We “Willy” Want to be Fluent Readers!

A Growing Independence and Fluency Design, by Logan Bergeron

 

Rationale: This lesson is designed to help students become more fluent, independent readers and begin to develop the ability to read and comprehend longer, more complex texts. Fluency is marked by the ability to read words accurately, automatically, and effortlessly, and is accompanied by the abilities to read aloud quickly, smoothly, and with expression, and understand the meaning of texts that had just been read. Thus, fluency is essential for readers to comprehend texts and gain knowledge and enjoyment out of reading independently.

Through decoding, cross-checking, mental marking, and repeated readings, students will develop fluency by adding sight words to their vocabulary, improving their independent reading skills, and gaining confidence in their reading ability. Students will learn these strategies and practice fluency by reading and rereading The Stray Dog, through individual silent reading, paired reading, and teacher-led timed reading activities.

 

Materials:

• Whiteboard and dry erase markers (or Smart Board)

• A classroom set of The Stray Dog, by Marc Simont

• Cover-up critters

• A copy of the Fluency Checklist for each student (see at bottom of lesson)

• Pencils and notebook paper

• A timer or stopwatch and a calculator to determine words per minute

• “Fetch” chart to record words per minute (WPM) for each student (see at bottom of lesson)

 

Procedure:

1. Say: Hey class! For today’s reading lesson, we are going to learn how to become fluent readers. Would anyone like to take a guess at what the word fluency might mean? [pause to allow think time and select on a few students to provide their predictions; respond briefly – i.e., “that’s close,” “nice guess,” or “not quite”] To be fluent at something means to be able to do it easily and accurately. So in reading, fluency means that you can read a text quickly and expressively, while still saying the words right and understanding what the story means. You recognize the words right away to you don’t have to work at decoding them! In this way, fluency makes reading more fun, because you get more out of the story when you don’t have any problem with reading and understanding the words along the way! So, let’s get started on becoming fluent readers, shall we?

2. Say: When we read a story, all of the words help us figure out the meaning, so it is important to not miss any words as fluent readers. But sometimes, we come across words we are not so sure about, and that’s okay! When we get stuck, we have some tools that can help us out so we don’t miss out on a word. Let me show you with this word. [Write scruffy on board] I am going to use my cover-up critter to help me figure out what this word says! First, I will cover up every letter except the first one. That’s s so that means our word starts with /s/… Now I will reveal the next letter of the word and add its sound to /s/. The next letter is c, which says /c/, so that gives us /s/… /c/… /s/ /c/… /sc/. [Continue uncovering one letter at a time and blending its phoneme with the others] Sssss-ccrrrr-uuu-ffffff-yyy… Scruffy! That’s our word! Let’s try using it in a sentence: “That is one scruffy puppy!”

3. Say: Next, I am going to try to read a whole sentence. [Write “The children played with the dog.” on the board] I will read it two times, and I want you to wait and listen, and then be ready to tell me which one you think sounded like a fluent reader, okay? Alright, here’s my first try: [Read with strain] “The… chhiiillddd-ren [pronounce as child wren with a look of confusion] p-p-pllllaaaayyyedd with the dog.” Hm, I have never heard of “child wren” before… So, who was playing? Oh wait! Maybe it’s children! Okay, here is my second try: [Read in a quicker, smoother, and more expressive manner] “The children played with the dog”! Alright, show of hands. Who thought that my first try sounded like a fluent reader? [Pause and count the number of students who raise their hands] Okay, that’s [#] of you… And who thought that my second try was more fluent, raise your hand? [Pause and count again] So that makes [#] who think the second time was me being the fluent reader. Well, you’re right! The second time was more fluent! Can anyone raise their hand and tell me what helped me sound more fluent the second time I read the sentence? [Wait for a few responses] Did anyone notice that after the first time I read the sentence, I was able to figure out that the tricky word was children by finishing the sentence and thinking about what I know and how the sentence would make sense? That is a strategy called “cross-checking,” and it is another tool you can use to help you figure out hard words as a fluent reader! Now that I know that the word child with r-e-n at the end spells children, I can make a note inside my mind to remember that word when I see it again! That is called “mental-marking,” and it helps me remember words with tricky spellings! Then, I can re-read the sentence a few times to make sure I understand it and try to read it faster and smoother. With practice, I will become more fluent!

