Running to Reading Fluency
Rationale
In order to better develop comprehension in reading, students must learn to read fluently. While decoding is a vital part of the reading process, it’s often difficult for students. Students can read faster with fluency instruction which allows students to transfer new words to sight words. Repeated readings can be used to help students move from slow decoding to automatic, effortless reading. This lesson teaches children how to use strategies that build their sight word vocabulary. Methods addressed in this lesson are crosschecking for meaning, repeated reading of the text, and charting progress during paired partner reading. These tools will enable students to progress toward fluency and comprehension while sustaining motivation to read and reread.
Materials
• Stopwatches (one per each pair of students)
• Fluency Graphs for each child
• Stickers
• Class set of Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
• Partner Reading Progress checklists
• Reader Response form
• Grading rubrics
• Sentence written on the board: “Frog ran up the path to Toad’s house and knocked on the door.” Then on a separate line, “Toad shouted, ‘Frog, wake up! It’s spring!”
Procedures
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Explain the Activity. Say: Today we are going to talk about reading fluently. When we read fluently, we are able to understand what we are reading and what is happening in the story. The more fluently we can read, the more we will be able to comprehend or understand what we are reading.
2. Model Fluent and Non-fluent Reading. Say: I am going to read this sentence on the board two times. I want you to listen to how I read it and tell me which time sounds more fluent, or which one sounds better.
F-r-ooo-g, frog ran up the paaaa-th, path, to T-ow-d’s, Toad’s? h-ou-se and /k/nocked, knocked on the d-oo-rrr.
Frog ran up the path to Toad’s house and knocked on the door.
Which sounds better? [Let students answer] That’s right! The second time I read it sounded so much better. Why does it sound better? [Allow students to contribute answers] Right, it sounds better because I read the words easily with less mistakes, and I also read with expression. Also, I understood what the sentence is saying when I read it the second time. When I read the sentence the first time, I was so focused on decoding the words that I didn’t pick up what the sentence is saying. This is why reading fluency is so important!
3. Review a Strategy. Say: Did you notice that the first time I read the sentence I read knocked as k-nocked? But then I went back and realized that the correct word was knocked because k-nocked did not make sense and isn’t even a word. This is called crosschecking. You use crosschecking when you come to a word in the sentence that you’re not sure about. To crosscheck remember that we look at the rest of the sentence, before and after the word, and try to use the information to determine what the word might be.
4. Practice Together. Say: Let’s read this next line together, “Toad shouted ‘Frog, wake up! It’s spring!’” I heard some of you didn’t immediately get the word “shouted”. If you were reading this by yourself and you didn’t know the word you could look at these beginning sounds, /sh/ /o/ and then look at the rest of the sentence to figure out that it says “shouted”
5. Motivate to Read. Say: Now before we get too far into the story, let me tell you a little bit about what is going on! Frog slept alllll winter, and now it’s spring time! Frog is so excited and he needs to tell his friends that it’s finally spring! He runs over to his friend Toad’s house to wake him up and tell him! But, Toad won’t get up! Do you think Frog is going to be able to wake Toad up? Let’s see what happens.
6. Partner Practice Say: Now we’re going to do some practice building our fluency with partners. Pair up with your reading partner and come get a Partner Progress Checklist, Reader Response Form, a stopwatch, and 2 copies of Frog and Toad are Friends. I will tell you the number of words in the book when you get back to your reading spots so you can write that at the top of the page. You’re going to take 3 turns reading the book. While your partner is reading you are going to use the stopwatch to time them. You are also going to pay close attention to how many mistakes your partner makes, make a checkmark on your sheet of paper when you hear a mistake. Remember that it’s okay to make mistakes while we’re building fluency, you’re going to have mistakes the first couple times you read it and that’s how we get better. Once your partner is done reading you’re going to subtract the number of words missed from the total number of words, you’re also going to record the time it took for them to read it and record it on your sheet. You’re also going to record which time was the smoothest and which time had least number of errors. After you and your partner have each read 3 times, I want you to discuss the answers to the questions on the Reader Response Form and write your answers down individually. When you have finished all this come see me and I will give you fluency graphs and show you how to put your sticker in the right spot on your fluency graphs so you can monitor your progress!
Assess student progress by evaluating answers on the Reading Response Form and determining each student’s WPM using the formula and mark their progress with a sticker on their fluency chart. Adapt each student’s fluency charts to set appropriate and attainable goals for each student.
Partner Reading Progress Checklist
Total # of words in chapter: ______
Reader: ___________________________
Checker: __________________________
1: ___ Words in ___ seconds
2: ___ Words in ___ seconds
3: ___ Words in ___ seconds
Which turn sounded the smoothest? _______
Which turn had the least number of errors? ______
Reader Response Form
Name ________________________________
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, answer each question with at least one complete sentence.
1. What happens at the beginning of the story?
2. Why does Frog want Toad to wake up?
3. How does Frog try to wake up Toad?
4: What was something that you would have done to try and wake up Toad?
References
Bailey Sample’s Lightening Fast Fluency
http://brs0008.wix.com/missbailey#!growing-independence-and-fluency-lesson/cmo4
Emma Gilmore’s Racing Through Reading