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Whale Shark

Swimming into Fluent Reading:

Emma-Ruth Boles
erb0060@auburn.edu

Rationale:  Fluent readers are able to read quickly, smoothly, have comprehension, and with expression. Fluency is an important skill for students to obtain because children can begin focusing on the meaning of the text rather. This allows them to reflect on what they are reading instead of each individual word. In order for students to become fluent readers, they must read and re-read decodable books, or decode and crosscheck. This will help them practice decoding at a quick speed. This lesson calls for students to practice reading decodable books multiple times in order for the students to be able to read the books quickly and smoothly.  Students will gain confidence and fluency in readying by reading the books independently and then reading to a peer. 

Materials:

1)   Timer or stopwatch

2)   Whiteboard and markers for teacher to model sentences 

3)   Reading rate forms for teachers

4)   Pencil for students 

5)   Peer fluency sheet

6)   Teacher Fluency checklist

7)   Class set of To the Sea by Cale Atkinson

Procedure:

1. Say: “Today, we are going to be practicing how to read smooth and fast at same time so we can all become great, fluent readers! Does anyone know what a fluent reader is? (give time for a student to answer). Being able to read books quickly and smoothly is called fluency, so a person who can read quickly and smoothly is a fluent reader. It is important to be fluent readers so that we can focus on understanding what we are reading so reading will be more fun and enjoyable!”


2.  Say: “Now, I am going to show you how to read a sentence that I will write on the board fluently.” Put the following sentence on the board: I love to eat ice cream. Say: “Listen to me as I say the sentence a loud. I lllooovvveee, of love, I love ice creeeaaammm, oh I love ice cream!  When I read the sentence like that, it is hard to understand because I am not reading it fluently or quickly. I will then re-read the sentence faster than the time before. This is called cross checking and it is very important to become a fluent reader. Finally, I will blend the words together and read the words smoothly and fluently. Say: This is how we read fluently. “I love ice cream!” Do you see why it is important for us to read this way?  When we read like this, it is much easier to understand what we are reading. We are improving our reading by re-reading multiple times to make our reading more fluent.”


3. Say: Now it is your turn to practice reading fluently!  I will give everyone a book to practice reading quickly and smoothly to on your own. Read the story multiple so that you will improve your fluency. Remember to use your cover up critter if needed! The book I am going to pass out is To the Sea. In the story, there is a little boy named Tim. Tim makes a new friend named Sam. Sam is not a human, he is a WHALE! What will these two do together? What adventures will they go on? You will have to read the rest to find out! Students will read the whole book silently to themselves. 


4. Then they will read the book to their partner without helping them or getting frustrated.


5. Pass out recording sheets and stop watches. Say: Once you have practiced reading your book, I will pair you with a friend to read together.  You are each going to read the book to your partner 3 times. With the stopwatch, you are going to time your partner for one minute while listening to them read. At the end of that one-minute, put a mark so that you will remember where they were at one minute so that you can go back and count the words. The readers should finish reading. I will give you a check lists that has a space to write how many words they are reading the first, second and third time. After one partner has read 3 times, you will then switch and do the same thing! Remember to be quiet, respectful and kind to one another while your partner is reading!


6.During the peer fluency assessment, I will monitor the students working and try to ensure that all students are following directions and assessing each other correctly.


7.After the students have finished reading to one another, I will call them up to my desk individually and explain to them how many words they read per minute. Have them bring their record sheet and attach it to the back of their assessment sheet. As they read you will time them on the paragraph read aloud and use the formula given to record how many words per minute they read.

Assessment: 

I will assess their speed-reading by keeping their times documented and watching their improvement on the charts. I will also have each student read the book for me as I take notes on miscues and fluency. When the student has finished reading I will ask questions to check for comprehension.


Reading Comprehension Worksheet:

  1. When did Tim meet Sam? (after school)

  2. Who did Tim meet? (Sam, the whale)

  3. How did Sam get out of the water? (He took a wrong turn because he did not know his left from his right)

  4. What did Tim and Sam have in common? (they felt like no one knew who they were)


 Fluency Check List:

Title of Book: __________________________________

Student’s Name: ____________   Date___________

Partner's Name: ______________________________

After 2nd Reading       After 3rd Reading

_________                    _________                   Remembered more words

_________                    _________                   Read faster

_________                    _________                   Read smoother

_________                    _________                   Read with expression



(Words x 60)/seconds= WPM

0 - - - - 10 - - - - 20 - - - - 30 - - - - 40 - - - - 50 - - - - 60 - - - - 70 - - - - 80 - - - - 90 - - - - 100

Correct Words Per Minute


References:

Bruce Murray, The Reading Genie, http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/


Harris, Caroline. Swimming into Fluent Reading. Growing Independence and Fluency Design.

https://ceh0108.wixsite.com/carolineharris/growing-independence-and-fluency


Atkinson, Cale. “To the Sea.” 2015. https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Cale-Atkinson/dp/148470813X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543012211&sr=8-1&keywords=to+the+sea+cale+atkinson

Growing Independence & Fluency: Text
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