top of page

Mousing Around With Fluency

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing Independence and Fluency

Taylor Britton

 

Rationale: Successful readers must read fluently, accurately, with expression, and consistently. Fluent reading is important for reading comprehension. Reading fluently, means you have automatic word recognition. Therefore, fluency is vital to reading, and instead of focusing on decoding every word students can comprehend and picture what they are reading. This lesson will help students become more fluent readers by repeated readings of a text and allowing students to work with partners and have timed readings.

 

Materials: pencils and paper, cover-up critter, Word: script (smart board) stopwatch, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, sample sentence on smart board, peer fluency sheet (one for each student), reading rate forms (teacher use), teacher fluency check (one for each student) with comprehension questions.

 

Procedure:

1. Start the lesson by saying: “Okay class, today we are working on becoming masters of fluent reading. We all have a goal to become fluent readers, but what does this actually mean? What do you think of when I say fluent readers? (Responses) Fluent readers have the ability to read quickly like a cheetah, smooth like a swan, and with expression like a monkey, because they recognize words automatically. This makes reading so much fun and more interesting, because fluent reading helps us comprehend what we are reading and does not consist in stopping and analyzing every word.”

 

2. First, model how to use the cover-up critters when coming across an unfamiliar word. “Cover-up critters are our friends that help us read or decode an unfamiliar word. Let me show you, lets look at the word script (smart board). I will use my friend to help me! I will cover up all letters except for s. /S/…/s/…ssss. The I will uncover the letter c. /C/…/c/…ccc…sc. r is next to…/R/…rrr…scr. Now the i. /I/…iii…scri. Almost done, next is the p. /P/..ppp…scrip. Lastly, I will uncover t. /t/…script. The word is script! We blended all our correspondences together and came up with script.” Make sure to reread the sentence after using your cover-up critter, he wants to know what is happening in the story as much as you do.

 

3. Use the sentence “Minnie Mouse loves to eat cake at birthday parties” (smart board) to model reading fluency. Say: “Now lets look at this sentence: “Minnie Mouse loves to eat cake at birthday parties.” Let’s read the sentence together slowly, M-Minnie M-m-m-ous-se loves to eat cakee at b-b-birth-d-d-ay parties. Did you think that sentence was hard? That is because it has a lot of unfamiliar words in it. Lets try it a little faster, Minnie M-m-ouse loves to eat cake at b-b-irthday parties. That time we read it a lot easier, I bet the third time will be much easier so we can add some expression. Lets try again, (I will read sentence with exaggerated expression) Minnie Mouse loves to eat cake at birthday parties!!!! See the third time was much easier than the other two, because I read with fluency and added expression.

 

4. “Now we are going to work with a partner.” (Assign partners; pass out stop watches, peer checklist, and the book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) “You and your partner will take turns reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie 3 times, while your partner is reading you will time your partner. After each person has read three times fill out the peer fluency checklist. Remember give your partner positive feedback only, we are all learning together and it is okay to make mistakes. Also, Make sure you are scoring your partner fairly. If you are giving your partner good scores that are not accurate because you are trying to be nice will not help them. So please be accurate in your scoring. (Model how to work stop watch, record times, and fill out peer checklist.)

 

5. Now I will introduce the book and give a booktalk. “Okay everyone, now that you know what I expect from you during partner reading, lets talk about the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is about a boy who meets a mouse. The boy gives this mouse a cookie and soon the mouse keeps asking the boy to do silly favors for him. I am curious to know what kind of silly favors the mouse is asking the boy to do. Lets read to find out! Please do not forget what I expect from you and your partner, while reading the story.

 

6. As students read I will informally assess by walking around to make sure students are recording correctly and answer any questions.

 

7. Once students have finished pair reading (pass out comprehension questions), I will assess by calling students up to my desk individually and have students read the first passage (calculate WPM). I will use the teacher fluency checklist; while this is taking place students will answer comprehension questions thoroughly at their individual seats.

 

Peer Fluency Check

Name of Reader: ____________________

Date: _________________

1st Time: ________

2nd Time: ________

3rd Time: ________

I noticed that my partner…

            After which read?       2nd       3rd

Remembered more words  

Read faster

Read smoother

Read with expression

 

Comprehension Assessment Questions:     

What were some of the things that the mouse kept requesting the boy to do for him?

Why do you think the mouse kept asking for things?

How do you think the boy felt when the mouse constantly asked for things?

How did the story end?

 

Teacher Fluency Check

Name of Reader: _______________

Date: _________________ 

Time: ________

Words x 60/time in seconds: _______WPM

 

 References:

 Numerof, Laura. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.

 

Lesson References:

Kate Moore, Fluency is fantastic! https://sites.google.com/site/katymooreresearchbasedreading/growing-independence-and-fluency

 

Back to handoffs: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/Handoffs.html

 

 

bottom of page