Reading That Flows Like a Fruitcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing Independence and Fluency

Karlie Bergamini

 

Rationale: Reading fluency is the ability to recognize words quickly, accurately and automatically. The student is transitioning off from being dependent of decoding. Fluency is important for readers because they can focus their attention on becoming quick readers, smooth, more expression and comprehending the content. Over time fluency and speed will improve by participating in repeated reading. Students need to develop sight word vocabulary while practicing fluency. The student will start enjoying reading, by improving their sight word vocabulary, instead of getting frustrated. This lesson will require students to crosscheck throughout this repeated reading of decodable text. This activity will enhance their fluency and independence in repeated and timed reading.

 

Materials: The book Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake by Barbara Park (copy for each child); Dry Erase Board, Dry Erase Markers, Stop Watch for each partner, Partner Reading Progress checklist, Reader Response Questions

 

Procedure:

1. Say: We want to get great at reading. In order for us to be great at reading, we must be able to read fluently. Don’t you worry; this takes a lot of practice! Once we are fluent readers, we will love and enjoy reading books. This will come enjoyable to us when we do not have to stop and attempt to understand every word. Someone is a fluent reader when they are able to read at a steady rate and it does not sound choppy. 

 

2. Say: Now direct your attention to the sentence written on the board: The plane was high in the sky! Listen as I read aloud the sentence and tell me if I sound like I am reading fluent or not. Ttttthhhhheee pplllaaannn, wait, I mean plane, wwaaasss hiiiggghhh in ttttthhhheeee ssskkkiiii, um, sky. The plane was high in the sky. Now I will reread the sentence so I can check and make sure that I comprehend the words. The plane was high in the sky! Did you see how I did not sound out any words? I said the sentence smoothly and the sentence was easy to comprehend.

 

3. Say: Now that I have read the sentence; The plane was high in the sky, can someone tell me what I had a problem with? I had to reread the sentence, note the correspondences and pronunciation, in order to figure out how to read hard words. I noticed that plan and ski did not sound correct. I took a minute to realize that a_e says /A/ in plane and y at the end of words says /I/. After I corrected my mistakes, I reread the sentence and the sentence made more sense with plane and sky. This strategy is crosschecking.

 

4. Say: Today we are going to read a portion of  Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake to practice fluency. Book talk: Junie B. Jones is one silly kindergartner! One day Junie B. goes to her school carnival and enters in on a game called cakewalk! She plays the game and wins! Junie B. was able to choose a cake to bring home; she chose the fruitcake because she likes to eat fruit! When Junie B. goes home, she eats the cake and discovers that she does not like fruitcake. You have to read the book to find out the different way Junie B. Jones uses the icky fruitcake!

 

5. Write the direction on the white board for all the students to see. As you are writing it, explain what the students will be doing. Say: 

 

Now, I would like you to get with your reading partner and go to your designated reading area in the classroom. While one partner walks to the reading area, the other partner will come to the front of the classroom to pick up two Partner Reading Progress checklists. Together, as partners, I would like you to count off how many words are on page one and two in Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.

 

Each partner will take turns reading the book aloud to one another. I would like each person to read the two pages three times. While one partner is reading, the other partner will use the stopwatch and record the time.

 

Please, pay close attention to mark each partners mistakes while reading aloud. Mark tallies for each mistake. (Method will be explained on the white board)

 

Once you are done reading, you will solve a math problem in order to calculate fluency. The subtraction problem is the total number of words minus the number of tally mistakes. This equation will be completed three times.

 

Now, we will see the progress of each student. It will be done by answering the questions on the progress form. This will note which reading was the fastest with the least amount of errors.

 

After reading, you are allowed to answer the reader’s response questions.

          What is a fruitcake?

          What type of night is it at school?

          Why is Grandpa Miller coming to babysit?

 

The students will go back to their individual desks and write the answers to the three questions on a separate sheet of paper. The sheet of paper with the students’ answers will be turned in, when completed. Once the answers and checklist are both turned in, I will hand out a fluency graph. This graph will have pieces of a fruitcake flowing up to make a whole cake. I will the fruitcake on corresponding number of words the students read per minute. I will support students to continue practicing reading by moving their individual pieces of fruitcake up the scale, in order to put together a whole cake! Each time the students should increase their words per minute.

 

Assessment:

I will review student’s responses to the reading response questions. Every student will turn these questions in, after they are done. I will fill out the rubric that is attached, while evaluating the students’ work.

 

References:

Murray, Bruce.  "Developing Reading Fluency."  The Reading Genie.  http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/fluency.html

Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake. New York: Random House for

            Young Readers, 1995.

Casey Piper, Fluency Fun With Junie B. Jones! http://auburn.edu/%7Ecnp0011/pipergf.htm

 

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