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 Flying into Growing Fluency

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plane.png

Rationale: Fluency is an important part of reading.  Fluency allows readers to form automatic word recognition. Students can begin to soar through texts at a much more fast speed and focus on their comprehension, and this makes 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 

  • SmartBoard or whiteboard with example sentences for modeling: I bought a ticket to fly on an airplane!

  • Airplane Fluency graph for each child (Use this graph for tracking the 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 can be adjustable based on the students 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 become fluent readers!! Don’t you want to be a fluent reader?! That means that when we read, we can automatically recognize words when we see them! Once we can do that we can read faster and we can focus on the story!

 

Say: At first, reading can be a little bumpy, like a plane going through turbulence in the sky. Let's look at a sentence with some words we might not know yet (display sentences on board). Say: “I bought a ticket to fly on an airplane!” I am going to pretend like I am reading this sentence for the first time (read it very slowly).  I /b/o/u/g/h/t a plane /t/i/c/k/e/t/ to fly on an airplane! Hmmm… I have never heard the word /t/i/c/k/e/t/ before. I am going to try it again so I can figure it out. I /b/o/u/g/h/t a plane /t/i/c/k/e/t/ to fly …. Oh ticket! That makes so much more sense Now I am going to read the whole sentence: (more quickly with expression) “I bought a plane ticket to fly on an airplane!”. I figured it out! Reading the whole sentence really helped me. This is called cross checking 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!!  Today, we are going to read If you give a Mouse a Cookie.  If you give a mouse a cookie, then it will ask for some milk.  What else will he ask for? What really does happen when you give a mouse a cookie? We will have to read to 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 examples 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. What happens after the mouse gets a glass of milk? 

  2. What does he do when he notices his hair needs a trim?

  3. What does he do after he sweeps every room?

  4. What does he do after he draws a picture?

 

Resources:

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