Flourishing in Fluency
By: Kayla McCary
Rational: This lesson is designed to improve students’ reading fluency. Reading reading fluently means that nearly all the words that a student is reading are a part of his or sight vocabulary. When students become fluent readers, they will be able to understand the meaning of a text and reflect on their reading. Students will become fluent readers when they read, decode, cross-check, mental mark, and reread. In this lesson, students will learn the strategies and skills that it takes to become a fluent reader through the reading and rereading of the story When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree.
Materials: Class set of When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree, stopwatch for each pair of students, timesheet, pencils and paper, cover up critter, teacher fluency checklist, and peer checklist (one for each student), and reading comprehension worksheet.
Procedures:
1. Say: “Today we are going to become fluent readers! Can anyone tell me what it means to read fluently?” Wait for student responses. “Fluent readers can recognize words automatically so they can read smoothly, quickly, and with expression. Being a fluent reader makes reading fun because it allows us to understand what we are reading.”
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2. Say: “Alright everyone, I want us all to look at the sentence on the board: ‘Happy birthday, from grandma.’ Can you put your listening ears on for me while I read this sentence? I want you to tell me if I sound like a fluent reader when I read it aloud. ‘Hhhaaappyyy, h-a-p-p-y, oh happy! Happy birthday, form grandma. Wait! ‘form’ doesn’t sound like it fits in the sentence, it must be ‘from.’ Happy birthday, from grandma. Did you notice how I got stuck on the word ‘from?’ To figure out what ‘from’ was, I reread the sentence to figure out which word made the most sense. This strategy that I used is called cross-checking. Cross-checking is important to become a fluent reader. Whenever I get to a hard word, I reread the sentence to figure out which word makes the most sense. This helps me become fluent while reading. A fluent reader would read the sentence: ‘Happy birthday, from grandma.’ Did you see how I read it fluently and smoothly? It makes the sentence much easier to understand!”
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3. Say: “Now think back to when I read the first sentence and got stuck on the word ‘from.’ To figure out the word ‘from,’ I had to reread the sentence from the beginning and try to figure out what ‘from’ said; I pronounced it like the word ‘form.’ ‘Form’ sounded confusing to me, so I reread the sentence to figure out the word ‘from.’ I learned that it was ‘from’ because ‘from’ made the sentence sound correct. This is cross-checking! It will help you become a fluent reader! I want you to use cross-checking as you read!
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4. Say: I want you all to read the book, When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree. It is one of my favorites! We are going to read a few pages together to practice becoming fluent readers. This book is about a young girl who receives a gift from her grandmother on her birthday. While she was hopeful for gifts like a phone or headphones, her grandmother ends up giving her a lemon tree. How do you think the young girl will react? You will have to read to find out!
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5. After the students read the book silently to themselves, I will break them into partner groups. I will give each pair a copy of the book, a stopwatch, a fluency checklist, a pencil, reading comprehension worksheet, and a reading timesheet. With their partner, they will reread the first couple of pages without helping or criticizing each other. I will say: “The more we do repeated readings the better fluent readers we become because we have a better understanding of that story!”
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6. Say: “You and your partner will read the book three times each to help build fluency. While one partner reads the other one will be the timer. The timer's job is to time the reader reading and record their time on the reading timesheet. Remember when you are the timer, the timer starts the stopwatch as soon as they start reading and hits stop when they are finished reading. Make sure all three times are recorded on the timesheet. After your partner has read the book, see if you are improving each time.” [I will model how to fill in the fluency checklist and use the stopwatch. Then I will see if anyone has questions.] Say: “As you listen to your partner read, I want you to be listening to see how their reading changes. Do they remember more words? Do they read faster? Do they read more smoothly? Please add comments to your paper if you see any changes.” While students read, I will be walking around the classroom to check if students are filling out their timesheets correctly and if they need any help.
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7. Once the students are done with this activity, I will collect the data they recorded. This will allow me to assess each student’s fluency and reading rate in addition to how it has improved. I will also be able to work with students who may be struggling. My own observation notes will also be beneficial when looking at student data. Finally, I will have each student come to my desk to read the story. I will mark their miscues and take observation notes. I will ask them comprehension questions to assess their reading fluency (detailed below).
Fluency Timesheet —
Reader:
Your Name:
Total number of words in book:
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_____ words in _____ seconds
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_____ words in _____ seconds
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_____ words in _____ seconds
(amount of time it took to finish the book)
0—> 10—>20—> 30—> 40—>50—> 60—> 70—> 80—> 90—> 100
Words per minute: words x 60 second = _____ WPM
Fluency Checklist (Circle One) —
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I noticed that my partner….
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After second reading….
Read faster: yes or no Read smoother: yes or no Read with more expression: yes or no
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After third reading….
Read faster: yes or no Read smoother: yes or no Read with more expression: yes or no
Fluency Comprehension Worksheet —
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What are some of the gifts the birthday girl hoped for?
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How did the young girl help her lemon tree grow?
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What did the young girl do when the lemons grew on the tree?
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What did the young girl do with the money she earned from the lemonade stand?
References:
Deenihan, Jamie L.B. When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree. Sterling Children's Books, 2020.