Rationale:

In order for students to become fluent readers, they must read and re-read decodable books, practice decoding and decoding at a quick speed because they are no longer relying on decoding, but are now using sight words to read. The goal of this lesson is to improve the student’s influence and independence through repeated and timed reading. In this lesson students will practice their fluency and gain experience with reading text silently as well as reading to a partner. They will read for fluency with the teacher as well. At the end of the lesson, the teacher will evaluate the progress of the student’s ability to fluently & independently read texts, though the reading & assessment worksheets.

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Materials:

• Stopwatch (or any timing device for each pair of students)

• Road Runner chart to show student’s progress in words per minute

• Fluency chart to record student’s words per minute

• Fluency Checklist

• Reading comprehension worksheets

• Dry erase markers (to write sentences on the board)

• Sample sentences for the teacher to model (on the board)

• Cover-up critters for each student.

• Sentence on the whiteboard: “Rain falls from the cloud swiftly.” Then on a separate line, “Splashing in rain puddles is a lot of fun!”

• Class set of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin (New York: HarperCollins, 2012

 

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

Correct Words Per Minute

 

Fluency Checklist:

Title of Book: __________________________________

Date___________

Student’s Name: ____________ 

Partner's Name: ______________________________

After 2nd Reading       After 3rd Reading

_________                    _________                   Remembered more words

_________                    _________                   Read faster

_________                    _________                   Read smoother

_________                    _________                   Read with expression

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Procedure:

1. Say: “Today we are going to work on our fluency in reading! This means that you are going to become professionals at reading words quickly and correctly. When we are fluent readers, we can better understand the text and it gives us a chance to read the story with expression and make it more interesting! We will practice this today by reading the same book more than once. The more we read the book, the more familiar we will become with the words. This is called repeated reading! Ready to give it a try? Let’s begin!”

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2. The teacher will now model how to crosscheck and decode by using a sentence written on the board. Say: “I want everyone to look at this sentence.” (sample sentence: Rain falls from the clouds swiftly.) “Now let’s read it together. ‘RAin fffalllls from the Clowwwd swwwiiffftly….” When I get stuck on a word I will go on to finish the rest of the sentence…. “swiftly”. If I still can’t figure out the word, then I can use my cover-up critter. First, I uncover the first letter of the word. I continue this with each letter in the word. “Ohhhh, I love the rain! The sentence says that rain falls from the sky swiftly!” I used crosschecking to reread the sentence to try to figure the word out. Now that I know the correct word, I can mentally mark the spelling to help me remember it in the future!”

 

3. Say: “Let’s see if we can tell the difference between a fluent reader and a non-fluent reader. I am going to read a sentence on the board: “Splashing in rain puddles is a lot of fun.” This is how I may read the sentence the first time I see it: “Sssplaashhhinng in rain puuduulless is a lot of fun.” When I read it slow and stretched out, it is hard to understand what I am saying. But if I read it again, I can try to read it faster and more smooth: “S-p-l-a-s-h-i-n-g in rain p-u-d-d-l-e-s is a lot of fun.” That was a little more fluent, but I think I can read it even better. (I will read it faster, smoother, and with more expression.) *Riding in an airplane can be a lot of fun!” That time, the words flowed smoothly and it is easy to understand what I said. This is how a fluent reader should read the sentence. Now you try reading the sentence fluently. (Have students read the sentence aloud and practice adding expression.)

 

4. Say: “Practice makes perfect! All good readers got better with practice. When I first read the sentence, it was difficult because I had never read it before. The second time I read the sentence, it was easier because I knew the words. By the third time I read the sentence, I was able to say it smoothly and add expression! I became fluent in reading by rereading the sentence until I understood it. That is how you will become fluent readers, too!”

 

5. Say: “To practice reading fluently, we are going to read the book ‘Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons’. “Has anyone here ever read a Pete the Cat book? *wait for student’s response* In this story Pete the Cat is wearing a fancy coat. And Oh no!! Pete the Cats buttons keep popping off of his favorite shirt! What will Pete do? How do you think he will react to losing his buttons? Let’s all read the story to see what Pete does about his haywire buttons.

 

6. Children will be given a copy of the book, their own cover-up critters, fluency chart and checklists, reading comprehension worksheets, and a stopwatch. Say: “Now we are going to practice reading fluently by working with a partner. I want you to pair up with the person beside you. Each of you will take turns reading the story. Before we end you will each read it three times. Remember to crosscheck and use your cover-up critters to help you figure out the words if you get stuck. While you’re reading, your partner will time you using a stopwatch. You will record the time on the worksheet. Your partner will listen closely the second and third time to see if you are reading smoothly and with expression. Remember to be nice when discussing with your partner, we are all friends and we do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings. After you finish reading and filling out the fluency chart, discuss the book with your partner. After you have finished, work independently at your desk to complete the reading comprehension worksheet and then turn it in to me.

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The fluency checklists and charts that I pass around to the students will have a spot for their name and for their partner to record their speed the first, second, and third time they read the story. It will also have a spot that say’s "My partner..." "remembered words, read faster, read smoother, and read with expression" and there will be a spot for them to fill this in the second and third time of reading the passage.

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Assessment: Walk around the room to observe the student’s progress as they read. Have the students turn in their worksheets when they are finished. Then call each student individually to your desk to read the passage to you. Be sure to put the passage all on one page so the illustrations do not distract the student. Time the student while he or she reads. The goal is to get the student reading 85 words per minute. At the end of the lesson, review the answers to the reading comprehension worksheet.

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Reading Comprehension Worksheet:

1. How does the book describe the shirt Pete is wearing at the beginning of the book?

2. When Pete the Cat loses his first button, what is his reaction?

3. How many buttons are left on Pete’s shirt at the end of the book?

4. What button does Pete the Cat have at the end of the book?

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Resources:

• Murray, Bruce. The Reading Genie. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/

• Hassett, Sarah. Spring into Fluency! https://smhassett3.wixsite.com/lesson-designs/growing-independence-and-fluency

• Book: Litman, E. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. New York, HarperCollins Publishing