading fluently. When I finish you will do the same thing
with your partner. Read the first two pages aloud to the students. The
first time you read, read slowly and sound out each word. The second
time, improve your reading by reading smoothly, quickly, and with
emotion. "Now it is your turn. Read the whole story one time, then
reread it again. While you read I would like partner 1 to read the even
pages and partner 2 to read the odd pages. That means you are reading
every other page (go over even and odd numbers depending on the age of
the students).
5. Walk around to
observe the students as they read with their partner. Take notes if
needed.
6. Once every
group has read the story twice, pass out a stop watch and the chart to
each group. "We are going to play the Fluency Game! Listen closely so
you will know what to do. One person will be the timer and one will be
the reader, then you will swap. I want partner one to start as the
timer and partner two to start as the reader. The timer will set the
stop watch to 1 minute. The reader will read until the timer goes off.
The timer will count the number of words the reader read in 1 minute.
Then, you will graph it on the chart I have passed out. After you have
graphed the readers number, I want you to swap jobs." As you are
explaining the graph, show the students what you mean. Use an extra
graph to visually demonstrate the oral instructions. "Do this three
times. Use the different "trackers" to mark each one-minute read, so
each partner should have three "trackers" on the chart marking their
number for each read."
7. After they
have completed their three one-minute reads, collect their graphs. Use
these graphs for your assessment. This will allow the teacher to teach
the students according to the level they are on and know which students
need additional help. To assess comprehension either ask the students
questions orally or give a written quiz.
Reference:
Jennifer Falls "Go, Go Speed Reader"
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/odysseys/fallsgf.html
Rylant, Cynthia. "Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble."
Aladdin: 1987 pages 5-19