Rationale:

This lesson is designed to improve student’s reading fluency in texts that are a little more difficult. Students begin reading slowly, but their speed increases as words become automatic. Fluency is being able to read with automatic word recognition. It makes reading more enjoyable for students because children are reading at a faster pace while still being able to comprehend the story. To become fluent, students must be able to decode the words in the text they are reading. In this lesson, students will learn about the strategies and skills that it takes to be a fluent reader through rereading the story (Knight at Dawn). They will work on silent and partner reading to gain experience. They will read along with the teacher to go over unfamiliar words between readings and gain fluency. The overall goal of this lesson is to improve fluency and independence in the students by timed and repeated readings.

 

Materials:

 

1. Class set of Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne

 

1. One stopwatch per group

 

1. Pencils

 

1. Cover-up critters for each student

 

1. Copy of the checklist/reading  tracker per student

 

1. Whiteboard

 

1. Dry erase markers

 

 

Procedures: 

1. This lesson will begin 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 students to respond* Those are some really good 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!”

 

2.  First model the decoding strategy with my cover up 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. *write the word “Favorite” on the board* I am going to use my cover up critter to decode the word. I am now going to cover up all the letters except the first one. *Say letter and sound* I am now going to uncover the next letter. *Do so* Now it’s time to uncover the last letter and blend everything together. This is the word favorite. Now let’s use it in a sentence. “My favorite color is red.”

 

3. Next I will show the students the difference between not reading fluently and reading fluently. I will write the sentence: There is a red house next to mine. 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. “Therrreee is a prrreeetttyyy hooouuuussseee nnnneeexxxttt to miiine.” Next I will read it faster and smoother to show you how a fluent reader would read this sentence. “There is a pretty house next to mine” Could you see the difference? *Wait for students 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!

 

4. Say: “I want you to read the story “The Knight at Dawn” By Mary Pope Osborne from the  Magic Tree House Series quietly at your seat. This story is about brother and sister, Jack and Annie, who find themselves in medieval England. The kids find a castle and go to a banquet and meet knights. But when they find themselves locked in a dungeon, Jack starts to wonder how they’ll ever get home…

 

5. 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 Knight at Dawn, a reading rate chart, and fluency checklist. You and your partner are going to read the first chapter 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. After your partner has finished reading the first time you should fill out the fluency reading checklist and reading 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*”

 

6. 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: Knight at Dawn

 

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: ______

 

Comprehension Questions:

 

1. What time did Jack wake up? 5:30

 

2. What was Anni’s Magic wand? Flashlight

 

3. Where is the treehouse? In the woods by their house

 

4. Who is more brave, Jack or Annie and why? Annie because Jack is scared the whole time

 

Refrences:

 

“The Knight at Dawn” by Mary Pope Osborne

https://archive.org/details/2theknightatdawn/page/9/mode/2up

Publishes by Random House New York 1993