Procedure​

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1.  “Good Morning class! Today we are going to practice being a fluent reader. This means being able to read the words in stories accurately, automatically, and with expression. We all want to become fluent readers so that we don’t need help. Becoming fluent takes a lot of practice but it will get easier. Fluency will allow you to enjoy reading and you will be able to read for fun.

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2.  “There are many different parts that help you with fluency. First, we have already learned how to decode words. If you get stuck on a long or hard word, don’t worry. We have a tool that helps called a coverup critter. Now I will teach you how to use it.” Write a decodable word on the board. “I just wrote the word drift. Now I am going to use my coverup critter to help me decode this word.” Cover all of the word except for the d. “D says /d/.” Uncover the r. “R says /r/. So we have /d/ and /r/. That says /dr/.” Uncover the i. “I says /i/ or /I/ let’s say it says /i/ in this case. So now we have /dri/.” Uncover the rest of the word. “The last part is ft and we can decode that those two letters say /ft/. So, let’s put everything together drrrriiifffttt /drift/ that’s right! Drift! See how when we listened to the word and it didn’t make sense we tried a different sound. It is important when we decode that we think about the words we are making to check that they are a real word.”

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3.  “Now I am going to read a sentence from the board. I want all of you to tell me if I am reading as a beginner or if I am reading fluently.” Read the sentence on the board. “I did a flip don, no down, the beeeem beeeamm. I did a flip down the beam.” Allow students to decide whether you are fluent or a beginner. The answer is beginner. “Good. Now let me read it again. I did a flip down the beam. Am I a beginner or a fluent reader?” Allow students to assess which type of reader you are. The answer is fluent.

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4.  Ask students to analyze why they thought you were a beginning reader the first time you read the sentence and then why you were a fluent reader second time. “What did you notice when I read the first sentence?” Give students a minute to answer. “Good. It was hard to understand at first because I did not really know the words. I had to crosscheck and reread. What did you notice about the second sentence?” Give students a minute to answer. “I read the second sentence with a lot more expression because I knew the words. I did not have to spend time decoding.”

 

5.  “Now it is your turn to practice reading fluently and decoding with your coverup critter. We are going to read The Thing Lou Couldn't Do. In this book a little girl, Lou, is very adventurous.  She does all these fun stories until one day they want to try something new and climb a tree.  Lou decided she could not do this and told her friends many reasons why.  Really she was just too scare to try though.  Will Lou end up climbing the tree and be brave? We will have to read and find out! Now everyone needs to get into a group of 3 and find a spot in the room where you can read. I need one person from each group to come to the front and get a Reading Fluency Checklist for each person in your group. Count how many words are on the first two pages. Each partner will take turns reading the book aloud. Each person needs to read two pages. They will read these pages three times. While one partner is reading, another will use a stopwatch to record the time. The third partner can note the reader’s mistakes. This includes saying a word wrong, not knowing a word at all, or skipping the word. When we finish reading, we will take the total number of words minus the number of mistakes. We have to do this all three times. This way, we can see how each of you are making progress with your reading! Also, you all will fill out the Reading Fluency Checklist for the person reading. This will show which reading was the fastest and which reading was the smoothest. Remember to read with expression and have fun!” Walk around and monitor the students as they are reading. Take up Reading Fluency Checklists when they are done.

 

6.  So that you can make sure that the students were actually reading and comprehending the text call the students back to your table one at a time. “I am going to call each of you back one at a time and ask you about the story to make sure you are actually understanding what you are reading and have you read the pages you read to your partners to me.” Assessment: Call each student to the back to read whatever passage that they read with their partners. Ask 2 or 3 comprehension questions (Example questions: Why did Lou's friends want to climb the tree? What is one reason Lou said she couldn't climb?) Time how long it takes the students to read their two pages. Record students’ words per minute on chart (Multiply number of words read by 60. Divide this number by the number of seconds it took to read pages).  When the students receive their WPM, they will move their gymnast down the balance beam. The goal is to move the flip the gymnast all the way off the beam on the other side. The students will reread the passage with the teacher, flipping their gymnast. Between readings, the teacher will scaffold by asking open-ended questions. Additionally, point out words the student had trouble with, helping then decode with the coverup critter.

 

(on the beam)0---------10-----------20-----------30----------40-----------50----------60-----------70----------80----------90---------100(flipped off the beam)

 

Correct WPM:

 

Fluency Checklist

 

Title of Book: ___________________________

 

Student’s Name: _______________ Date: ______________

 

Partner’s Name: _______________

 

(Check where improvements were made)

After 2nd Reading        After 3rd Reading

 

______________        _______________      Remembered More Words

 

______________        _______________      Read Faster

 

______________        _______________      Read Smoother

 

______________        _______________      Read with More Expression