Feeling
the Need to Read
Growing
Independence and Fluency
By: Heather Smith
Rationale:
Learning
to read fluently is one of the most important parts to becoming a
successful
reader. Children can begin with a variety of different texts and repeat
readings.
Repeated readings are one of the most helpful ways a child can become a
fluent
reader.
Materials:
Multiple
copies of text Frog
and Toad Are Friends. "Spring" pgs.4-15.
Fluency
and 1 minute read check sheets for each student
|
Fluency check
sheet example: Student name:
_______________
________ ________ Read more
words
________ ________ Read faster
________ ________ Read smoother
________ ________ Read with
expression |
|
1 minute read
check sheet example: Student name:
_______________ 1st
read ______ words/1min
|
Pencil/pen
Stopwatch
1.
Begin by explaining what the students will do today. Say "Today
we will practice our reading skills and learn how we can become more
fluent
readers". "Does anyone know what it means to be a fluent reader?"
"Being a fluent reader means that you can read through a sentence
without
having to stop on any words." "You can recognize words automatically
and can read with expression once you learn to read fluently." Explain
to
the students that they become fluent readers simply through a process
of
repeated readings. Repeated reading is when you read a book over and
over again
to where the words become automatic to you and you can read them
without any
struggle.
2.
Be sure to model for the students how the y will get
better by simply reading a line from the story and dramatize it a bit.
For example, say "ffr-o-o-g and t-oa-oa-d are ffr-ie-ie-n-ds". Now say,
"That
did really sound very fluent at all, so let's reread and try it again."
Say the same sentence as before, "frog and toad are friends". "See,
once you read through the words first and understand them; you can then
reread
the sentence and become more fluent and smooth at reading it." "The
more you read it, the less choppy sounding it becomes."
3.
Show the book to the students and give a book talk about
the book. The first chapter in Frog
and Toad are Friends begins on the
first day of spring. Frog is trying to wake up Toad from his long
winters nap.
Toad doesn't want to get up yet and says that it is still too early for
him to
get up. Frog insists that he should get up because he will be lonely
and have
no one to play with until he gets up. What can Frog do to get Toad out
of bed
and out in the spring sunshine? We will have to read to find out what
he does.
Begin reading the first chapter to the students out loud to model
fluency and
expression.
4.
Have the students set up in groups of two or three. Pass
out a copy of the text to each group. Let the students take turns
reading to
one another while the others listen. Once the students have all had a
chance to
read the story ask them what they have learned from this exercise and
how it
has helped them to become better readers? Be sure to encourage your
students to
continue repeated reading at home as well as at school.
Assessment:
Prepare
fluency and 1 minute read check sheets for each
student. Have the students one by one come up to you and go through
these two
assessments. Have the student begin reading while you keep time with a
stopwatch. Let them know when they should start and stop. Make note of
how many
words they read in one minute on their check sheet. Now let them read
to check
fluency ability. You can use the check sheet design below or come up
with your
own to use.
Return
to the Sightings
index.