Rationale: Reading fluency is incredibly important when it comes to reading comprehension. Students reading fluently is how they are able to recognize words automatically and effortlessly. The conclusion is students spending more time and putting forth more effort to comprehend. Decoding, cross-checking, and mental marking allow students to be able to develop automaticity, helping them become fluent readers. This lesson is designed to help guide readers to become more fluent through repeated reading, timed readings, and oral reading to detect their fluency level.

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Materials:

· Stopwatches/timers for the class

· Enough calculators for each pair

· Cover-up critters for the class

· Expo markers and portable whiteboard

· Sample sentence to read, “Flip and Flop played all day.”

· Fluency checklist personalized per student

· A copy of flip and flop for each student

Procedures:

1. Say: “Okay class! Today we are going to learn how to be readers who read fluently and quickly! Have any of you been reading a story and spent too much time trying to figure out a word you do not know? Have you ever forgotten what was going on in the story because of this? Fluency will help us to solve that problem. So, today we are going to read a fun story. After that, we are going to practice by rereading the story to help us become more fluent! Each time you read the story, you will learn the words you are not sure about and be able to better understand them. It will become easier and easier until you can read the story quickly and smoothly. You will also be able to better comprehend what is happening in the story. This is how you will become a fluent reader! Once you become fluent readers, you can read stories by yourself or to others!”
2. Say: “When I started reading, it took me a long time to figure out the words I did not know. I am going to read this sentence [Write the sentence on the board but say the word soup incorrectly. There is soup on my pants.] There is soooooop, oh I do not know that word. What can I do to figure that word out? Wait for students to respond. Oh, I can try finishing the sentence and crosschecking. Let’s try that! There is sop on my pants. Hmmm, I still do not know that word. I will use my cover-up critter to help me break up that word and see if I can figure it out. /s/ /ou/ /p/. Oh, there is soup on my pants.”

3. Using text from Apperley’s (2001) Flip and Flop, say:“After I have finished reading the story and figured out the unfamiliar words I can reread the story faster the next time I try reading it. [Write this sentence on the board: “Flip and Flop played a made-up game called boomba.”] I am going to try a sentence from the story you all will read later. [Read the sentence slowly and break the words up.] Flip and Flop pl-played a made-up game ca… [use your cover-up critter] call-ed, oh call. I will try to read it faster! [Read faster, but with little more expression.] Flip and Flop played a made-up game called boomba. Let’s try to read it again and sound more fluent. [Read once more with more expression.] The more time I practice reading the sentence the more fluent I will sound. Let’s see if you can do it!”

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4. Say: “Today, you are going to read a story called Flip and Flop. This story is about two penguins who are brothers, named Flip and Flop. They play “boomba” together all the time. (A game that they have made up.) Flop always does what Flip does, until one day when Flip decides he doesn’t want to play with his little brother and Flop runs away. What will happen to Flop? Will the brothers make up? Find out in Flip and Flop. Do you guys have older or younger siblings? Do you guys get along all the time? Do you guys make up when you have arguments?”

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5. [Break the students up into pairs.] Say: “I want everyone to go with the partner to a place in the room with the book Flip and Flop. Everyone is going to read the book by themselves first. Then, you are going to take turns reading the book to your partner, while they time how long it takes you to read the book. After you have both finished reading I want you to get with another pair and discuss the plot of the story. After you have finished, return to your desk and reread the story silently.

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Name:

Partner’s Name:

Time after reading book:

Number of words in the book:

Words x 60/ seconds:

 

6. Say: “When I call your name, bring your copy of Flip and Flop to my desk so you can read it to me.” [As the student reads, use a stopwatch to time the student from start to finish reading the book. Then use the formula: (words x 60/seconds) to find out the Fluency. Mark on a graph where the student starts. Then make a personalized graph for each student to help motivate them in their progress. Write miscues during the student’s reading, and once he/she finishes reading, go back to the misread words and have them revisit those words. Help the student use a cover-up critter to accurately figure out the correct word and then reread the sentence. To conclude, ask the following comprehension questions: “How was Flop able to feel better? How do Flip and Flop make up? Do you think that Flip and Flop have a good brother relationship?” Then send the student back to his/her desk so that he/she can practice until it is his/her turn again. After the students have finished rereading, have them work on a worksheet about the story to assess their reading comprehension.

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Example graph for repeated reading words per minute (Words x 60 / Seconds = WPM): [Personalized for a student whose favorite animal is a penguin.] We want to get the penguin to the iceberg to go sledding with his friends!

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0-----10-----20-----30-----40-----50-----60-----70-----80-----90-----100

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Correct Words Per Minute

References: Apperley, Dawn. Flip and Flop. Scholastic INC, 2001. Print Murray, Bruce. Making Sight Words. Linus Publications, Inc., 2012. Print. Sistrunk, Lauren. Cheering for Fluency.https://sistrunklauren.wixsite.com/mysite/growing-fluency

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