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Haley Miller
Fluency Party with Junie B. Jones
Growing in Independency and Fluency Lesson
Rationale: This lesson will help students gain fluency as a reader. In order for students to read effortlessly and with automaticity, they must practice expression, pace, and comprehension. Effortless word recognition allows students to reflect on what they are reading. Through reading, decoding, crosschecking, mental marking, and rereading, students will be able to confidently improve their reading rate and grow into fluent readers. Fluency is essential in students gaining comprehension. In this lesson, students will use the strategy of crosschecking after reading a decodable text and then complete repeated readings in order to gain fluency and independence in reading.
Materials: pencils, timer/stopwatch for each pair, class set of Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal, sample sentences on white board for teacher to model (Sally ate the last cupcake), peer fluency sheet (one for each student), reading rate forms for teacher, teacher fluency check (one for each student) with attached comprehension questions
Procedures:
1Say: “Boys and girls, today we are going to work on becoming fluent readers. We know that our goal is to become fluent readers, but what does that mean? What do you think of when I say a fluent reader?” Wait for responses. “Fluent readers are able to read quickly, smoothly, and with expression because they recognize words automatically. This also helps us understand what we are reading because we don’t have to stop and analyze each word. This makes reading more enjoyable.”
2. Say: Now direct your attention to the sentence written on the board: Sally ate the last cupcake! Listen as I read aloud the sentence and tell me if I sound like a fluent reader or not. SSSaall, SSSaaallyy, at, I mean ate, the llllaaass, last, ccuupcaaake. Sally ate the last cupcake. Now I will reread the sentence so that I can check and make sure that the word makes sense. Sally ate the last cupcake! Did you notice how I didn't have to sound out any words? I spoke the sentence in a smooth manner and the sentence was much easier to understand! Now turn to a partner and practice reading the second sentence on the board: I ate a really big hot dog. Read it aloud to one another until you can each read it fluently. When you can read it fluently, find another partner. I would like for you to read the third sentence on the board until you can read it fluently. The third sentence is: The ball went in the lake.
1Say: Now that I have read the sentence Sally ate the last cupcake! What did I get stuck on? In order to figure out how to read the hard word, I had to reread the sentence, remember my correspondences, and focus on my pronunciation. I knew “at” did not sound correct. I took a moment and remembered that a_e says /A/. Then after I corrected my mistakes, I went back, re-read the sentence, I realized that it actually made sense when I said ate. This strategy I used is called crosschecking.
2Number off students into partner sets and pass out the books. Say: “Now we are going to practice being fluent readers by reading the Junie B. Jones book, June B. Jones Is a Party Animal. Junie B. is friends are named Grace and Lucille. Lucille rides to school with her nanna, while Grace and Junie B. have to ride the school bus. This is because Lucille has a rich nanna. They want to visit Nanna’s house. Will they get invited?
3Students should read chapter 2 silently to themselves. Then they should each read chapter 2 aloud to each other. Explain to students that while they are reading to not help each other out
4Pass out recording sheets and stopwatches to each group. Say: “Now we are going to play the fluency game. Put your listening ears back on to hear how to play! Reader 1 is going to start the game off and Reader 2 will be in control of the timer. Reader 2 is going to time Reader 1 reading chapter 2, and then he or she will record the time on the sheet that I have just handed to you. After recording the information, Reader 2 will read and Reader 1 will record. Do this three times each. As you listen to your partner read aloud the pages, I want you to be listening for how their reading changes each time. Do they remember more words, do they read with more expression? Do they read smoother, and faster? Mark these changes on your peer fluency check sheet. Ready? Begin!”
5After the student pairs have each read through the passage three times, have the students, come one at a time, read a paragraph from the first two pages. Ask them bring their record sheet so you can attach it to the back of my assessment sheet. You will time them on the paragraph read aloud, and use the formula given to record how many words they have read per minute.
Words x 60/ Seconds read
Use a list of comprehension questions to assess how their fluency is affecting their comprehension.
Assessment: I will review each student’s results from the following checklists:
Peer Fluency Check
Name of Reader: ____________________
Date: _________________
1st Time: ________
2nd Time: ________
3rd Time: ________
Teacher Fluency Check
Name of Reader: _______________
Date: _________________
Time: ________
Words x 60/time in seconds: _______WPM
Comprehension:
1. Why did Junie B. want to go over to Lucille’s house?
2. Who are Junie B. friends?
3. What problem occurred at the sleepover?
Resources:
Beck, Mary Margaret. Reading Genie Website. “Fishy Fluency with Junie B.” http://marymargaretbeck1.wixsite.com/missbecksclass/growing-independence-and-fluency
Park, Barbara., and Denise Brunkus. Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal. Random House, 1997.
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