Hunny, I’m a Fluent Reader!
Taylor Striblin
Rationale:
Fluent reading is essential for comprehension. Once a child can read fluently, he or she is able to read words accurately and automatically. Not only is fluency important for those reasons, but it also allows the reader to expand their library and read more interesting books. In order for a child to become a fluent reader he or she must practice expression, pace, and comprehension. Through reading, decoding, crosschecking, mental marking, and rereading, students will become faster and smoother readers, working towards the goal of becoming fluent readers. In this lesson, students will practice crosschecking and rereading in the decodable text Winnie the Pooh with their peers and with the teacher to gain fluency and independence in reading until students read words effortlessly and automatically.
Materials:
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Pencils
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Stopwatch (have one for each pair of children)
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Fluency chart- to record student’s words per minute (one for each child)
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Fluency checklist
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Reading tracker
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Reading comprehension worksheets
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Dry erase markers
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Chart with this text: Pat and Sid slide down the tall slide fast.
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Class set of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Procedure:
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Explain to students why we do repeated readings. Say: “Boys and girls, today we are going to work toward becoming fluent readers. That means we are working on becoming accurate and smooth readers. When we become fluent readers, we are able to automatically recognize and read words and comprehend the story much better. Being able to comprehend our reading allows us to enjoy books much more and to expand our reading library choices.”
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Say: “Let me show you what I mean. I am going to read a sentence written on this chart. The first time I read it, I may not know all the words. I may make some mistakes and have to fix them, but that is okay. The more I read, the more fluent I will become. [Display chart.] Pat and Sid sl-slide dawn – down the tall slide far, no, fast. Wow, I made some mistakes but now I know all the words and I can read faster: Pat and Sid slide down the tall slide fast. I’m going to read it one more time to make it smoother and add expression: Pat and Sid slide down the tall slide fast!
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Say: “Do you think I was a fluent reader the first time I tried to read the sentence? (wait for response) No, I was not a fluent reader. I made mistakes, and even read the wrong words sometimes. I had to crosscheck to fix them. Crosschecking means that after you decode a word, you read on after you come to a word you don’t know so that the rest of the sentence helps you recognize it. The more I practiced and the more times I read, I got better and better. I now can read the sentence automatically, effortlessly, and I understand what I am reading.”
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Say: “Now that we have gone over the differences between a non-fluent and fluent reader, we are all going to try it out ourselves. We are going to practice our fluency by reading Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day by A.A. Milne. This story is about a bear named Winnie the Pooh who lives in a place called the Hundred Acre Wood. One blustery day, a big wind blows over Pooh’s friend Owl’s house! A blustery day is a day that is very windy. Will Owl be able to find a new home, and could the storm get worse? Let’s read the story and find out!”
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[Pass out copies of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. Say: “Okay, now I would like you all to grab a partner and begin working on your fluency skills. (Give each student a peer fluency sheet and give each pair of students a stopwatch or timer.) I would like one partner to read, while the other person tracks the time. For this assignment, each of you are going to read the book 3 times. The first time I would like the student reading to read through the chapters without being timed, but the second and third time you read the chapter, your partner should time you. I would like the person timing to write down how long it takes your partner to read the book, as well as if he/she is reading with fluency and expression. I want the partner timing to write down if they noticed any changes in how their partner read their second and third time through. After each of you have been the person reading and the person timing, you should talk about the changes you both saw in each other’s fluency and expression. I want each of you to be good listeners and great partners.”
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Teacher collects peer fluency sheets after repeated readings are complete; assess eachstudent’s fluency by using the following formula: words x 60/seconds
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After using the formula to assess each student’s fluency, call each student up individually to read a few pages. During this time the class should be working on their writing assignment, answering reading comprehension/reflection questions:
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How would you have felt if you were blown away like Piglet?
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Have you ever been gloomy and sad like Eeyore?
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What would it be like if your house blew down?
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How do you think Piglet felt when he gave his house to Owl?
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When was a time a friend helped you like Pooh helped Piglet?
8. Take note of words per minute and how the students’ fluency has improved.
Tracker:
25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
References:
Flying Fluently Into Charlotte’s Web by Gabrielle Endacott
https://gabrielleendacott.wixsite.com/readinglessons/growing-independence-and-fluency
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. A.A. Milne. Disney PR, c 1993.
"Gliding Across Sunset Pond" with Fluency by Geri Murray
https://auburn.instructure.com/courses/1103232/files/123190555/download?wrap=1
