A Growing Independence and Fluency Design
By: Laney Leavins
Rationale: To be able to comprehend texts, students must be a fluent reader. To be able to read effortlessly, students must practice and execute things like expression, comprehension, and pace. Word recognition will help students reflect and recall what they are reading, as well as be able to comprehend what they are reading. Using things like rereading, cross checking, decoding, and mental marking will in turn allow students to be confident in their reading. Students will be able to use cross checking following reading a decodable text, and those repeated readings in order to gain reading fluency and independence.
Materials: Pencils, Text- Henry and Mudge: In Puddle Trouble (one for each student), timer for each pair of students, white board with sample sentences (teacher modeling), peer fluency sheet (one for each student), reading rate forms (for teacher), teacher fluency check (one for each student), along with comprehension questions.
Procedures:
- Say- Okay class, you have all been working so hard, and becoming superstar readers! You all have been getting better at reading different books. Now we are going to work on becoming even better readers! Fluent readers to be exact. Does anyone know what it means to be a fluent reader? (Wait for responses) Fluent readers are able to read texts quickly, and smoothly. They also use expressions when they read as well because they automatically recognize the words they are reading without stopping. Isn’t that so cool? Fluency also helps us to understand what we are reading, and what the book is talking about. Having these skills makes reading much more fun and enjoyable.
- Say- Now we are going to look at some sentences written on the white board: Everyone turn on your listening ears! The sentence is: Splash! Muddy water went all over Mudge. I want you to tell me if I sound like a fluent reader when I read this sentence aloud to you. “S-S-S, pl /A/-/A/-/A/, sh-sh-sh, splash, m-m-m-m /u/-/u/-/u/ d, d, d, y, muddy, w-w-w, /a/-/a/-/a/, t er, water, went all over M-M-M, /u/, /u/, /u/, d, d, d, ge, mudge. Splash! Moody water went all over Mudge? Hmm that doesn’t make very much sense. Theres no such thing as moody water! Muddy water went all over Mudge? Muddy! That makes more sense!”. When I read the sentence, I got stuck on the word in the middle. To be able to figure out what that middle word was, I reread the sentence from the beginning and added in what I thought the nonsense word moody said, which was Muddy! I went back to reread to figure out what the word should read, and what word makes sense. This strategy I used is called cross checking, and it is important to use when we are learning to become fluent readers. Since I was able to figure out these hard words while reading, it helped me become more fluent, like you will soon! Do you think I read that sentence like a fluent reader? (Wait for responses) You’re right! I was NOT reading like a fluent reader because I had to decode the words in the sentence in order so that I could read them. Here's how a fluent reader would read that sentence: “Splash! Muddy water went all over Mudge.”, I read the sentence effortlessly, and it was way easier to understand, wasn’t it? Now turn to a partner and practice reading the second sentence on the board. Henry wiped the water from his face. Read it aloud to one another until you read fluently.
- Say- Let’s think back to when I read the first sentence to you and when I got stuck on the word muddy. To be able to figure out what that word was, I reread the sentence from the beginning and guessed what I thought the word said, moody. When I read the sentence the first time, it didn’t make any sense. So, I went back to the text to reread to figure out what the word should have said to make sense. This strategy is called cross checking, and it is very important to use when we are learning to become fluent readers!”
- Assign partners for each student and pass out the books. Say-“Now we are going to practice being fluent readers by reading the book, Henry and Mudge, In puddle trouble. Henry and Mudge go outside on a very wet rainy day. Not only do they splash in puddles, they swim in them! They almost get in trouble for going out without permission!
- Students should read the first three pages silently to themselves. Then they should each read a chapter aloud to their partner. Explain to students that while they are reading they should not stop and help each other out.
- Next, pass out the recording sheets and stopwatches to each group of partners. Say- Now we are going to play a fluency game. Please put your listening ears back on so you understand how to play the game! Reader 1 is going to start the game and Reader 2 will use the timer as reader 1 reads the story. Read on the sheet I have given you (show sheet). After recording the time, reader 2 will swap places with reader 1 and read, and reader 1 will swap with reader 2 and record. Do this procedure three times each. You should be respectful of each other. As you are listening to your partner reading the pages aloud, I want you to listen to how their reading changes each time. Ask yourself, does your partner remember more words, do they read with more expression? Mark the changes you notice on your paper. Are you boys and girls ready to begin? Let’s get started!
- When the student pairs have each read through the pages three times, have the students come up one at a time, and read a chapter of the book. Ask them to bring their record sheet so you can attach it to the back of your assessment sheet. As they read the paragraph aloud, they will be timed, and then use the formula given to record how many words they are able read per minute. (words x 60/ seconds read).
- To conclude, use a list of comprehension questions to assess how their fluency is affecting their comprehension.
Comprehension Questions:
1. Why did Henry and Mudge decide to go play outside?
2. What did the two of them find when they went walking outside?
3. Who found Henry and Mudge in the puddle?
4. What happened at the very end of the story?
Answers: (Responses don't have to completely match, but they should be somewhat similar to these answers.)
1. They were bored inside the house.
2. A huge puddle! (Students can also elaborate on this as well by using some of the puddle descriptions used in the text.)
3. Henry's dad.
4. Henry's dad joined in on the puddle splashing!
Resources
-Caitlin Brown, First, Fluency!
https://caitlinbb.weebly.com/growing-independence-and-fluency-design.html
-Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge: In Puddle Trouble. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1987. (Text).
https://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/classroom/awakenings