Smooth Ride Reading to the Zoo
Independent Reading and Fluency Lesson Plan
By: Jieun Lee
Rationale:
In order for children to be able to use their comprehension strategies, they must first become more fluent readers. Without knowing how to decode words, comprehension can become very difficult. Fluency must be mastered, but only after the student has learned the major correspondences. Through repeated readings, children can become more fluent, and will begin to grasp the content of the story easier, their site vocabulary and reading speed with great increase.
Materials:
Procedures:
References:
McClatchy, Lisa. Eloise Visits the Zoo. Simon Spotlight. May 2009.
Rachel Edmundson: High in the Sky with Fluency, Growing Independence and Fluency in Reading.
Independent Reading and Fluency Lesson Plan
By: Jieun Lee
Rationale:
In order for children to be able to use their comprehension strategies, they must first become more fluent readers. Without knowing how to decode words, comprehension can become very difficult. Fluency must be mastered, but only after the student has learned the major correspondences. Through repeated readings, children can become more fluent, and will begin to grasp the content of the story easier, their site vocabulary and reading speed with great increase.
Materials:
- Eloise Visits the Zoo – multiple copies
- Small di-cut kite for each student to monitor their progress
- Record sheet (for each child)
- Butcher paper with a picture of the ground and sky on it
Procedures:
- Our goal is to become fluent readers. Fluent readers can read quickly without trying to sound out every word that they come across and understand what is happening in the book or passage they are reading. In order to do so, we have to know how to decode the words. To make sure you are decoding the words correctly, you have to crosscheck by reading the sentence again and ask, “Does this sound right? Does it make sense?” Then you have to remember the correction you’ve made. Last, reread the sentence to seal the correction in your brain and to understand what the text is telling you.
- I will read a simple sentence, for example, “I need to go to the bathroom”. I will read this sentence sounding out each word I struggled with and how I remembered the words I struggled with. “I n-ne-need to g-o go to the b-a-th-bath-r-oo-m- bathroom.” It sounds choppy and spaced out. I will then ask the students if they enjoyed listening to me. “No”. Now that I’ve decoded the words “need” and “bathroom”, I am going to crosscheck by reading at the beginning of the sentence. “I need to go to the bathroom.” This makes sense. So now, I’m making a mental mark. “N-e-e-d says need, b-a-t-h-r-o-o-m says bathroom.” Last, I am going to seal the deal by rereading the sentence, “I need to go to the bathroom.” Now when I read these words, it sounds smoother and much easier to understand, right? “Yeah!” I agree.
- “We are going to use the paper behind me to track how much faster your reading each time. Each one of you will have a kite with your name on it. Write down on this record sheet of the progress when rereading the book. (Pass out record sheet to each student). We are going to get pair up and each group will get one copy of the book. I will pass out one stopwatch for each group and time each other. The timer’s job is to time the reader for one minute. 60 seconds. When you have timed the reader for one minute, tell them to stop. Then the timer will write down how many words the reader read. Now, I am going to trust that you all will be honest when counting the words the reader read. You will do this 2 times each, rereading from the beginning each time. So, for example, Johnny will read the book 2 times before switching jobs with Blake. Now, Blake will read 2 times, while Johnny is in charge of the stopwatch. When both partners have finished, you will bring your record sheet to me, and I will count them and put your name on your kite and see how high you’re up in the sky. Remember, this is not a race between you and your partner. It’s only to help yourself to become a fluent reader. The goal is for you to read the words correctly, smoothly, and most importantly gain information from the words you are reading. If you rush, you might make mistakes reading some words and misunderstand what the main character of the book is going through. “You will be reading Eloise Visits the Zoo to your partner. In this book, Eloise just loves the animals. Let’s find out what exciting thing happens at the zoo. Read 4 times to your partner and stop your partner when the minute is over.”
- To assess their fluency, I will have them read me the same book for the third time. I will keep a running record of each students. After I finished collecting my data, I will have the students answer comprehension questions individually.
- Where did Eloise go?
- Who is Eloise going with to the zoo?
- When did Eloise do when she was koalas?
- What did she wear?
- I will count the words and place the children’s name on the butcher paper, where their kites need to go.
References:
McClatchy, Lisa. Eloise Visits the Zoo. Simon Spotlight. May 2009.
Rachel Edmundson: High in the Sky with Fluency, Growing Independence and Fluency in Reading.