Buzzzzzing
to Fluency!
Cassie Cherof
Growing Independence and Fluency
Rationale:
To become fluent
readers, children need to learn how to read faster, smoother, and more
expressively. Fluency refers to a student's ability to read words
accurately and automatically. In this lesson, students will learn
how to
read quickly, smoothly, and expressively in order to gain
fluency.
Students will gain fluency through repeated readings, timed readings,
and
one-minute reads. It has been proven that the more students read
the more
their reading skills will improve.
Materials:
Copy of Fuzz and the
Buzz for each student
Teacher copy of Fuzz
and the Buzz
Stopwatch for each pair
of students
Pencil for each student
Dry Erase board and
marker
"Buzzing Bee"
progress chart for each student
Procedures:
1. Explain to students
the purpose of the lesson. "Today we are going to talk about
improving fluency. In order to become a successful reader, you
must be
able to read fluently. Fluency is when you are able to read fast
without
stopping to sound out each word. You recognize the words
automatically
and you read them with little or no effort. Once you become
fluent
readers, the text will begin to make more sense because you do not have
to try
so hard to read each word. One way that we can work on fluency is
by
reading a text more than once. Each time you read the text, you
get
faster because you are becoming more familiar with the text.
Today we are
gong to practice fluency by reading a text more than once and seeing
how much
we can improve."
2. Model for the
students how to read with fluency. Write on the dry erase board
the
following sentence: The cat ran up the tree. Tell students,
"First,
I am going to read the sentence without fluency. The cccaattt
rrraaannn
uuupp the tttrrreee. Now I am going to read the sentence as a
fluent
reader would. The cat ran up the tree. Did you hear the
difference
between reading with fluency and reading without fluency? Listen
as I
read the sentence once again. The dog ran up the hill. This
time I
read the sentence faster because it was not the first time I had read
these
words. The first two times I read the sentence gave me practice
and
helped me read the sentence fluently the third time."
3. We are going to use
the book Fuzz and the Buzz to practice improving our fluency.
Remind students to cross check if they do not automatically
recognize a
word during their reading. "Do not forget that cross checking is
a
tool that fluent readers use to make sense of the sentences that they
read and
to read more successfully. If you do not automatically recognize
a word
cover-up part of the word to make it easier to sound out. Once
you have
determined the pronunciation of the word, go back and reread the
sentence to
see if the word makes sense in the sentence. If the word does not
make
sense in the sentence, you can change your guess to a word that fits
the
sentence. If you and your partner cannot figure out how to
pronounce a
word correctly, come ask me and I will help you figure it out."
Model reading Fuzz and the Buzz aloud as a fluent reader for the
students.
4. "Now that you
have heard me read the book as a fluent reader, you are going to
practice
reading fluently with a partner." Divide the students up into
groups
of two and give each student a copy of the book and each pair a
stopwatch. One student will be the reader and the other student
will be
the timer. Then, the two students will switch jobs. "When
it
is your turn to read, I want you to see how many words you can read in
one
minute smoothly and fast. Remember: do not skip any words. You
can put a
sticky note of where you left off so that you will know where to stop
counting.
When you are finished reading, count the number of words that you read
in one
minute and write that number on your bee on your "buzzing bee"
progress chart. I want you to keep switching with your partner
until you
have each read three times. You can start now."
5. I will walk around
the classroom to hear them reading and to assist with the progress
charts if
needed.
6. To assess, I will
call each student to my desk one by one and have them bring their
progress
chart they did with their partner. I will review it with the student,
highlighting their areas of improvement. Then, I will have the
child read
Fuzz and the Buzz once more and monitor fluency by jotting down whether
they
read smoothly, quickly, stopped rarely, or less smooth, less quick, or
stopped
frequently. Also, while the student is reading I will note the
miscues. Then, at the end I will do a quick check for
comprehension of
text (See Questions Below.)
1. What kind of animal
is Fuzz?
2. Does the buzz make
Fuzz happy or mad?
3. What does Fuzz do at
the end of the book?
References:
1. McKean, Landon. Go,
Read. Go!
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/constr/mckeangf.html
2.
(1990). Phonics Reader Short
Vowel, Fuzz and the Buzz. Carson, CA (USA): Educational Insights.