Growing Independence and Fluency

RATIONALE

To have a student that reads fluently means they are able to recognize words quickly, accurately, and automatically. They no longer rely on decoding, but are instead tapping into their sight word vocabulary. Fluency is a crucial for readers because it enables them to read smoother, faster, and with more expression. Fluency is also a key element in reading comprehension. When a child can comprehend the text in front of them, reading becomes much more enjoyable. Frustration decreases as fluency increases, and this can be achieved through practicing repeated readings. We use the fluency equation (words read x 60/seconds) to determine how many words are read per minute. In this lesson, students will crosscheck as they practice repeated readings of Number One Sam. This lesson aims to improve both fluency and independence through repeated and timed reading.

MATERIALS

The book Number One Sam (a copy for each student), a stopwatch for each pair of partners, a class set of cover-up critters, Partner Reading Fluency Checklist (see below), Speed Record Sheet (see below), Reader Response questions written on board (see below), and a fluency chart for each student.

Speed Record Sheet Paired Reading Fluency Chart

Name of Reader: Name of Reader:

Name of Evaluator: Name of Evaluator:

Date: Date:

1st Time: I noticed that my partner...(Fill in the circle)

2nd Time: After 2nd After 3rd

3rd Time: Reading Reading

O O Read more words

Reader Response Questions O O Read faster

Who won the first race? O O Read smoother

Why couldn't Sam sleep before the first race? O O Read with more expression

What place did Sam come in during the second race?

PROCEDURE

1. Say: We all want to become excellent readers! But to become an excellent reader, we need to read fluently. This takes lots of practice, but reading will be so much more fun when we become fluent readers because we won’t have to stop and try to read every word. When we become fluent readers, we can read books at a steady, smooth rate without sounding choppy. So lets get started!

2. Say: We have learned some reading techniques that help us out when we are stuck on a word, but let’s refresh our memories about crosschecking. Let’s imagine I wanted to read this sentence (write I used what I learned in school today on my homework. on board) but I wasn’t sure what this word was (underline today). First I would read my sentence I used what I learned in school _______ on my homework. Hmmm, still not sure what the word is. So my next step is to get out my cover-up critter. I recognize some of the chunks of this word TO DAY. I think it’s today! Now I’ll reread my sentence and see if the word makes sense. I used what I learned in school TODAY on my homework. I got it. Now, the next time I see the word, I’ll recognize it faster and be able to read more fluently.

3. Say: Now I’ll show you how fluency can make your reading sound smoother. I’m going to read this sentence like a beginning reader would. (write The fastest car won the race. on the board) Thhhhheee ffffaaaaassssttessttt cccaarrrrrr woonnn theee raaaake, I mean race. I read the sentence, but it took a long time and there was no expression in my voice. Now that I’ve read the sentence once before though, I should be able to recognize the words more quickly, and not the hard words like race next time. Now that I know the words, I can add some expression and comprehend the meaning of the sentence. The fastest car won the race! That sounds much better!

4. Say: Today we are going to read part of Number One Sam, so we can practice on growing our fluency, but first I want us all to read through it once silently so we can familiarize ourselves with the words. Book talk: This is a book about a dog named Sam who always wins races because he is the fastest. But, as Sam starts the race, he is neck and neck with an elephant named Maggie! Sam isn’t too worried about it because he is always number one! But, Sam may be in for a surprise. What do you think is going to happen?? Let’s read to find out! (Give students about 5-10 minutes to read through the book.)

5. Say: Now that we have familiarized ourselves with the text, it is time to practice reading because that’s how we become fluent readers! We are going to break up into partners and take turns reading aloud. One person will read first and the other will use the stopwatch to time them. Make sure you record the time after each reading on the Speed Record Sheet. Use the Paired Reading Fluency Checklist to record how your partner’s reading went. Did they read smoothly? Was there expression in their voice? Did they have to stop and decode any words? I want each person to read the story through three times. Make sure you are keeping a record of their time and improvements after each reading. This is how you will assess if your fluency is improving!

When you and your partner have both read through the book twice, I want you to give your partner the checklist that you kept of their reading. Then I want you to return your desks and answer the Reader’s Response Questions that I have written on the board individually on a sheet of paper.

These questions are, Who won the first race? Why didn’t Sam sleep before the second race? What happened during the second race? What place did Sam come in during the second race?

While you are answering these silently, I am going to call each of you up to my desk individually. When I call your name I want you to quietly bring up your Number One Sam book, the Speed Record Sheet and Paired Reading Fluency Checklist that your partner completed while you read.

ASSESSMENT

As teacher sees that students are finishing up their partner repeated readings and are beginning to work individually on their reader’s response questions, teacher will call up students individually to read the book aloud. Based on the Speed Record Sheet and the Paired Reading Fluency Checklist that the student’s partner recorded, teacher will calculate the reader’s beginning level of reading fluency. Then student will read aloud to the teacher, and teacher will record time, and recalculate the student’s fluency rate. Teacher will give student fluency chart and mark where they started on the first reading and their most recent reading. Teacher will explain to the student where they want to be on the chart (60 words per minute) and that the student will keep the chart to keep track of fluency improvements as they continue to practice repeated readings. Teacher will collect reader’s response answers from each student to assess reading comprehension.