Shaylee Vargas Fluency Mini Lesson

I chose to do a reader’s theater with my fifth-grade students in small groups. I asked my

CT whether the students needed more practice with expression or speed. When he said that

students needed to work on expression, I decided to do a reader’s theater. He told me that I

could work with two groups of students during reading rotations. I searched for a reader’s

theater script with many characters. I also wanted to find an interesting script with lots of

emotion. Finally, I stumbled upon a script based on the children’s book, The Frog Prince

Continued, by Jon Scieszka. This script includes twelve parts and an engaging storyline. I knew

the script was on my students’ independent level because the book is at a third-grade

independent reading level. Each student is currently at a fourth- or fifth-grade reading level.

Thus, I knew that this script would be appropriate for my students.

I started working with students from the lower-level reading group. I asked, “What does

it mean to read with expression?” Students told me that our voices should rise at the end of the

question. If we see an exclamation mark, we should talk louder. When it became clear that

everyone knew the purpose of a reader’s theater, we began to look at the script. I did not

expect students to care so much about the parts. When everyone decided on their parts, the

students were able to read the script easily. I knew they were comprehending the script when

they laughed at the comical dialogue. Some students read with more expression than others. I

praised students when they read with expression.

The second group was at a higher reading level. Like the previous group, they struggled

to choose parts quickly. There were enough parts for each student to have two parts. They

were excited to have multiple parts. I was amazed by the expression they displayed throughout

their reading. One of the students participates in theater performances. He read the witch parts
Shaylee Vargas Fluency Mini Lesson

in a creepy voice. Another student played the princess. She did a great job at reading with an

annoyed tone of voice. When students read their parts with the appropriate emotion and

expression for their character, I could see that they understood what was happening in the

script. I noticed that students’ expression improved during the second reading. Students knew

the characters and the story better. The second group also found the script funny and

entertaining. Both groups enjoyed reading the script because they had individual parts.

When I do another reader’s theater in the future, I plan to assign the parts ahead of

time. Then, students can spend more time on the script. I would give each reading group a

different script based on their independent reading level. We could practice the script for a few

weeks. Then, each group could perform their script to the class. This idea may motivate

students to do their best reading. If I choose another script based on a book, I would like to

read the book to them first. The students can learn more about the characters from the

pictures. I can also model reading with expression.

I will determine my students’ fluency levels through various assessments. I can give

them timed readings to measure their accuracy (WRC/WR) and rate (WCPM). I may also use a

rubric to evaluate my students’ phrasing and expression. This rubric should also consider pacing

and accuracy. I will group my students into reading levels based on running records and

comprehension, fluency, and spelling assessments. The number of small groups will depend on

how many students are in each level. I would like to have smaller groups for students who

struggle with reading. Then, I can give these students more individual attention. However,

reading groups will be fluid. Students can move up a reading level depending on their progress.
Shaylee Vargas Fluency Mini Lesson

I will provide a variety of reading materials for my students. They will have opportunities

to read fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc. I also plan on reading to my students daily. They need to

listen to fluent readers so they know how their reading should sound. I plan on using echo

reading and choral reading in my classroom for repeated reading. I would like to have “big

books” for these activities. Students can also read along with a digital recording of a book or

story. I hope to have a variety of digital recordings for students to listen to during language arts

and centers. Older students can do timed repeated readings and paired repeated readings. I

can also find tongue twisters for students to practice reading quickly. They will likely enjoy

filling out Mad Libs and timing themselves during repeated readings. We can use digital timers

for these activities.

I will determine how much time my students will spend on fluency each day based on

their reading and writing stages. If I taught beginning readers, I would spend about forty

percent of the day on fluency, twenty percent of the day on comprehension, twenty percent of

the day on writing, and twenty percent of the day on word study. If I had ninety minutes to

teach language arts, students would spend approximately thirty-six minutes on fluency,

eighteen minutes on word study, eighteen minutes on comprehension, and eighteen minutes

on writing. On Mondays, I could teach a fluency mini lesson. Students could practice echo or

choral reading on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, students could do timed repeated readings or

paired repeated readings. Students could practice their reader’s theater scripts on Thursdays.

On Fridays, I could assess several students and set fluency goals. This schedule allows students

to practice their fluency throughout the week. It also includes time for me to assess students as

needed.