top of page
This site was designed with the
.com
website builder. Create your website today.Start Now
Screenshot 2020-11-20 at 9.47.51 AM.png

IF YOU TEACH A STUDENT READING FLUENCY....

Growing Independence and Fluency Design
By: Madeline Rigdon

Rationale: Fluent readers are students who can read and recognize words effortlessly and automatically with a better understanding. Effortless word recognition better allows students to reflect and comprehend what they are learning. Students may become fluent readers by reading, decoding, crosschecking, mental marking, and rereading. Reading classic literature and answering questions about the material encourages students to work on their comprehension.


Materials: 

  • Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

  • Stopwatch (phone timer) 

  • Pencil

  • Cover-up critter

  • Fluency checklist copies to give to students

  • Word count chart

  • Whiteboard

  • Dry erase markers

  • notecards


Procedures: 

  1. The lesson will begin by teaching the students about the meaning of fluency and why it’s important that we all become fluent readers. Begin by saying, “Good morning everyone! Today we are going to work on fluency in our reading! That means we are going to learn how to read a little more quickly so that we can better understand the story we are reading. In order to accomplish this we cannot just read quickly but we have to read every word correctly as well. We are going to reread the same book and become quicker each time until we become fluent readers!

  2. Say: “We are going to use our Cover-up critters again for this assignment to help us decode unfamiliar words. Lets try the word mouse. (Write the word on the whiteboard). I am going to use my cover-up critter to decode the word mouse. First I’m gonna cover up all the letters except for m. /m/.../m/.../m/. Next I will uncover ou and blend the phonemes together. /ow/.../ow/.../mow/. Finally I will uncover the s and silent e. /s/.../s/.../mows/e. Now that we have decoded the word mouse, let's use it by saying the title of the book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”.

  3. At this point I will show my students an example of fluent versus nonfluent reading. I will write the sentence “The mouse wants a cookie.” on the board and then read it very slowly to show how a nonfluent reader might read it. “Theeee mouuuuuse waaaants a cooookeee.” followed by my asking the class, “Did you notice how when I read super slow it was harder to understand what I was trying to say? Now I’m going to read the sentence again like a fluent reader”. “The mouse wants a cookie.” and say, “Wasn’t that easier to understand? When I read it quicker, smoother, and with more expression I was able to better recognize the words and have a more fluent understanding of the sentence. Now it's yalls turn! I want you to try and read quicker and with more expression!

  4. Say: “Okay at this time I am going to split you into pairs and give each group a copy of the book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. In this story we learn about the crazy events that might take place if you give a mouse a cookie. He might get thirsty or he might make a mess!! Lots could happen but I guess you’ll have to find out when you read what happens if you give a mouse a cookie…”

  5. Say: “At this time I am going to give each pair a stopwatch, notecard, fluency checklist, and word count chart. One of you will be the recorder first and the other will be the reader. The recorder is going to press start on the stopwatch as soon as the reader starts reading and then will stop the timer on the stopwatch when the reader is finished reading. After the reader is finished the recorder will fill out the fluency checklist and word count chart so that the reader may keep track of their fluency progress. I will give further instruction on how this is done when I visit each group. You will then switch roles and start the process all over again. You will repeat these steps until both of you in a pair have been the reader and recorder 3 times each.”


Assessment:

  1. What is the first thing the mouse wants after eating his cookie?

  2. After you read the mouse a bedtime story what fun activity does that make him want to do next?

  3. What does the mouse use to hang his picture on the refrigerator?


Fluency checklist: https://sites.google.com/site/sophiessuperlessons/growing-fluency-design/fluency.jpg?


Word Count Chart:

Name: _____ Date: _____

# of Times Read:      # of Words Read:

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.


References:

https://alliepittman.wixsite.com/allisonpittman/growing-fluency-design

https://ktm0014.wixsite.com/mysite/growing-independence-and-fluency

​

http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/classroom/insights/

​

If You Teach a Student RF...: Text
bottom of page