Growing Independence and Fluency: Move into Fluency
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Rationale: This lesson is designed to improve students reading fluency. Reading fluently means that a student has the ability to read where nearly all the words are sight vocabulary. As a result, readers can read at a fast pace and with expression. They must first be able to decode words in the text they are reading in order to have reading fluency. In this lesson, students will learn the strategies and skills that it takes to become a fluent reader through modeling and practice. Students will use the strategy of crosschecking after readings of a decodable text and repeated readings to gain fluency and independence in reading.
Materials: Stop watch, timer, pencil, cover-up critter, fluency checklist, reading time log, partner reading sheet, Amelia Bedelia on the Move
Procedure:
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Say: “Hello! Today we are going to learn how we can improve our fluency. Fluency is very important when learning to read. Does anyone know what the word ‘fluency’ means? (wait for response). Fluency is when you are able to read words quickly and automatically with expression. We are comprehending more of the story when we read with fluency. It is necessary that we are able to recognize a large amount of sight words (without having to decode them) to become fluent readers. To gain sight words we practice reading through a method of repeated reading where we decode, crosscheck, mental mark and reread.”
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Now say: “We have cover-up critters to help us decode, which means to read an unfamiliar or new word. For example, let’s look at the word street. (Write the word street on the whiteboard). I will use my cover-up critter to decode this word. I will cover up all the letters except for the first s. /s/…/s/…/s/. Then I will uncover t. /t/…/t/…/t/st/. Next, I uncover the letter r. /r/…/r/r/r/…/s/t/r. Then I will uncover the ee. /ee/…/ee/…/ee/ s/t/r/ee. Finally, I will uncover the t and blend all the phonemes together. /s/t/r/ee/t/…/s/t/r/ee/t/… street. This word is STREET. Let’s use the word in a sentence: “He walked down the street to the store.”
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Now I will show the students the difference between reading a sentence fluently and not reading it fluently. I will write the sentence “I like my new shoes.” I will read it very slow at first to show them how a reader who is not fluent would read it. “I want to be a grrrreeeeaaaattt swwiimmmeerrrr.” Then I would read it more fluently and faster to show how a fluent reader would read it. I will read it very smoothly, and with expression. “I want to be a great swimmer.” Then I will ask, "Did anyone notice the difference in how I read the sentence? Could you tell that one was smoother than the other? Right, the smoother reading was a more fluent reading and that's how we want to read. Is it easier to understand when it’s read faster and smoother? That's right it is easier! Now I want you to try and read faster and with expression!”
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Say: “I now want you all to read the book Amelia Bedelia On The Move by Herman Parish silently at your desk. In this book, Amelia Bedelia loves the house she lives in, and she really loves the neighborhood she lives in. When her parents suggest a move, she makes it become an adventure. Together they visit open houses, explore new neighborhoods, and discover that home is where the heart is. Amelia Bedelia learns all about different types of houses. Will they find a new house they will live in? I want you to read and find out. Reading silently is without whispering or moving your lips. I want you to read it silently in your head.”
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After the students read silently, I will pair them up. Say: “You and your partner will now get a stopwatch and a copy of Amelia Bedelia On The Move, a reading rate chart, and a fluency checklist. You and your partner are going to read, three times each, to build on your fluency. You will take turns being the reader and one will be the timer. The timer will time your partner reading the book and will record their time on the reading rate chart. When you’re the one timing your partner, be sure that you hit start as soon as your partner starts to read and hit stop as soon as they are done reading. Record all three of the times on your chart. After your partner has read the book once, make sure you fill out the fluency checklist along with the reading rate chart. This will help your partner and see if you’re improving.” Before the students start reading, I will model how to fill in the chart and use a stopwatch. I will then observe the students reading the book. I will walk around the room and ask any questions the students may have and make sure that they are filling in the correct time.
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After the students are done reading, collect the data for yourself to analyze and assess how your students did and who still needs to work on. Use your observations from the class too. Each student will read to you individually. Mark improvements needed as well as miscues, and ask comprehension questions. I will ask questions such as:
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“What was the first kind of house Amelia went to?
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“What kind of house was the open house they went to?
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“What animal did Amelia look for at the ranch style house?”
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“What happened to his shoes when he stepped in the mud?”
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“Did Amelia’s parents buy a house?
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Each day, I will set a certain amount of time for the students to go with their partners to practice reading for fluency. After a week of reading, I will assess each student individually and give them a new partner. This will allow them to see how another student is reading and what they can learn.
Checklist:
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Did he/she read smoothly?
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Did he/she show facial expression?
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Did he/she have voices changes?
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Does the student have an overall understanding of expression?
Name____________________
Time after first reading___________
Time after second reading____________
Time after third reading______________
Partner Reading Progress
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Tally Marks:
____ Total words - ____ Tally marks= _____ Words
____ Words in ____ seconds
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Tally Marks:
____ Total words - ____ Tally marks= _____ Words
____ Words in ____ seconds
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Tally Marks:
____ Total words - ____ Tally marks= _____ Words
____ Words in ____ seconds
The following fluency checklist filled out for each reading partner will also be used as an assessment:
· Title of Book:
· Student’s Name:
· Partner's Name:
· Make a check if the following is true after the 2nd and 3rd Readings:
· Remembered more words:
· Read faster:
· Read smoother:
· Read with expressions:
References:
“Splashing into Fluency” by Abby Watson https://abbywatson120.wixsite.com/lessondesigns/growing-independence-fluency
Book: Parish, Herman. Amelia Bedelia On The Move. Greenwillow Books, 2017. Print.
Click here to return to applications: http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/classroom/applications/
Partner Reading Progress
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Tally Marks:
____ Total words - ____ Tally marks= _____ Words
____ Words in ____ seconds
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Tally Marks:
____ Total words - ____ Tally marks= _____ Words
____ Words in ____ seconds
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Tally Marks:
____ Total words - ____ Tally marks= _____ Words
____ Words in ____ seconds
