The
Frenzy of
a Fluent Reader
Growing Independence and
Fluency
Lesson Plan
Rationale:
Fluency
could possibly the key ingredient to reading. It allows students to
fully
understand what they are reading. It pulls decoding and understanding
together.
It allows students to put personality into their reading, thus letting
them
enjoy reading more. To fully achieve fluency, students must be allowed
to read
and reread stories. This helps them grow in word knowledge and self
esteem
because these are achievable good experiences with reading. This lesson
will
allow students to grow into fluent readers. It will show them how to
read
fluently and expressively.
Materials:
1.
Fuzz and the Buzz for the entire class
2.
Set of stopwatches
3.
Pencils
4.
One minute read charts
5.
Progress chart for each
student (a
tree with a giraffe reaching for leaves, the tree has numbers along the
side to
signify how many words per minute the student read, the giraffes neck
extends
to reach the very top branches. The higher the neck grows the more
words a
minute the student reads.)
One
minute
read chart:
Name:
____________________________
Date: ____________
First
reading time: _____________
Second
reading time: _____________
Third
reading time: ___________
Procedure:
1.)
Introduce the lesson: Good morning
everyone! Today we are going to talk about the difference between
fluent
readers and beginning readers. Then we are going to practice fluent
reading,
because everyone wants to read fluently. First, fluent readers read
fast and
automatically. They also read with expression to make what they are
reading
more interesting. Let me show you how to the difference between
beginning
reading and fluent reading. (Write this sentence up on the board:
The zebra
at the zoo was very sweet.) A beginning
reader might read this sentence like this. Thee zzzebraa aat the zzzooo
wwwaass
vveryy sssweet. Then the student might read the sentence again, but it
would
probably be bland with not emphasis on words to make it interesting.
However, a
fluent reader would read it well and with expression like this: The
zebra at
the zoo was very sweet! The only way to become fluent is to practice,
practice,
and then practice some more. Reading a book several times helps you
become
fluent because there are no surprises. Now let's go practice being
fluent
readers!
2.)
Give the
students a reminder about decoding. Now
remember how we decode words. What do we do first? That's right, you
decode the
vowel first. Then we add the consonants onto the word like this: For
the word
Buzz, begin with the short u. It says /u/, then we add /b/. Now we
bring it all
together with the /z/ and say Buzz.
3.)
Remind
the students to also cross check. Remember
students that we must crosscheck. Fluent readers do not just read fast,
but
they look for continuity in a story. For example, look on page three in
Fuzz
and the Buzz. If I read: Fuzz runs and runs. The cab tugs at nuts. Does
that
make sense? No, it doesn't, but "The cub tugs at nuts." does. So,
always remember to cross check.
4.) Now I am going to split you up into
partners. Each pair will get two copies of Buzz and the Fuzz. Everyone
will
also get a fluency chart and one minute read chart. Now give the
book talk.
Fuzz is a bear and loves to run
in the hot
sun. He plays and tugs on trees, but uh-oh here comes a buzz. Keep
reading to
find out what happens with buzz and Fuzz.
5.) Show
students how
to take turns reading. Each
person who isn't reading should be
recording how many words their partner has read. The partner who isn't
reading
should tell the reader when to begin and stop reading. The person who
isn't
reading should make notes on the one minute read chart and allow the
other
student to move his or her giraffe. Then everyone will switch.
6.)
Allow
the student's time to do all three readings. Make sure that they all
have time
to complete their charts. Remind the students to also give compliments
and
suggestions after the readings have been finished.
7.)
I will
then collect the one minute reading charts and look at the times for
each
child. For assessment, I will have my own session with the students and
listen
to their fluency and expression. I will also have them retell the story
and see
how many facts they can retell. To receive one hundred percent, the
students
should be able to remember eight facts. That makes one fact per page.
References:
Fuzz and the Buzz, Educational Insights:
Carson, CA,
1990
Cadrette,
Mallory.
Super Speedy Readers!! http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/encounters/cadrettegf.html
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