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Soaring into Fluency

Growing Fluency

by Bridgette Johnson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Rationale: Fluency is a critical component of reading.  Fluency allows readers to form automatic word recognition.  Students can begin to soar through texts at a much more rapid speed and focus on comprehension, making reading easier and more enjoyable.  This lesson is designed to help students develop fluency by increasing their reading speed.  Students will acquire fluency in this lesson by learning self-help strategies, performing repeated readings of decodable books silently and with partners, and having a visual representation charting their progress.

 

  • Materials:

  • Stopwatch for each partner pair

  • SmartBoard with example sentences for modeling: I bought a plane ticket to go home.

  • Airplane Fluency graph for each child (Use this graph for tracking the a student’s progress in words per minute.  The plane will move from the runway, to the takeoff, and then up into the sky higher and higher.  Graph should go to at least 85 WPM, but it should be adjustable based on student’s performance.)

  • The Berenstain Bears and the Baby Chipmunk (one for each child and teacher)

  • Fluency Checklist for each student

  • Time record sheet for each student

  • Comprehension assessment questions for each student

 

 

Time Record Sheet

Name: ______________________________

Date: _______________

 

1st Reading: ________________

2nd Reading: ________________

3rd Reading: ________________

 

 

Fluency Checklist

I noticed my partner…

After 2nd Reading      After 3rd Reading

_______                           _______                           Read more words

_______                           _______                           Read faster

_______                           _______                           Read smoother

_______                           _______                           Read with expression

 

  • Procedure:

  • Say: Today, we are going to work on becoming fluent readers.  That means that when we read, we know the words automatically when we see them, so we don’t have to sound out the word.  Once we can do that, we can read much more quickly and just focus on what the story is about! 

 

  • Say: At first, reading can be a little bumpy, kind of like a plane that is taking off and going through lots of clouds; however, with more and more practice, our reading becomes much smoother and more enjoyable, so we can just sit back and enjoy the ride, like an airplane zooming through the bright blue sky!

 

  • Say: I am going to show you an example of what to do when your reading starts getting a little bumpy.  Let’s look at a few sentences with some words we might not know yet.  Display sentences on SmartBoard: “I bought a plane ticket to go see my family.”  I am going to pretend like I am reading this sentence for the very first time.  (very slowly).  I /b/-/o/-/g/-/t/ a plane /t/-/i/-/k/-/e/-/t/ to go home. Hmmm that I’ve never heard the word /b/-/o/-/g/-/t/ before.  Let me try reading it again to see if I can figure it out.  I /b/-/o/-/g/-t/ a plane ticket… Oh bought!! That makes much more sense.  I guess the g and the h are silent.  I’ll remember that next time!  Now I’m going to read the whole sentence: (more quickly with expression) "I bought a plane ticket to go home."  Wow!  I figured it out!!  Notice how reading the sentence all the way to the end can sometimes give us clues that help us figure out what a new word might be.  This is called crosschecking.  You can do it, too!  Reading the sentence a few times also helps us to remember the new word and start reading more smoothly, or fluently.  Did you like the way the sentence sounded the first time I read it or the last time? (Wait for response)  Exactly!  The sentence sounded much better the last time because it was smoother, quicker, and I even added some excitement to my voice!

 

  • Say: Now we are all going to practice some reading.  It might take us a few tries, but that is how we become expert readers, gliding through our books with greater ease and speed.  Today, we are going to read The Berenstain Bears and the Baby Chipmunk.  One day Brother and Sister discover a baby chipmunk in their yard.  The chipmunk has no mother, so the Berenstain Bears decide to take him in and care for him.  They name him Brown Eyes.  Pretty soon Brown Eyes starts growing.  He is very curious and explores many places in the house.  He starts getting a little too adventurous and ends up in a place he really shouldn't be at all.  What will the Berensteins do?  Brown Eyes is not a pet after all.  Will they be able to keep him?  Let’s read and find out!  First, I want you to listen and follow along as I read the story.  Then it will be your turn.

 

  • Say: I want you to get with your partner and take turns reading the story.  Each of you will read the story three times.  While one partner is reading, the other will be the recorder.  After each reading, write down how long it took for your partner to read.  Readers, remember this is not a race.  We just want to be able to see your improvement.  After one partner finishes reading the story three times, the recorder will fill out the Fluency checklist.  Then the partners will switch jobs.  Give example of partner reading so students know what to do.  Walk around the room and monitor progress as students read to one another.

 

  • Assessment: Once students complete paired readings, they will draw the events of the story in four pictures and answer the assessment questions below.  The teacher will call students one at a time to listen to them read and assess their reading using the equation (Words x 60)/seconds.

    • Assessment Questions:

                 1. Why did the Berenstain Bears decide to bring the baby chipmunk inside?

                 2. Where was Brown Eyes when the Berenstains woke up?

                 3. Why did the Berenstain Bears decide to let Brown Eyes back outside?

                 4. If you found a baby chipmunk, do you think it would be a good idea to keep it?  Why or why not?

 

 

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