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Growing Independence & Fluency Stop!

Smooth Sledding

By: Wendy Alley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rationale: In order for students to become fluent readers they must practice and make sight words. Becoming a fluent reader will help students comprehend the text better as well as engage others if they are reading aloud. In this lesson students will read and then reread decodable words in a connected text in order to sharpen the fluency of their reading.

 

Materials:

  • Poster with the sentence: “Today I came to school to learn how to become a fluent reader” on it.

  • Paper with a paragraph that is decodable (one for each pair)(example: ”Today I will be going to the park after school. My friends are going to come with me so we can throw the baseball. Jake is a good baseball player, so he will help me learn how to pitch.”

  • Copies of Wooden Box by Matt Sims (one for each pair)

  • The Sea Foam by Matt Sims

  • Partner Checklist for Reading Fluency (one for each student)(attached)

  • Stopwatch

 

Procedures:

  • 1. Explain to students what fluency is and why it is important. “Today we are going to learn how to become fluent readers. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, which helps us focus more on what the book is trying to tell us and less on sounding out each word. It is important to become a fluent reader so that we can read smoother and understand the story. In order to become fluent readers we have to read things a few times. A smooth reader reads like a sled going down fresh snow. I’m going to read a sentence like a beginning reader would and then like a fluent smooth reader would. ‘T-o-d-a-y I came to sch-ool to learn how to become a flu-en-t reader.’ Now listen for me to get smoother and add expression ‘Today I came to school to learn how to become a fluent reader.’ The second one sounded much better, didn’t it? What did I do differently? Why can I read better after I’ve already read it one time? If I didn’t know the word fluent I could decode and then keep reading the sentence and then crosscheck to see what that word might be. I can crosscheck if I didn’t know this word (point to fluent) by finishing the sentence, Today I cam to school to learn how to become a f-l-uant reader… fluant, what’s that? OH fluent! Then I go back a reread the sentence.”

  • 2. Now I am going to pair you up and I am going to give each group a piece of paper with a few sentences on it. One person is going to listen while the other person reads the sentences, your partner will need to listen carefully the 1st time and remember how it sounds. The reader will read the sentences three times. After the 1st time read it out loud to your partner. The second time read it out loud, but try to read it smoother. The third time read it out loud to your partner using expression and as smooth you can. Reading the sentences over and over will help you become a fluent reader. Then switch and the other partner will read the sentences three times. If you are not reading you need to be giving positive compliments to the reader telling them what they did good on, if they read faster, smoother, or with better expression. If you get stumped on a word remember to decode that word and crosscheck. Teacher should walk around and help where needed. Then check for comprehension by asking questions about the passage. “What is Jake good at? Where are you going today?”

  • 3. Now we are going to become fluent readers with a book. What if I read choppy and have to stop to sound out every word? (Model with 1st page of the book) No, I want to read smooth like this (model). I want you to practice reading smoother, with expression. Booktalk: Wooden Box is about a boy who collects baseball cards but he needs something to keep them in, so he buys a box. In the box he finds a secret map. What do you think the map is to? What do you think he will do with it? We will have to read to find out. Each group is going to get a copy of Wooden Box and you will read 2 chapters to your partner and then reread them and then reread them again. The second time you should become smoother with your reading and the third time you should be even smoother like a sled going down fresh snow. If you are not reading you will assess how the reader is progressing using the checklist I have given you. Then the person who didn’t read will read the next 2 chapters and then reread them while the other person assesses them using the checklist. Continue reading two chapters at a time 3 times each until you have finished the book.

  • 4. After the students have read I will check for understanding by asking questions about the book. “What did he do with the map he found? Where did the map lead? What would you do if you found a map?”

Assessment: In order to assess students I will have students read a short decodable passage (maybe a chapter) from the book The Sea Foam at my desk while I time them and calculate words per minute. Then students will read the same section to a partner to increase fluency. In order to assess progress students will reread the passage to me again and I will calculate words per minute and graph the results. Students can see their progress through a word per minute graph. At the end of the reading I will assess student comprehension by asking comprehension questions about the passage.  

 

Partner Checklist:                            

After 2nd time             After 3rd time

1. Remembered more words           _____________                   _______________

2. Read faster                                   _____________                   _______________

3 Read smoother                               _____________                   _______________

4. Read with more expression         _____________                   _______________

 

Comprehension Questions for teacher to ask:

  • What is the Sea Foam?

  • What does the boat get trapped against?

  • How does the family get to the land safely?

  • How many people are on the boat?

  • What happens to the boat?

 

Resources:

“As Smooth as Silk” by Tara Greene

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/elucid/greenegf.html

 

Wooden Box by Matt Sims, High Noon Books, Copyright 2004.

 

The Sea Foam by Matt Sims, High Noon Books, Copyright 2004.

 

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