Delightful Reading with Ms. DeLidle
Wild About Reading
Growing Independence and Fluency
by
Rationale: We are focusing on the goal of independent and fluent reading. Reading fluency is driven by learning new sight words. Having a well-developed sight vocabulary eliminates the needto decode every word, and this helps students read smoothly and with expression. The class will have silent reading, group reading, and partnered/teacher reading. The teacher will record individual reading times and evaluate comprehension through AR testing.
Materials: Books (Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak) for each child, student journals, computer availability. Teacher: graphing charts per student, pen, timer.
Procedures:
1. “To begin today’s reading, we are going to take personal time to read Where the Wild Things Are. We follow an evening with Max. Before supper time, Max gets sent to his room, but finds himself in a forest! How do you think he ends up there? Read silently to find out.”
Allow time for personal reading. Begin evaluating with the advanced and quick readers to use time wisely.
2. As more students finish, pair up partners to read with each other. Have students help each other by scoring their fluency. During paired readings, have remaining students come to the teacher’s desk for individual time and graphing. Students that have read aloud and seen the teacher can take AR tests to gauge comprehension.
Teaching students how to give feedback in fluency: “We are going to use fluency sheets to help our classmates keep improving in their personal reading. When you are sitting quietly listening to them read, you will listen for speed, smoothness, and expression. Check box one for keep working with another friend, box two for good, and box three for excellent.
Here is an example of reading improvement: 'The /n/ /igh/ /t/, /nigh/ /t/, night Max /w/ /O/ /r/, war?, wore his wolf /s/ /u/ /i/ /t/, sut?, suit and mad /m/ /i/ /s/ /ch/ /i/ /e/ /f/, /mis/ /ch/ /i/ /ef/ /mis/ /chef/, made mischief of one kind and another, his mother called him Wild Thing.' Let's read this sentence again to remember more words. 'The night Max wore his wolf /s/ /u/ /t/, suit and made /mis/ /chef/, mischief of one kind and another, his mother called him Wild Thing.' Okay, now I think I know all the words. 'The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another, his mother called him Wild Thing.' Did you notice how much better it sounded each time I read it? That's because I was learning those words, and now that I know them, I can read it in a fun way by making my voice get loud and soft. This is what I want you to help your partner with."
Fluency Feedback:
Name:______________________ Evaluator:_______________________ Date: ____________
I noticed that my partner: (put an X in the blank)
After 2nd After 3rd
Read Faster ______ ______ ____ Keep working with a friend
Read Smoother ______ ______ ____ Good Job!
Read with Expression ______ ______ ____ Excellent!
Remembered more words ______ ______
3. Discussion questions for the class:
What was Max doing to be called Wild Thing? –Accept only specific answers.
Where did the forest in Max’s bedroom come from?
In response to “his imagination”, How did he use his imagination to create the forest?
Why did Max decide it was time to come home?
Yes, he was lonely, but why was he lonely?
–Guide answers to his wild things were misbehaving just like he was, so he realized why his mother sent him to his room.
4. Extension assignment option: Have journal time.
Students will write in their journals what their journey would be like if they got the chance like Max. They will begin by picking their own animal suit and nickname. Then they will describe the place, be it a forest, ocean, museum, and write their own short shory.
Resources:
Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are. Harper and Row, c 1963.
Teacher Reading Fluency Improvement Chart.
Morton, Cathy J. "Catching the Bug for Reading Through Interactive Read-Alouds."
