If You Teach a Mouse Fluency…
Growing Independence and Fluency
Rationale:
In order to have a meaningful reading experience through comprehending literature, students must be fluent readers. Fluent reading is reading to the point of recognizing words automatically and effortlessly. When students reach this point, they will be able to understand the meaning behind a text, leading to reading comprehension. This particular lesson is designed to teach fluency by having students repeat reading and reading within a time limit. After this lesson, students should be able to read texts quickly, effortlessly, and with expression that brings the texts to life, which will ultimately improve fluency.
Materials:
Sentence strip that reads, “I love to eat cookies.”
Cover-up critter
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff (enough copies for the whole class)
Stopwatch for each pair of students
Timesheet for recording reading times
Pencils/paper
Fluency checklist for each student
Fluency Checklist:
I noticed that my partner…
After 2nd Reading…
After 3rd Reading…
Remembered more words
Read faster
Read smoother
Read with expression
Reading Record Time Sheet:
Name:__________________
Date:___________________
1st Reading:_____________
2nd Reading:____________
3rd Reading:_____________
Procedures:
Say: “Today we will learn how to become fluent readers. Who can tell me what the word fluent means? (Wait for response). If I am a fluent reader, it means I am able to recognize words automatically and easily. I don’t have to stop reading to sound out words or take extra time to figure out what a word is. As fluent readers, we will read quickly, easily, and with a lot of expression. Because we focus less on figuring out what words are, we will be able to understand the actual material we are reading better, and we will enjoy reading more. This becomes even easier and more enjoyable when we fluently read out loud to other people.”
Display the sentence strip reading “I love to eat cookies” on the board. Say: “Ok, everyone! Listen to how I read this sentence you see on the board. (Read by separating each sound). ‘I l-l-o-o-v-v (e) to eat c-c-o-o-o-o-k-k-i-i-e-e-s-s. Was that easy or difficult to understand? (Wait for response). That’s right, it was not easy to understand what I was saying. Let me try reading this sentence again. (Read the sentence slightly faster and slightly more fluently). That was a little better, but I still did not get the full message from the sentence. Let me try once more! (Now read sentence quickly, smoothly, fluently, and expressively). I love to eat cookies! It makes sense now, right? Does everyone see how I reread the sentence a few times before I could understand the meaning behind it? Which reading did all of you understand and follow most easily? (Wait for response). Which was hardest to understand? (Wait for response). The first time I read it, I did so without fluency, so it was not easy to understand, and we didn’t really get any meaning out of the sentence. However, after I read the sentence a few times, I was able to read it fluently and expressively. This made it easier to understand, and you all were able to get just how much I love to eat cookies! That is exactly why it is so important that we learn to become fluent readers. Today, our goal is learn how to do just that!”
Say: “When you meet a word you don’t know, you can use your cover-up critter to figure out what the word is. Let me show you an example.” Write the word “fill” on the board. “I’ll use the cover-up critter to help me figure out this difficult word. First, I start with the vowel and cover up every other letter. The vowel here is “i,” and I know that i = /i/. Once I figure that out, I’ll uncover the letters before the vowel. In this case, it is the letter f, which says /f/. Then I’ll put the f and the i together to get /f/ /i/. Now I’ll uncover the letters that are left, l and l. I know they say /ll/ when they are together. Now I’ll put it all together… /f/- /i/- /ll/… ‘fill.’ That’s not so hard right? It can even be fun if you look at it like a puzzle!”
Give an engaging book talk about “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.” Say: “In this book, we meet a hungry mouse who is given a cookie. When he gets his cookie, he keeps thinking of more and more things he wants to go along with his cookie. But, a little mouse can only need so much, right? Let’s read to find out what all he will want!”
Tell the class that they will now be doing repeated reading with an assigned partner. “We do repeated readings because they will help us become more fluent readers. The more we read a story, the better we will be able to read that story. I will read the beginning out loud to you all, and I want you to follow along with me. I will read as fluently and expressively as I can, so pay close attention to the way I read the story.” Read pages 1-3 aloud.
Divide the class into reading pairs (try to place a struggling reader with a successful reader). Assign each pair a certain spot in the classroom to avoid distractions. Give each pair a copy of the book, a timer, a fluency checklist, a pencil, and a reading time sheet.
Once students are ready to go, give instructions. Say: “With your partner, one of you will read first, and the other will record. You all may decide who goes first. When it is your turn to read, you will begin when your partner tells you to. Read the entire book and your partner will time you. This is not a race, so do not try to go faster than your classmates so you “win.” This exercise is meant to help each of you improve your fluency so that you can read faster and more smoothly, not so that you can read faster than your partner. After you have read and your partner has recorded your time, you will become the recorder and your partner will read. When you are the recorder, tell your partner when to begin reading. When you say “Begin” you will start the timer. When your partner has finished the book, stop the stopwatch. Record their time on the time sheet. Fill out the fluency checklist based on how your partner did. Once you have filled out both forms, switch jobs again. Do this process three times each, so you each read the book three times and you each record the other three times.
Before starting, have one student volunteer to model with you so that the whole class is aware of exactly what to do.
While students are doing their reading, walk around to monitor progress. You can offer some help if needed, but avoid giving too much help- they should learn to do it on their own.
Assessment: Students assess each other by filling out the fluency checklist and the time sheet. The teacher assesses each student by using the fluency formula to determine words per minute: (words x 60)/ seconds. Also, ask comprehension questions while walking around the classroom. “Why do you think the mouse needed milk after a cookie? What made the mouse want _____? What do you think the mouse will ask for next?”
Assign each student to write one complete paragraph describing the story in their own words. This helps to assess the level at which each child is comprehending the lesson.
Resources:
Clip art: http://www.clipartkid.com/if-you-give-a-mouse-a-cookie-cliparts/
Numeroff, Laura and Bond, Felicia. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. New York, New York. Harper Collins, 1985. Print.
Rhiannon Akins, Fluency with the Hungry Mouse- http://akinsrhiannon.wixsite.com/eceed/gif-design
