You Got It! FAST
READING WITH FLUENCY!
Growing Independence and Fluency
By: Ashley Troha
Rationale:
Fluent readers are readers who can recognize words automatically. The reading becomes faster, smoother, and is even read with more expression. Fluent readers can even begin to read silently, which is about twice as fast as oral reading. Beginning readers do not read fluently because they often have a word-by-word struggle as they read. The question then becomes, "How do we help transform those beginning readers into more fluent readers?" Well, we must use the direct approach of repeated readings and allow the students to mark off a fluency checklist so that they may see their own progress."
Materials:
Fluency checklists and
pencils
Days With Frog and Toad - Tomorrow
pgs. 4-15 (Author - Arnold Lobel, Publisher - Harper Collins
Publishers, 1979)
Procedures:
1. Say: "First
I want everyone to pay attention up here to the whiteboard as I read
the sentence aloud. [States sentence as if I was
still trying to emphasize each letter].
My friend likes to
play in the rain.
Mm-yy
ff-rr-iii-ee-nn-dd lll-ii-kk-ee-sss tt-oo p-ll-a-y ii-nn tt-hh-e
rr-aa-i-nn.
Can anyone tell me if
would want me to read them a story like that? [Students
reply to the question]. Could you understand me
very well? [Students reply to the question].
What if I read the sentence like this? [States
sentence as if I was flying through it so no student can understand
what is being said].
Myfriendlikestoplayintherain.
Can anyone tell me if
you would want me to read a story to you this way? [Students
once again reply to the question]. Could you
understand me very well this time? [Students reply
again].
[Discusses differences
between two incorrect examples and how they can help explain our topic
fluency].
In order to better
understand what you are reading you must not read so slowly as I did
the first time around. You have to read faster and
smoother. The problem as we all saw when I read the
sentence the second time, is you cannot read too fast. Just
like with reading too slowly, if you read too fast, you can have
trouble remembering what you just read and may also skip words in
sentences or even mispronounce words as well."
2. Say:
"Let's try another sentence on the whiteboard. How
about this one? [Writes the sentence: "My mother walks her dog around
the park." This time I want everyone to read the
sentence with me. We will do as I did with the
first sentence sounding each letter of the sentence out slowly.
[Students and I read sentence together very slowly]. Did
you understand the sentence very well that way? [Students respond to
question]. That's right! We
read too slowly to understand what the sentence actually meant.
Now let's read the sentence together really fast like I did with
the other sentence. [Students and I read sentence together really fast].
Did you notice how we sounded all over the place? Did
it sound like any of the words in the sentence you read may have been
left out this time? [Students respond]. Do you
think there were any words mispronounced as you read the sentence fast?
[Students respond again]. Now let's try reading
this sentence one more time together but fluently. Remember
to read at a fast pace but smoothly so that everyone can understand
what he or she is reading. Ready, Go!" [Students
and I read sentence together fluently].
3. Say:
"Now let's read more sentence and discuss expression. Expression
is a big part of being a fluent reader because once again you not only
better understand what you are reading but it even makes reading more
exciting and fun. Expression can be used to help
identify when we should express sentences differently. For
example, if we use an exclamation point instead of a period we know
that the sentence should be expressed louder. So
let's try this sentence: "I want to eat a cookie
right now!" Repeat it with me one time. [Students
and I read sentence together with expression]. Can you hear the
difference between the loud expression in this sentence and when I read
the sentence: "My mother walks her dog around the
park?" [Students give reponses]. Good
job students!"
4. Say:
"Now I am going to pair all of you up into groups of two and you all
will get the following materials:
The book- Days
With Frog and Toad - Tomorrow pgs. 4-15 one each
Two pencils each
Two fluency checklist
sheets each"
5. [Discussion
of book]. This story is about Frog and Toad who are
best friends. Toad is a very messy person who keeps
saying he will put it off until tomorrow. Even though his friend Frog
tells him he should not wait to clean, he does anyway and he
accumulates a bigger mess. You will have to wait
and read the story to find out if Toad ever listens to Frog and is able
to get his mess under control.
6. For assessment:
Say: "Now let's practice fluency!
You and your partner will take turns recording each other's
awesome fluency skills by using the fluency checklists provided.
The student recording first will be a great listener and pay
attention as their partner reads the story Tomorrow in the book
Days With Frog and Toad. The story is from
pages four to pages fifteen. Then after your
partner has finished reading it will be your turn. After
you each have had three turns of repeated readings you are good to go
and you may return the checked sheet to your partner! Remember
though, you do not want to mark the checklist until the second and
third readings of your partner. In addition the
reports you give after each markings you make should always be
complimentary to your partner because we want to encourage them about
fluency. Also remember when reading that you want be understood by your
partner so you must read fast, smooth and with expression."
References:
http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/fluency.html
Meredith
Willis, Finish Line Fluency
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/odysseys/willisgf.html