Miss Sydney Hall

Say: The best way to become really good at doing something is to practice it over and over again. For example, if you wanted to get really good at basketball, you would practice shooting hoops over and over again so you could make really amazing shots during a basketball game. Reading takes practice just like any other sport or activity that you do. When we are really good at reading, it’s called being fluent readers. Being fluent means we can read quickly, smoothly, and with expression. This means that we can recognize words quickly, make fewer mistakes, and use special voices for different characters or parts of the story! It’s a lot easier to understand what you’re reading and enjoy reading when you can read fluently, so today we are going to practice so we can all become fluent readers!

Say: There are a few tools that you have already learned that will help you become a more fluent reader. Let’s think about them. First, you have to be able to decode words. Remember, it’s okay if you get stuck on a difficult word. I’ve been a fluent reader for a long time and even I sometimes get stuck on a difficult word. I’ve been a fluent reader for a long time and even I sometimes get stuck on strange looking words! Cover-up critters are great to keep handy to help break up larger words. If we still find ourselves stuck, we can use a great method known as cross-checking. This means reading the remaining words in the sentence to see if we can get the word we are stuck on instead of using something like pictures to help us. This strategy is useful because it helps us focus on what is happening in the story. We also want to always remember to reread the sentence when you come across a word that gives you trouble. Let’s go over our reading tools together again: we decode, crosscheck, discover the word, and reread the entire sentence for comprehension, which means understanding. Now we are ready to read for fluency!

Say: Now I am going to read from the board aloud. Listen as a read and decide whether you think I am a fluent reader or a beginner. [Sentence: Miles and Mary had fun playing hide and seek outside. Have sentence on board so that students can follow along from their seats.] M, /i/, Lllll, /s/ and M, /A/, Rrrrr, /E/-/E/-/E/, had fun play---ing, h-/i/-d and s-/i/-k, Mils and Mary had fun playing hid and sik.

Say: I had a lot of trouble with that sentence. I’m going to use my cover-up critter to decode these difficult words and see if the sentence makes more sense: /m//I//l//s/ and Mary had fun playing /h//I//d/ and /s//E//k. I broke the words up into smaller parts that make more sense to me. I think I should try one more time so that the sentence sounds a little bit smoother: Miles and Mary had fun play-ing hide and see-k. That was perfect! Did you understand the sentence I read aloud? I’m sure Miles and Mary had a lot of fun playing hide and seek! Since I was able to break up the word and figure it out with my cover-up critter I am going to go back and read the sentence again so I can mentally mark the passage. “Miles and Mary had fun playing hide and seek.” Wow, I was able to read that much faster and more fluently. Always remember to go back and read the sentence.

Say: Now I am going to read the sentence one more time so that I can add expression. “Miles and Mary had fun playing hide and seek!”

[Now, ask the students questions about the way that you read the sentence the first couple of times.] Say: What did you notice about the first time I read the sentence? Did you have a hard time understanding the sentence the first few times I read it? By the end, what changed? Did you find yourself wanting to hear more about the story when I read with expression?

Say: Now it’s your turn to practice! The book we are going to practice our fluency with is Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business. In this book, a girl named Junie B. Jones gets a new sibling. Do any of you have younger siblings? [Wait for response.] Well, you’ll never believe this, but Junie B. thinks the new baby is a monkey! What do you think she’s going to do? Do you think she’s going to realize that the new baby isn’t a monkey? We’ll have to read to find out! I am going to read some of the story to you, and I want you to notice how I use fluent reading! Please turn on your listening ears and listen carefully. [Read three pages of chapter one.]

Say: Now I want you to read by yourself until the end of page 6! [Walk around and mark whether students are: _____ Voicing _____ Whispering _____ Lips moving only _____ Silently reading in their head]

Say: I’m going to assign you each a reading partner. You will practice reading by reading out loud to your partner. Please do repeated readings of the pages you just read silently to yourself. I will give each of you a checklist and a stopwatch. Pick who will read first and who will listen. The reader will read this section one time and the listener should just listen and time how long they take to read the passage. Don’t say anything to interrupt your partner! Then, the reader will read the section two more times and the listener will time those as well. During the second and third reading, the listener should be listening for these things: Does your partner remember the words? Do they read the passage more smoothly each time than the last time they read it? Do they read with more expression? The listening partner will complete the paired reading checklist on top of the page. Once you are done, it will be your partner’s turn! [Walk around as the students read and make sure everyone is filling out the charts correctly.]

Say: I will be calling each one of you up to my desk, so you can read to me. You will read the same section to me three more times. I will use a stop watch to time you. Then I will ask you a question about what you read. Please bring your checklist when you come up to my desk. [Assess each student’s reading progress by using the WPM formula to complete the student reading progress checklist. Check their comprehension of chapter one by asking each individual student basic questions from what they have read: How does Junie B. react to her new sibling, is she nice or mean, and why do you think she’s acting like that? Why does she think her new sibling is a monkey? What does she do when she comes to this conclusion? Check for miscues and correct them with cover-ups. Praise and encourage students. Mark their best WPM on the chart with a fun clipart to show them their progress.]