Kissing Fluency Hello

Growing Independence and Fluency Guide

Rationale
1. This lesson is designed to improve students reading fluency. Reading fluently means that a student has the ability to read quickly and at an even pace while still comprehending the text. Fluency makes reading more enjoyable for students because they are able to read the story smoothly and use their cognitive efforts to understand the meanings of all the words. In order to fluency, students first must be able to decode words in the text that they are reading. In this lesson, students will learn the strategies and skills to become a fluent reader through rereading the story, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. If a student comes across a word that is unfamiliar or too difficult for them and they are unable to decode, they should first try and figure out the word with cross-checking.

Procedure
1. This lesson begins with the teacher explaining the concept of fluency to the students. Begin the lesson with. “Good morning class! Today we are going to be working on fluency. What does it mean to be a fluent reader? (Wait for them to respond and praise their answers). Being a fluent reader can make reading so much more enjoyable and smoother. When someone is a fluent reader, they can read a passage and understand what the story is about. Fluent readers are also able to put emotion and expression into their reading. One more thing a fluent reader can do is read quickly without making errors or stopping. Today we are going to work on becoming fluent readers.

I will first model the decoding strategy with my coverup critter. Say: “Sometimes when we are reading, we come across some words that give us trouble and we feel stuck. One thing I like to do to help is use my cover up critter. For example, let’s look at the word school. (Write out the word school on the board). I am going to use my cover up critter to decode the word school. I am going to cover up all the letters except the first one, which is the letter s. /s/.../s/.../s/. I am going to uncover the next letter which is c. /c/.../c/.../sc/. Next letter I uncover is /h/. /h/.../h/.../sch/. The next section I am going to uncover is actually two letters, but that make one sound. This is known as a blend; /oo/. /oo/.../oo/.../schoo/. Now it is time to uncover the last letter /l/. /l/.../l/.../school/. This is the word school. Now let’s use this in a sentence: “Chester raccoon did not want to go to school.”

Next, I will show the students the difference between not reading fluently and reading fluently. I will write the sentence: She knew he would love school. Say: “I am going to read you this sentence on the board. First, I am going to read it very slowly at first to show you how a non-fluent reader would read this sentence. “Sssshhhheeee Knnneeewww hhhee wwwoullldd llloovvee ssschhoool.” Next, I will read it faster and smoother to show you how a fluent reader would read this sentence. “She knew he would love school.” Could you see the difference? (Wait for them to answer). Yes, there is a difference between the ways I read it. The smooth and fast reading was the more fluent reading and that is how we want to read. Now, I want you to try and read quicker!

Say: “I want you to read the book The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn quietly at your seat. This story is about a little raccoon named Chester. Chester is very nervous about starting school because he was scared about making friends. His mom tells him something very special. What does she tell him? I want you to read this book silently in your head to find out what Chester’s mom tells him.”

Once the students have read the story silently, pair them up with a partner. Say: “You and a partner are now going to get a stopwatch, a copy of The Kissing Hand, a reading rate chart, and fluency checklist. You and your partner are going to read this book three times each, you are going to take turns being the reader and timer. The person who is the timer will time the person reading and record the time on the reading chart. If you are the reader, focus on the book and try your best. When you are the timer, be sure to start the stopwatch as soon as the reader starts and stop it as soon as they are finished. You will time the other person three times and record each one on the chart. (Show the students how to use the stopwatch and fill out the chart) Okay and you may begin. (Walk around and observe the students to see if they have any questions and check that they are correctly filling in the chart)

After the students are finished reading, collect their sheets for yourself to analyze and assess how your students did along with your observations of the class to see who needs extra help. Each student will read to you individually. As they are reading, mark improvements needed, miscues, and ask comprehension questions at the end.

Checklist/Reading Tracker:

Book title: The Kissing Hand

Reader’s Name: _________________________

Listener’s Name: ________________________

(Words x 60)/seconds = Words per minute (WPM)

0 ---- 10---- 20---- 30---- 40---- 50---- 60---- 70---- 80---- 90----100

WPM after first reading: _____________

WPM after second reading: _____________

WPM after third reading: _____________

Which reading was your partner the fastest: ________

Which reading sounded the smoothest: ______________

Which reading did your partner get the most words correct: ________________

Reading Comprehension
1. What did Chester want to do instead of going to school?