4. Say: Now that we know more about how to become fluent readers, let’s do some practice to help us get there! [Hand out a copy of The Stray Dog to each student] Today, we are going to be reading The Stray Dog by Marc Simont to work on our reading fluency! Does anyone here have a pet at home? Raise your hand if you have a pet. Have any of you ever wanted a pet really badly? Maybe you kept asking your parents for a puppy or cat and they kept saying no, or maybe for some of you they said yes! Well, in this book, the family meets a puppy who wants a family! Will they make him theirs? It is up to you to read the story and find out! First, I want everyone to read the story one time silently on your own, and then I will have you pair up to read the story again and practice your fluent reading! Alright, let’s begin. Remember, you can use your cover-up critters and reading strategies if you come across a hard word!

5. Give the class time to read the story individually. Once it seems that students are done reading silently, say: “Wow, what a neat story! What did you all think of it?” [Accept a few responses and briefly discuss what happened and students’ reactions] Then, divide students into pairs with their book, a pencil, and a copy of the Fluency Checklist sheet. Say: Okay, class, now that we have read the story once to learn what it is about and see any words that may have been tricky for us, I am going to have you and your partner take turns reading the story again to each other. You will each read the story three times to your partner. I want you to really focus on the story and practice your fluency skills as you read. When you are not reading, I want you to pay attention to how your partner’s fluency improved with each time they read the story and write it down on the Fluency Chart with their name on it. Ask yourself, did they read the story faster? Did they stumble over the words or remember them better? Did they read more smoothly the second or third time than the time before? And lastly, did they read with expression? This means changing their voice to match the story, so happy parts sound happy, sad parts sound sad, and different characters may even get different voices! Maybe the dog catcher sounds deep and scary, and the sister sounds high and squeaky! [change voice to match underlined words for emphasis] When you read with expression, the story becomes like a play, so it is up to you to decide how much you want to act out the characters as you read! Again, as your partner reads the story, make sure to fill out the chart each time so we can figure out how their reading changed and if their fluency improved over time. Feel free to write down anything else you notice – kind comments only, please! [Allow students plenty of time to complete the reading activity as you put the reading review questions on the board]

6. Say: “After you’ve finished reading, you may discuss the story and think about what you are going to say for the reading review questions. When everyone is done, we will return to our desks, and I would like everyone to write a sentence or two answering each of the reading review questions on a sheet of paper you will turn in with your Fluency Checklist.” Once students have completed the partner reading task and reading review, have them turn their fluency checklists in with their name, the name of their partner, and the day’s date on it, as well as their reading review responses.

7. As students are working independently on the reading review, call students up one by one to your desk or a table in a quieter area of the room to read The Stray Dog aloud to you. As they read, time them with a stopwatch or the timer on your phone and calculate their correct words per minute (WPM) once they are done using the formula below and a calculator, if needed. Record their score on the student’s WPM chart. Finally, ask them one or two questions at random from the reading review question list to assess individual comprehension (this may act as a comparison reference to their written responses, since they had the opportunity to discuss potential answers to the questions with their peers prior to writing their own responses). Make sure to praise improvement!

 

 

Resources:

Dragon Masters of Fluency by Caroline Whitehead: https://cwhitehead0029.wixsite.com/cgwhitehead/growing-independence-and-fluency

Fluency with Junie B. by Logan Boyd: https://lolomakayla99.wixsite.com/mysite/fluency-with-junie-b

Simont, Marc, and Reiko Sassa. The Stray Dog. Scholastic Inc., 2001.

 

Some comprehension questions that might be used for a reading review to accompany The Stray Dog:

1. How did the family meet Willy?

2. What trick did Willy learn from the kids?

3. Why didn’t the family take Willy home when they first met him?

4. Why was Willy in a rush the next time the family saw him?

5. Why did the dog warden call Willy a stray?

6. How did the children save Willy?

 

 

Additional materials for this lesson below.

 

Fluency Checklist for students:

 

Have students write their name, their partner’s name, and the date on the sheet before turning it in.