Growing Independence and Fluency

Growing in Independency and Fluency Lesson:

Fishy Fluency with Junie B.

Rationale: This lesson will help students gain fluency as a reader. In order for students to read effortlessly and with automaticity, they must practice expression, pace, and comprehension. Effortless word recognition allows students to reflect on what they are reading. Through reading, decoding, crosschecking, mental marking, and rereading, students will be able to confidently improve their reading rate and grow into fluent readers. Fluency is essential in students gaining comprehension. In this lesson, students will use the strategy of crosschecking after reading a decodable text and then complete repeated readings in order to gain fluency and independence in reading.

Materials: pencils, timer/stopwatch for each pair, class set of Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy, sample sentences on white board for teacher to model, peer fluency sheet (one for each student), reading rate forms for teacher, teacher fluency check (one for each student) with attached comprehension questions

Procedures:

Say: “Boys and girls, today we are going to work on becoming fluent readers. We know that our goal is to become fluent readers, but what does that mean? What do you think of when I say a fluent reader?” Wait for responses. “Fluent readers are able to read quickly, smoothly, and with expression because they recognize words automatically. This also helps us understand what we are reading because we don’t have to stop and analyze each word. This makes reading more enjoyable.”

2. Say: Now direct your attention to the sentence written on the board: Sally ate the last cookie! Listen as I read aloud the sentence and tell me if I sound like a fluent reader or not. SSSaall, SSSaaallyy, at, I mean ate, the llllaaass, last, ccookiiee. Sally ate the last cookie. Now I will reread the sentence so that I can check and make sure that the word makes sense. Sally ate the last cookie! Did you notice how I didn't have to sound out any words? I spoke the sentence in a smooth manner and the sentence was much easier to understand! Now turn to a partner and practice reading the second sentence on the board: I ate a really big hot dog. Read it aloud to one another until you can each read it fluently. When you can read it fluently, find another partner. I would like for you to read the second sentence on the board until you can read it fluently. The second sentence is: The ball went in the lake.

Say: Now that I have read the sentence Sally ate the last cookie! What did I get stuck on? In order to figure out how to read the hard word, I had to reread the sentence, remember my correspondences, and focus on my pronunciation. I knew at did not sound correct. I took a moment and remembered that a_e says /A/. Then after I corrected my mistakes, I went back, re-read the sentence, I realized that it actually made sense when I said ate. This strategy I used is called crosschecking.
Number off students into partner sets and pass out the books. Say: “Now we are going to practice being fluent readers by reading the Junie B. Jones book, June B. Jones Smells Something Fishy. Junie B. is so excited for pet day at school. She can’t wait to bring her dog when she finds out, no dogs! This is the only pet she has. We will have to read to find out what Junie B. does.”
Students should read the first three pages silently to themselves. Then they should each read a chapter aloud to each other. Explain to students that while they are reading to not help each other out.
Pass out recording sheets and stopwatches to each group. Say: “Now we are going to play the fluency game. Put your listening ears back on to hear how to play! Reader 1 is going to start the game off and Reader 2 will be in control of the timer. Reader 2 is going to time Reader 1 reading the first two pages, and then he or she will record the time on the sheet that I have just handed to you. After recording the information, Reader 2 will read and Reader 1 will record. Do this three times each. As you listen to your partner read aloud the pages, I want you to be listening for how their reading changes each time. Do they remember more words, do they read with more expression? Mark these changes on your paper. Ready? Begin!”
After the student pairs have each read through the passage three times, have the students, come one at a time, read a paragraph from the first two pages. Ask them bring their record sheet so you can attach it to the back of my assessment sheet. You will time them on the paragraph read aloud, and use the formula given to record how many words they have read per minute.

Words x 60

Seconds read

Use a list of comprehension questions to assess how their fluency is affecting their comprehension.

Assessment: I will review each student’s results from the following checklists:

Peer Fluency Check

Name of Reader: ____________________

Date: _________________

1st Time: ________

2nd Time: ________

3rd Time: ________

I noticed that my partner…

After which read? 2nd 3rd

Remembered more words

Read faster

Read smoother

Read with expression

Teacher Fluency Check

Name of Reader: _______________

Date: _________________

Time: ________

Words x 60/time in seconds: _______WPM

Comprehension:

1. What was this paragraph about?

2. What characters are being discussed?

3. Is there a problem happening in the story?

Resources:

Brady, Celeste. Reading Genie Website. “Fluency is Fun!”. http://celestebrady4.wix.com/minimal-layout#!growing-independence-and-fluency/c1l1j

Park, Barbara., and Denise Brunkus. Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy. Random House, 1998.

Back to the connections site: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/connections.html

Miss Beck's Reading Lessons