Rationale: Gaining fluency allows students to concentrate on the comprehension of a text rather than the decoding of the words. Fluency comes from automatically recognizing sight words, which allows for quicker reading and a better understanding of the text as a whole. One of the purposes of this lesson is to teach elementary students how to become fluent readers. Students gain fluency by reading, decoding, crosschecking, and rereading words. Reading engaging literature and answering questions about the material encourages students to focus on the comprehension of the story.

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Materials: Fancy Nancy: It's Backward Day! By Jane O'Connor, Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (enough copies for each pair of students to receive one) [below]; stopwatch (enough for each pair of students to receive one); reading rate forms (one per student) and partner check forms (one per student) [below]; cover-up critters 

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Procedures:

1.  Say, "Class, we have done a lot of work with our reading lately, and today we are going to get one step closer to becoming fluent readers. Do any of you know what a fluent reader is? Well, fluent readers are readers who can read smoothly and quickly because they can recognize words automatically. [Write the following on the board: 'The cake is red.'] A beginning reader might sound like this when they read this sentence on the board, 'Tttt-hhhh-eeee, the, ccc-aaa-kkk-eee, oh cake, is rrr-eee-ddd. The cake is red.' Did you notice that the beginning reader stumbled over the words a little, and repeated words they didn't recognize? Now a beginning reader who can read automatically would say, 'The cake is red,' but sound like a robot because they do not read with expression. But a fluent reader recognizes words automatically and can read with expression. The best way to become fluent is to practice reading over and over. The more you practice with a book, the more fluently you will be able to read it!

2. Say, "Before we begin, let's review what we do when we come across a word we don't know. [Write the word 'publish' on the board.] Let's say that I wasn't sure how to pronounce this word when I saw it in the text. First I would use my fingers and my cover-up critter to hide all the letters but u, our first vowel. I would then say /u/, like our cavemen would say. Then I would uncover the first letter, p, and say /p/. Then I will uncover the letter after the u which is a b, and says /b/. So the first syllable of this word says /p/-/u/-/b/, pub. Next I would look for the next vowel, which is an i and says /i/. Before the i and after the b is an l, which we know says /l/. And after the i is the digraph sh, that makes our /sh/ shushing noise! So putting the last part with the first we have /p/-/u/-/b/-/l/-/i/-/sh/, publish. To publish something is to put in print for everyone to see!"

3. Say, “Now we can practice how we read sentences [Write 'I have a black dog who can play fetch' on the board.] I am going to read this sentence on the board and I want you all to pay close attention as I read. [Read the sentence very slowly and without fluency.] I hhhaaavvveeee a bbllllaaccckkkk dog wwhhhooooo can pplllaaayyy fffeeetttcchhh, fetch. Did you see that I read it very slowly and it was kind of hard to understand what the sentence was talking about. Now I am going to read it again like a fluent reader. [Read the sentence with fluency.] I have a black dog who can play fetch. Wasn't that a lot easier to understand? By learning the words by sight I was able to read and understand them better. That is why we are going to practice rereading sentences so that every time we can make it sound better than before. It also helps you add expression to your readings!" 

4. Say, “Great! I am now going to split you into pairs and give each pair a copy of the book: Fancy Nancy: It's Backward Day! In this story we learn that Fancy Nancy and her peers are celebrating Backward Day at school and everyone is dressed for the occasion. But sadly her teacher, Ms. Glass, can't think of any more backward ideas for the class, so Nancy makes sure to come up with the perfect way to fully celebrate the day. We're going to find out together all of Nancy's wonderful ideas."

5. The teacher will assign partners. Each group will have a stopwatch, notecard, word count sheet, and evaluation form. Each student will read the first six pages of the book once to themselves. When they have read it through once, explain to the students how to use the worksheets and what to record when their partner is reading to them. One student will play as the reader and the other as the recorder. Provide a model of how to use the timer as the recorder, keeping track of how many times and how long it takes the reader to read the first six pages. The recorder will tell the reader when they can begin and when to end. Every time the recorder will record how many pages were read and the time. Once that reader has had three read alouds for the first six pages, the recorder will fill out the partner check sheet and the students will switch roles.

6. Say, "During this activity in you pairs each of you will have the job of being the reader and the recorder. One of you will read while the other uses the stopwatch to see how long it takes their partner to read the first six pages of Fancy Nancy. If you are the one using the stopwatch, press the button when your partner begins reading. As soon as they finish, press the button again to stop the counting and write down the number the timer displays onto your 'Reading Rate Form' handout. The number tells us how long it took them to read the story. Now the second time they read it will be a little bit different. You are going to start and stop the timer just like you did the first time, you will also write down their time on the handout, but this time you will have to fill out your 'Partner Check Sheet' after they finish as well. If they remembered more words you put a check; if they read faster, you put a check; if they read smoother you put a check; if they read with expression you put a check. [Demonstrate where to put the markings.] You will record on your partner's check sheet after both the second and third time reading. After the third time reading, you will switch positions with your partner. If you read first, you are in now in charge of the stopwatch and recording. If you recorded the first time, you are now the reader. 

7. Assessment: Throughout this time the teacher will one-by-one call up students to read aloud. If a student's partner is called, he or she will read Fancy Nancy: It's Backward Day quietly to themselves all the way through, while their partner is assessed on the first six pages. After the student reads aloud to the teacher, the teacher will then ask comprehension questions to assess their understanding of the reading. After the activity, the teacher will then take up the time recording sheets and partner checklist sheets. The teacher will calculate the WPM for each student using the times recorded by partners.

 

Resources:

 

Partner Check Sheet

 https://sites.google.com/site/sophiessuperlessons/growing-fluency-design/fluency.jpg

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Eating Our Way Into Fluency by Allie Pittman

https://alliepittman.wixsite.com/allisonpittman/growing-fluency-design

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Fancy Nancy: It's Backward Day by Jane O'Connor; Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

https://www.fancynancyworld.com/books/fancy-nancy-its-backward-day/9780062269812/

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Reading Comprehension Questions

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Reading Rate Forms

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Worksheet for Assessment:

 

Reading Comprehension Questions 

1) Why are the students walking backward into school, or saying goodbye to their teacher when they arrive?

2) Where does Bree, Nancy, and Ms. Glass wear their socks?

3) Does Lionel think saying the alphabet, starting with z,y,x is easy or hard?

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Reading Rate Forms 

Reader ________________            Checker: ________________

1st Reading Time: ______

2nd Reading Time: ______

3rd Reading Time: ______

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Partner Check Sheet

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