Rationale: Gaining fluency in reading does not have to be a hard and laborious task, but can be something different entirely. This lesson will go over tasks, so that children learn to enjoy reading and develop fluency as they read. Fluency is an extremely important skill to develop in reading for many reasons. Once readers have developed more fluency they are able to focus more on reading comprehension, and the meaning of words rather than decoding word-by-word different passages.
Materials: Chart to record student’s fluency, stopwatch, a hot air balloon Velcro that moves up into the sky in relation to students WPM (1 for each student), a copy of passages for each student and copy to use for modeling (see below), book: The Noon Balloon passages sheet for each student (see below), fluency checklist, cover up critter, projector or Smart board
Procedures:
Explain what it means to be a fluent reader. Say: It is important for every reader to become fluent. Fluency will help you read faster, and it will allow you to better comprehend the text. When you are fluent, you are able to read more automatically and effortlessly, and you can enjoy the book you are reading. We become fluent by making right words. To make right words, we decode. Sometimes we mess up a word when we first read it, but that is okay. We can crosscheck, which means we finish the sentence and we can search for a word that makes more sense. Every reader, even me, must read and re-read to become fluent. It takes practice so that is what we are going to do today.
Model reading without fluency, with better fluency and then with expression. Say: I am going to read a sentence aloud from The Noon Balloon a few times, then we are going to talk about what sounded better (show to students from a projector: They climbed aboard the Noon Balloon)
“They /c/ /l/ /i/ /m/ /b/ /e/ /d/ aboard the Noon Balloon. Hm oh, it’s climbed!”
Say: I struggled with one of the words I don’t know. It was difficult to decode, but when I finished the sentence, I was able to crosscheck the word to figure out it was climbed. In my head I am going to mark how to say it so I will remember. Now I am going to read it again so that the sentence sounds smoother so it makes a little more sense.
(Say with expression) “They c-c-l-i-i-mb-ed aboard the Noon Balloon.”
Ask the students to compare how the sentence was read each time.
Say: The last time I read was even smoother and I was able to read it with expression. I did this not because I just read faster but because I read it, crosschecked, made mental markings, and then re-read. This will help me be more fluent.
Say: Now it’s your turn to practice. We are going to read a book about an exciting adventure a boy and girl go on in a hot air balloon so let’s go up, up and away with fluency. This brother and sister, along with their dog go on an exciting journey they wished to have. Let’s all read to yourself silently to see what they are going to see and do in their hot air balloon ride.
Make sure students are reading silently and call students in groups back to your desk to ask short questions about the text to make sure they are reading.
Say: Now everyone get with your partner (already assigned). With your partner you are going to practice reading and recording. The first reader will read the first 6 pages of the book three times. The recorder will fill out a sheet, marking how the reader is improving each time (use form below). You will mark if the reader read remembering more words, faster, smoother or with expression after the 2nd and 3rd time reading the text. (Each partner pair has a book and checklist. Monitor progress).
Fluency Checklist
Title of the Book: ____________________________________________________________________________
Student’s Name: ___________________________ Partner’s Name: _____________________________
After 2nd Reading After 3rd Reading
______ ______ Remembered more words
______ ______ Read faster
______ ______ Read smoother
______ ______ Read with expression
Assessment:
While students are working with their partner, call each individual student to be assessed. They will read a passage of the text. I will ask three comprehension questions: Who were the girl and the boy on the magical balloon ride? What are three things they saw on their adventure? What did they do when the journey ended?
Time students on how long it takes them to read the passage. Record the student’s word per minute on the chart. (Words x 60/seconds = WPM)
When the student receives the word per minute they will move their hot air balloon to the correct WPM mark. The goal is to get the air balloon to the clouds as soon a possible. The student will re-read the passage with teacher a few times. Scaffold between readings by helping decode words (use cover-up critter if necessary), and ask open-ended questions (“What would you see if you were dreaming about a hot air balloon ride?”)
References:
Brown, Margaret Wise, P (2014). The Noon Balloon, Paragon Books. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25311987-the-noon-balloon
Kennedy, Rebekah. Floating to Fluency. https://rjk0022.wixsite.com/lessondesigns/growing-independence-fluency
Developing Reading Fluency. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/fluency.html
Ayers, Emma. Growing to be Fluent Readers https://epa0004.wixsite.com/emmaayers/growing-independence
Fluency Chart
100
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90
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80
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70
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60
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50
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40
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30
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20
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10
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0
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