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Fluency, It’s Where the Wild Things Are
Sydney Grace Edge

Rationale: This lesson is designed to improve students’ reading fluency. If a student can read fluently he or she has the ability to read fast and at an even pace while still being able to comprehend what he or she is reading.  Repeated readings with a comprehension focus and word help between readings will lead to fluency by moving nearly all the words into sight vocabulary.Fluency can actually make reading more enjoyable for a student because they are able to read the story smoothly and use expression as they read. They must first be able to decode words in the text they are reading in order to have reading fluency.  In this lesson, students will learn the strategies and skills that it takes to become a fluent reader through rereading the story, Where the Wild Things Are. If a student comes across a word they are unfamiliar with and unable to decode, they could begin to try and figure out the word by cross checking.

Materials:

  • Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

  • Stopwatch for keeping time 

  • Pencil 

  • Fluency checklist

  • Cover-up critter

  • Chart to record words per minute while reading

  • Whiteboard

  • Dry erase markers

 

Procedures: 

  1. Say: “Good morning class! Today we are going to be working on reading fluency. What do you guys think it means to be a fluent reader? *wait for students to respond* Good job! If you are a fluent reader, reading will become even more enjoyable and fun! When someone is a fluent reader they are able to read through a passage and understand exactly what the story is about. Reading fluency can also help with adding emotion and expression to the story. Fluent readers can read very fast, without making errors or stopping. So today, let’s work on becoming fluent readers!”

  2. Say: “All words in the story are important, so fluent readers do not skip any words.  Sometimes when we read, we come across words that we do not know. It’s a good thing that we have some tools like our cover-up critters that will help us read these words instead of skipping them. Let’s try the word monster.” Write on the whiteboard. “I am going to use my cover-up critter and break the word up. First, I want to cover up all of the letters except the first one. /m/…/m/…/m/… Now I will uncover the o.  /ou/…/ou/…/m//o/…/mon/.” Continue uncovering the word and blending phonemes. “M-m-m-o-o-o-n-n-s-s-s-t-t-t-e-e-e-r-r Monster! Good job! Now let’s use it in a sentence. ‘The monster growls when he is hungry.”

  3.  Say: Now that I have read the sentence, “The monster growls when he is hungry! What did I get stuck on? In order to figure out how to read the hard word, I had to reread the sentence and focus on my pronunciation. I knew that did not sound correct. I took a moment and remembered that s t together says /st/. Then after I corrected my mistakes, I went back and re-read the sentence. I realized that it actually made sense when I said toast. Remember, this strategy I used is called cross checking.

  4. Say “Now, I want you all to read the book Where the Wild Things Are. This story follows Max as he goes on an adventure to a strange island. While he is there, he becomes king of the wild things. What happens to Max? Does he ever go home? Does he live there forever? Keep reading to find out!”

  5. After the students have read the book silently, I will assign them into pairs. Say: “I want you and your partner to grab a stopwatch and the book Where the Wild Things Are  a fluency checklist, and a reading rate chart. Each person is going to read the book three times. You and your partner will take turns being the reader and the timer. The reader will focus on reading the story fluently, while the timer will time the reading and write down the times on their partner’s reading chart. Make sure you record all three times on your chart. Fill out the charts after each time the story is read, so that we can see if fluency is improving or not.” I will walk around the room as the students read to each other and observe. I will answer any questions the students have. I will ask each reader individually to answer 3-5 comprehension questions as an assessment.

Assessment: I will review student's responses to the reading response questions. Each student will have submitted these questions, after they finish. I will then complete the rubric, which I have attached, while reviewing students’ work throughout the lesson.

Reading Rate_________

81+

75-80

69-74

63-68

57-62

51-56

Less than 50 

Wpm              1     2    3

 

Partner Reading Progress Checklist 

Reader Name: _________________

Checkers Name: _______________

Total words in the book______

1. Tally Marks:

  ____total words- ____ tally marks= ____ words

  _____ words in ____seconds.

 

2. Tally Marks:

 ____total words- ____ tally marks= ____ words

 _____ words in  ____seconds

 

3. Tally Marks:

 ____total words- ____ tally marks= ____ words

 _____ words in  ____seconds

 

Which reading turn had the fewest tally marks (errors)? ________

Which reading turn was read the fastest? _______

 

 

Assessment Rubric:

Student Name:

Date:

Answers accurate/ appropriate   ___/2

Responded to comprehension questions   ___/3

Improved fluency  ___/2

Improved accuracy  ___/2

Completed Partner Progress form  ___/1

Total   ___/10

 

Resources:

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