Rationale: Fluent reading is essential in comprehending. Reading fluency is the ability to recognize words quickly, accurately and automatically. The student is transitioning off from being dependent of decoding. Fluency is important for readers because they can focus their attention on becoming quick readers, smooth, more expression and comprehending the content.

Through reading, decoding, crosschecking, mental marking, and rereading, students will be able to confidently improve fluency and grow into improved readers. The student will start enjoying reading, by improving their sight word vocabulary, instead of getting frustrated. This lesson will require students to crosscheck throughout this repeated reading of decodable text. This activity will enhance their fluency and independence in repeated and timed reading.

 

Materials: White board/markers (1 for each student)

Fluency Chart

Class set of Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying 

Stopwatches (1 per pair of students)

Reader Response Form

 

Procedures:

1. Say: “In order to be the very best readers we can be, we must be able to read fluently. Reading fluently is when you can read smoothly, and you don’t have to sound out each word you come to. By becoming fluent readers, we are able to enjoy the book we’re reading much more because we can focus on the story and not get hung up on each word.”

2. Say (model): "I am going to let you listen to me read a short passage two times. When I'm done, I'll take a vote on which time I sounded better. (Read choppily) “Aaa-ff-ttt-errrrr, aaaff-terrrr, after th-aaa-t that, aaaann-o-th-errr anoth-er another grrrr-aanddd-ma grandma caa-aaaa-mm cam (come back after to change to came, known by cross-checking) in.” (Read smoothly) Let me try this passage again. “After that, another grandma came in.” (Ask for a show of hands) “Who liked listening to my first reading? How about the second? Why did the second time sound better to you? Right! The second time sounded a lot better to listen to because I didn't have to stop to figure out any of the words.”

3. Say: Did you notice that I crosschecked when I couldn't get a word? I finished the sentence with the word I couldn't figure out to see if I could figure out the tough, new word that had silent letters, like the e at the end of came. The first time I read them, I pronounced how they looked like they should sound, but they didn't sound like real words I've ever heard of. When I finished the sentence, I could tell what the words were, like came instead of cam.

4. Say: “Let's try reading the two sentences that I have written on the board together. I see a couple of tough new words in the sentence. (Choral read): “He said to stay in my wood chair. Then he called Mother on the telephone.” “I heard some of you having trouble reading the words chair and called, but I did hear you all read on to the end of the sentence to figure out those words! The word chair has /ai/ in the middle of it and we know ai together says a long /A/ sound. In the word called, we have chunks call and -ed. Call is just the word all with a c at the beginning! Let's all read these two sentences together again now, thinking about these special spellings as we read the words thought and tried.

5. Say: “Today we are going to read about a silly kindergartner named Junie B. Jones! She’s come up with the idea to become a spy and to do this she has to be sneaky, quiet, and peak at people through cracks and holes. There’s a problem though! Junie B. can’t practice her spy moves if her mom won’t let her. I am going to read the first two pages of this book, so we can find out the start of her adventure together.”

6. (Write the directions on the white board for students to look at. As you are writing it down, explain what you will have the children do.)

Say: “Now, we are going to partner up with our reading bubbies. While one buddy, comes up to the front to get 2 copies of the book, a reading response questions form, a fluency chart, and a stopwatch. The partner that is finding a place to read will be counting up the amount of words on the 5 pages after we left off and will write that number at the top of your fluency charts.”

“You and your partner will each read those 5 pages 3 times while the other times your reading with a stopwatch. If you are the partner that is not reading, you need to be playing close attention to the mistakes your reading partner makes. For every mistake make a little tally. (Show tally method on the board)

“After you have read each time, you will do a subtraction problem to calculate fluency. Take the total number of words from those pages and subtract the number of tallies for each reading. Your answer will read ‘___ words in ___ minutes.’

“When you finish timing each other, discuss your answers to the reading response questions. Each of you will write your answers in complete sentences back at your desk and turn those and your fluency charts in to me.”

 

Comprehension Questions:

What does Junie B.’s grandpa drop?

Where did Junie B. hide at grandpa Miller’s house?

What is the real name of the vegetable Junie B. called Sue Keeny?

 

Grades are computed using the following system:

Followed Directions: 1 point

Improved Speed: 2 points

Improved Fluency: 2 points

Answered all 3 questions in complete sentences: 3 points

Answers are accurate and appropriate: 2 points

Total: 10 points

 

(Words x 60)/Seconds = WPM

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

Correct Words Per Minute

 

Assessment:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

References:

McGahan, Kathleen, Hop on the Fluency Bus: https://kmcgahan318.wixsite.com/msmcgahansmarvels/growing-fluency

 

Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky, Peeky Spying. 1994. Random House.

​

​

Click here for Communications Index: http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/classroom/communications/

Contact: eds0022@auburn.edu