Really Rapid Reading

Growing Independence and Fluency
Lora Haghighi

Rationale: This lesson will focus on fluency in reading. According to the Reading Genie Website, the formula to fluency is to read and re-read decodable text in connected text. I will have my students reading a decodable text three times in partner sets. They will take turns timing their partners and filling out their reading records. Each student will also have a time chart with a basketball player who moves up towards the basket as their words per minute increases. This will not just be used for this particular lesson—it will be an ongoing project for the student to track their progress as we continue to work on fluency.

Materials:

• Baseball Time Chart for each student
• Stopwatch for each partner set
• Reading Records Worksheet for each student (Examples Below)
• One copy of James and the Good Day, by Shelia Cushman and Rona Kornblum, per student
• Pencils
• Cover-up Critters

Speed Reading Record:

       Name:_________________________            Date:___________

                        Time:   

                        - After 1^st read            _______

                        - After 2^nd read           _______

                        - After 3^rd read           _______

Partner Check Sheet for students to assess their partner's fluency:

As I listened to my partner read, he/she:

                                                                                    After 2^nd           After 3rd

                        1. Remembered more words               _______          _______

                        2. Read faster                                      _______          _______

                        3. Read smoother                                _______          _______

                        4. Read with expression                      _______          _______

Procedures:

1. Boys and girls, today we are going to work on how fast we read. As we learn to read faster, we usually understand what we read even better. We have been working so hard on decoding and now we are going to see how fast you can read.
2. Now, I want everyone to take out their Cover-up Critters. Remember how we use our Critters to help us to decode words we don't know. Write the word plan on the board. If I were going to decode this word, I would start with the a. The a makes the ah sound. Then I would uncover the pl to make plaaaahh, lastly we add the n. Oh, now I see it, that says plan!
3. Write the sentence "Gus gets in the tub." On the board. I want you to listen to me read this sentence. "Guuuus geeeets in the tuub." Now I am going to read it again. Gus gets in the tub. Wow! That was much easier to read the second time. We are going to break up into partners now and we are going to read James and the Good Day, three times each. In this story, James wakes up determined to have a good day. Then he starts to fill up the bathroom to play with his tug boat. James leaves the bathroom and forgets all about the water running. You are going to have to read to find out what happens.
4. As you read, your partner will time you reading and fill out the two reading record sheets. You will take turns reading until you have each read the story three times. I will be calling you up two at a time to read to me. Bring your books with you.
5. Assessment: Each partner set will come up to me and read for one minute. At the end of that time, they will go up to the bulletin board and move their basketball player to the corresponding number.

References:

Killen, Tara. "Vroom, Vroom Speed it up!". http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/encounters/killengf.html

Murray, Bruce. Developing Reading Fluency. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/fluency.html

Cushman, S. & Kornblum, R. (1990). James and the Good Day, Educational Insights