Rationale: This lesson is designed to help and improve children’s reading fluency. Reading Fluency starts with being able to learn new words as sight words. In return, this helps children to further enjoy reading because of the speed of their reading as well as being able to use expression as they read. To read fluently, a child must first know how to decode words in the text. In this lesson students will learn what being a fluent learner is as well as learn skills and strategies in becoming one themselves by rereading The Rainbow Fish. If a student is unfamiliar with a word, they should decode it. If they are unable to decode, they can try the crosschecking method.
Materials:
-The book The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
-A stopwatch for timing
-A cover-up critter
-A pencil
-Fluency checklist for each child
-A chart for recording words per minute
-Whiteboard
-Dry Erase Markers
Procedures:
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Hello, class! Today we are going to learn what fluent readers are and start practicing being one ourselves! Do y’all know what a fluent reader is? *call on a few people and hear their answer* Those are great answers. Fluent readers all start with being able to learn new words as sight words. Because of this they are then able to read stories fast without stopping or errors while also understanding what they are reading. It actually makes reading more fun because you are also able to put emotion and expression into the story you are reading. Are y’all ready to start becoming fluent readers?!
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We have coverup critters to help us decode, which means to read a word you don’t know. Let’s try this with the word script. *write script on board* First I will cover up every letter in the word but the letter s. Now let’s sound it out /s/s/s/. Now we will move our critter over one where we see sc /s/s/s/s/ /c/c/c/c/. Then we have /r/. /s/s/s/s/ /c/c/c/c/c/ /r/r/r/r/. Then /i/. /s/s/s/s/ /c/c/c/c/ /r/r/r/r/ /i/i/i/i/i/. Then /p/. /s/s/s/ /c/c/c/ /r/r/r/ /i/i/i/ /p/p/p/p/. Then /t// /s/s/s/ /c/c/c/c/ /r/r/r/r/ /i/i/i/i/ /p/p/p/ /t/t/t/t/. Script! Now let’s use it in a sentence. The actor had a script for her movie.
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I want you to read the book The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. This story is about a fish called the rainbow fish who was the most beautiful fish in the ocean. The rainbow fish thinks that his beautiful scales are the most important thing in the world until one day another fish asks the rainbow fish to share some of his beauty and the rainbow fish is faced with a big decision to make. I want you to read it silently in your head and find out if the rainbow fish makes the right decision!
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*When the children are done I will pair them with partners.* You and your partner each got a book, a stopwatch, a reading rate chart, and a fluency checklist. You will take turns reading and timing. In all, you will each read this story three times. The reader will focus on their reading while their partner will press the stopwatch right when the reader starts and press the stopwatch again right when the reader stops. The partner timing will also pay attention to the facial expressions of the partner who is reading. The partner who times will then fill out the charts about the reading partner. *I will show the children how to use these charts and once they begin I will walk around and observe*
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When the children are done they will be called up individually to hand me their papers and read the story to me. While they read I will be evaluating. Once they are done I will ask them comprehension questions. Their time with me and their sheets will help me to evaluate their fluency and figure out who needs more work.
Checklist:
Title of book:
Student name:
Partner name:
Did the reader read smoothly?
Did the reader use expression?
After 2nd and 3rd reading:
Did the student read more smoothly than before?
Did the student read faster than before?
Did the student use more expression than before?
Did the student remember more words than before?
Reading Tracker:
0---10---20---30---40---50---60---70---80---90---100
Words read per minute:
Comprehension Questions:
1. Which other fish in the ocean did the rainbow fish give one his scales too?
2. Who did the rainbow fish go to for advice about sharing his scales?
3. How many shiny scales does the rainbow fish have left at the end of the story?
Resources:
“Getting Fishy for Fluency” Angel Fuentes:
https://angelfuentes1721.wixsite.com/mysite-1/getting-fishy-for-fluency
“Finding Fluency with Rainbow Fish” Tindall Morring
https://ktm0014.wixsite.com/mysite/growing-independence-and-fluency
Pfister, Marcus., and J. Alison James. The Rainbow Fish. 10th anniversary ed. New York: North-South, 2002. Print https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Fish-Marcus-Pfister/dp/1558580093
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