Katie Naylor
Rationale: When
students first begin to read, they have to decode letters in order to sound
out or pronounce the words. In order for them to begin to comprehend
what they are reading, they have to develop reading fluency, which is the
ability to accurately, rapidly, and automatically recognize words.
Repeated reading is a good way for students to go from just being able
to decode a word to recognizing it automatically and then beginning to
understand its meaning in the text.
Materials: Book
of a child's choice that is on their independent reading level (either
from a trip to the library or from some books the teacher has selected);
a book of the teacher's choice that can
be read aloud to the class (for younger children, use a big book; stopwatch
(if desired; see assessment notes.)
Procedures:
1) Model fluent reading
to the class. "Boys and girls, today I am going to read a book to
you, and I am going to ask you some questions about the story when I finish."
(Begin by reading the story very choppy,
and pronouncing words like "brother" as "br-o-ther.")
After you've read the story, ask some questions about it. The children
probably won't know the answers to the questions, because they won't be
able to comprehend much of the story for the way you are reading it.
If they tell you they didn't understand much of the story, ask them why
not, and then ask them to help you by making some suggestions as to how
you could read the story in a way they could understand you. Guide
them into suggesting things like, "Read the words all together" or "Change
your voice to show different things happening," etc.
2) "I'm so glad you
helped me decide some things I could do to read this book in a way you
would enjoy it and be able to understand what is happening. I know
that some of you don't enjoy reading sometimes, maybe because you don't
understand what is happening in the story. There are some things
you can do to make reading more fun and enjoyable, and we are going to
talk about those things in a minute, but first I'm going to take your suggestions
and read this book again for you in a way that might be more fun and easier
to understand. Listen for some things I do differently this time,
and we'll talk about it after I read." (Reread the book with fluency
and expression.)
3) Discuss with the
students the ways in which your reading was different, and ask them some
questions about the story, which they should be able to answer this time.
Discuss with them how to read with fluency and expression, by reading with
appropriate speed, and using vocal changes like louder at times, softer
at times, etc., to illustrate what it happening in the story. Go
over strategies of how to read a word you
don't know, like covering up part of the word to try to decode it, and
then, if you still don't know the word, read the rest of the sentence,
and go back to see if you can figure out what word would belong there according
to what the rest of the sentence is about. Be sure to emphasize the
importance of NOT skipping words in a passage just because you don't recognize
it.
4) "Now that you've
seen by my reading how much easier and more enjoyable it is to read once
you read words smoothly, with a good speed, and with expression, we're
going to take a trip to the library, and I want you to pick out a book
that you like so that we can practice reading in the way that we talked
about." (Take the class to the library, or let them choose from books
you've selected. Make sure the books are on their independent reading
level.) "Now that you have a book, I want you to find a place in
the room where you are comfortable, and I want you to read your book to
yourself four times. The first time, you may need to cover up a word
and read parts of it, or read the rest of the sentence and go back to that
word. After that, you should be able to read more quickly, and be
able to better understand what the words mean. After you've read
it four times, you should be ready to read it aloud to someone else, and,
since you'll know the words pretty well, you can add things like vocal
expression to make it more enjoyable to your listener." (Allow them
time to read their books four times.)
5) "Boys and girls,
I want you to choose a partner and read your book to them. Then,
switch, and let your partner read to you. Try to read the book with
as much expression as you can, and with a
good speed so your partner doesn't get bored if you take a long time to
read." (Allow time for all the children to read their books to their
partner.)
6) For assessment, have
each child come up and read their book of choice to the teacher.
You may want to use a stopwatch to time their reading, or you may just
decide to listen to their reading and check for fluency, expression, etc.
(If you time their reading, it is important for you to let them know that
you are timing them to see if they are reading at a steady, consistent
pace, but that the goal of reading is NOT to see how fast you can read.
It is to read at a pace that is steady, so that either the reader in silent
reading or the audience in reading aloud can comprehend what is being read,
and it is interesting to them.)
Reference: The
Reading Genie (www.auburn.edu/~murraba). (Growing
in
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