Rationale: Students need to be able to read fluently so that they can understand the text better. Fluent readers are able to recognize and read words automatically, which allows them to focus on the meaning of the text and words instead of trying to read the word. The more a student practices reading, the more fluent they will be. One- minute readings help students understand fluency and make them better readers. The students will work on fluency reading with a partner in this lesson.

 

Materials:

• One- Minute Read Chart (for each pair)

Name:_____________  Date:__________________

1st minute:_____________

2nd minute:_____________

3rd minute:_____________

• Partner Check-Sheet

Name:______________  Partner:_______________  Date:_______________

I noticed that my partner… (Check the box)

After 2nd                                  After 3rd

    []                                              []                Remembered more words

    []                                              []                Read faster

    []                                              []                Read smoother

    []                                              []                Read with expression

• Pencil for each student

• Copy of Might Truck: The Traffic Tie-Up for each student

• 1 stop watch or timer for each pair of students

 

Procedure:

1. Start the lesson by reviewing how and when to use cover-up critters. Say: Who can tell me why we use our cover-up critters? Right, we use our critters when we come to a word that we are unfamiliar with. We cover the entire word then slowly reveal one letter at a time sounding it out and blending together. Let’s practice together. I’m going to write the word stump on the board. If I was reading and I saw this word and didn’t know how to say it, I would get my critter out to help me sound it out. I’m going to cover everything up except my u because it’s my vowel. I know that u says /u/. Now I’m going to look and see what comes before the vowel which is /st/. Now I’m going to blend the first part together and get /stu/. Next I’ll uncover the next letter, which is m and blend it with /stu/. Now you have /stum/. Lastly, we have to add our p. Once we blend it all together we get /stump/. This strategy will work with any unfamiliar word you may come across when reading.

2. Explain how fluency helps while reading a text. Say: Good readers are able to read fast because they practice reading by rereading books. The more times you read a book or passage the better you will be because the words become familiar to you. I’m going to read a book or passage; the better you will be because the words become familiar to you. I’m going to read a sentence from you story today. “ In the ski-sky, Stella ha-ad had to be l-oo-uu-d loud.”  When I read the sentence like that it’s hard for me to understand because I’m not reading it fluently. We have to practice reading it over and over so we can get more words right with each try. Now I have to go back and reread it again. This time I could read it correctly by saying, “In the sky, Stella had to be loud.” I got better at reading it because I figured out the words and went back and reread the sentence.   

3. Explain and model crosschecking. Say: Being a fluent reader means that not only can you read quickly, but you can also understand and remember what you read. We can use crosschecking to make sure we understand what we read. For example, I’m going to write a sentence on the board: “He had a strong opinion” If I read this quickly and say “He had an opinion” I would need to go back and crosscheck because I know that something is missing from my sentence. So when I go back and crosscheck I realize that I left out a word. Now I read it correctly as: “He had a strong opinion.” I got better at reading this sentence because I went back and decoded my words and reread my sentence faster and more smoothly.

4. Now, the students will practice their fluency with a partner by reading a text. The teacher will pass out a copy of the text Mighty Truck: The Traffic Tie-Up to each pair of students as well as the one-minute reading rubric, the partner checklist for each student, pencils, and a stopwatch. Directions. Say: I want you to read the entire book together. Then I want you to go back to the beginning and one person will be the reader and the other person will be the timer. The timer will start the stopwatch as soon as the reader begins. At one- minute, the timer tells the reader to stop and they count the words and record the number on the rubric. Each reader will read the book 3 times and record your number of words for each time. Book talk: Clarence is the Mighty Truck who helps the town of Axleburg when something goes wrong or somebody needs help. He has a friend named Stella who is the town’s news chopper. Her job is to fly around high in the sky and tell the town what she sees. She has to yell so that the people in the town can hear her, but she forget that she doesn’t have to yell all the time. Clarence and their friends get annoyed with Stella when she yells all the time. You have to read to figure out how Clarence and his friends help Stella work on her inside voice and what happens when she learns how to use it.

5. Once each student has finished reading, the partner should fill out the partner check-sheet, which tells if his or her partner has improved with each time reading.

6. To assess the students, I will review the students one minute reads rubric and partner check-sheets so I can see where they have improved and what they need to continue to improve on. I’ll have each student read the story to me as I take notes on their miscues and fluency. When the student finishes reading I will ask them some questions about the story to check their comprehension skills.

   1. Who is Clarence?

   2. What is Stella’s job in Axelburg?

   3. How do Clarence and his friends help Stella?

 

Reference:

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/solutions/andersongf.htm

https://www.icanread.com/books/?keyword=mighty+truck

Katie Sullivan Over the Moon with Fluency