Rationale: Fluency is the ability to be completely
absorbed
in the process of creating meaning with a text, with no conscious
thought
given to any of the mechanics of reading. In order to be a fluent
reader, one must first be able to recognize the importance of
reading.
By rereading whole text, children will increase their fluency and word
recognition by being able to read more smoothly. Through
reviewing
the correspondence a_e=/A/, children will be able to read and
recognize
words fluently using the long a sound.
Materials: James and the Good Day (Educational
Insights) (every child should receive a copy of the text), primary
paper,
pencils, paper ice cream cone, paper ice cream scoops (different colors
such as brown to represent chocolate, red to represent strawberry,
yellow
to represent vanilla and so on) laid out separately with the following
words on them (wake, James, make, game, face, take, on, big, tub,
down),
checklist with the following on it- choppy, smooth, smoother.
Procedures: 1. Begin lesson by modeling first how
a non-fluent reader reads and then how a fluent reader reads.
Begin
by reading very choppy how a non-fluent reader reads. Then read
very
smoothly like a fluent reader reads. Model by using sentences
from
the book James and the Good Day. Non-fluent-“J-J-ames
was/wakes
up. He m-m-akes a p-p-lan. Okay boys and girls, what did you
notice
about the way that I read those sentences? You’re exactly
right!
I read them very slowly and choppy. Fluent- James wakes
up.
He makes a plan.” This time the teacher read the sentences very
smoothly
and quickly the way a fluent reader sounds. “Boys and girls what
did you notice that was different this time about the way I read those
same sentences from last time. Way to listen! I read the
sentences
much more smoothly than last time and was also able to recognize the
words
much more quickly the way a fluent reader should read. In order
to
read fluently it takes a lot of practice. Today we are going to
practice
reading words that contain the a_e=/A/ sound. For example, words
such as wake, same, take, and babe. Having the ability to
recognize
words and sounds in words is the first step in being able to read
fluently.
2. Learning vowels is key in recognizing words and therefore
key in becoming a fluent reader. Children will split into
three
groups of five. Each group will receive a paper ice cream cone
and
several scoops lying beside the cones. On these scoops will
contain
the words mentioned above in the materials section. Explain to
them
that some scoops have the a_e=/A/ sound and some don’t.
Each
group will work together in putting the ice cream cone together.
I will model this by pulling a scoop from one of the groups that reads
the word down. I will ask the children whether or not this word
has
the long a_e=/A/ sound. They should reply no, therefore
this
scoop should not be placed on their cone.
3. I will reread James and the Good Day to the class
fluently.
Each child will receive a copy of the book. They will stop
putting
together their ice cream cones and do some round robin reading in their
same groups. I will go around with a checklist that reads
?choppy,
smoothly, more smoothly on it to access whether or not each child is
reading
fluently. Remind the children that if they come to a word they
can’t
decode to try using a cover-up. Teacher should model this by using a
common
word gathered from the book and also their ice cream scoops. For
example, the word game. Place cover-up first over the g and then
over the letter m of the word game. Finally, the word blended
together
should become game.
4. Have students take out primary pencil and paper. Still in
their groups ask them to go through the book and write down any other
words
they read that have the a_e=/A/ sound in them beside the ones
on
their ice cream scoops that were also gathered from the book.
Then
have the children in their groups practice reading over and over again
the words they found in the book.
5. When completed, have the students read aloud their words they
found. Have each group add those words to new scoops (paper blank
scoops)
to add to their cones. Each group should have a completed ice
cream
cone!
References: Eldredge, Lloyd. Teaching
Decoding in Holistic Classrooms. Prentice Hall. New
Jersey,
1995. pg.61
Wilson, P. Among Nonreaders: Voluntary reading, reading
achievement, and the development of reading habits. In C. Temple
and P. Collins (Eds.), Stories and readers: New Perspectives on
Literature
in the elementary classroom (p.157-169). Norwood, MA:
Christopher
Gordon. 1992.
James and the Good Day. Educational
Insights. 1990
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