Fluency Fun in Kindergarten

Shari Sloane

A Model of Reading
Reading is a multi-task activity. The reader has to know the words and comprehend. The reader should not use all of the gas to decode the words. The reader should reserve the energy for comprehension.

Word Study Phonics Spelling Vocabulary

Accuracy

Fluency Automaticity Prosody

Model Assisted Reading Practice- wide vs. deep Phrasing Synergy

Surface Level Have to break through surface structure Deep Level

Comprehension Background Knowledge Comprehension Strategies Questioning Imagery Compare-Contrast Prediction Re-representation

Tim Rasinski www.timrasinski.com

Fluency is the centerpiece of reading. It is the bridge that connects the words to comprehension. Without fluency you cant have comprehension. Word Study Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary
Phonics The goal of phonics instruction is to not use phonics. Harvesting Words Making Words Pat Cunningham and Tim Rasinski way Word Ladders Latin and Greek roots (older grades)

Fluency Automaticity and Prosody

Automaticity the ability to recognize words Prosody Melody, rhythm and rhyme Expression it adds meaning Using voice to make meaning

How fluently am I reading?

Name of rater _____________________________ Name of reader ____________________________
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Expression & Volume:

Reader is reading passage with feeling, paying attention to punctuation marks. Reader is also reading loud enough for the audience to hear and with correct emotion.
1. No expression with a quiet voice. 2. Some expression with a quiet voice. 3. Some expression with an appropriate volume. 4. Appropriate expression and volume.

Pace:

Reader is reading at an appropriate speed.

1. Slow and hard to follow. 2. Slow. 3. Mixture of slow and fast reading. 4. Consistent speed and easy to follow.

Smoothness:

Reader is reading smoothly with little hesitation.

1. Frequent pausing, sounding out words, or repeating words. 2. Several pauses and hesitations causing the passage to sound broken. 3. Occasional breaks in reading due to difficult words. 4. Smooth reading with some breaks that are quickly corrected.

Phrasing:

Reader is reading at an appropriate speed.

1. Monotone, no pauses 2. Choppy, ignores commas and end punctuation. 3. Some choppiness, pauses for breath mid-sentence. 4. Well-phrased in correct units with correct stress.

Total Score: ____/16

Dear Families, We are very excited about reading with Fluency! Fluency is the ability to read accurately, quickly, expressively, with good phrasing AND with good comprehension. Fluency is the centerpiece of reading! Each week, I will be sending home a poem or short story for your child to practice. Each poem/short story will be taught during the day at school. Please follow these directions when the piece comes home each Friday. . 1. Read the poem/short story to your child to demonstrate what a fluent reader sounds like. They will get a kick out of this! 2. Read the poem/short story together with your child. (Read at a normal pace. Do not slow down to let your child keep up with you. Reading should match our normal speech rate. It should reflect they way we talk. For example: We...dont...talk...like...this...So...we...dont...Want...to...read...like...this...either!) 3. Listen as your child reads the poem/short story to you 2-3 times. Remind your reader to practice the focus for this week (expression & volume, phrasing, pace or smoothness). 4. Please sign the Listener List. 6. Send the Fluency Folder back to school on Monday. Thank you in advance for all of the time you will spend reading with your child!

Thank you for being a great listener!

Lucky Listener List

Date
Listeners Name Title Of Text

Assisted Reading
Assisted reading refers to the notion that what a person cannot read fluently on his or her own, he or she can develop fluency when reading orally with another reader who is more fluent. Forms of Assisted Reading 1. Choral (Group Reading) see different types on next page. 2. Paired reading (Neurological Impress reading) sit on right hand side, slightly behind reader impress the language into the right hand side. Read books at instructional level- slightly more difficult. 3. Audio-Assisted Reading Listen to books on tapes. Practice while listening, then do it independently. www.storylineonline.net 4. Captioned Video Text Send home a note telling parents to turn on the cloze-captioning on the TV. Disney SingAlong Videos. Do 1 song over and over Harvest words. www.heidisong.com www.curricu-la-la-la.com

More Than Round Robin!

Refrain: One student reads most of the text, and the whole group chimes in to read key segments chorally (Eric Carle Books). Line a Child: Each child reads individually 1-2 lines and the whole group reads the final line/lines together (Nursery Rhymes) Antiphonal: Class is divided into groups (boys/girls or 1, 2, and 3) and assigned to a section of text. Impromptu Choral Reading: All readers choose whatever line, word, or phrase he or she would like to read. Call and Response (Echo): One student reads a line or two and the rest of the class responds by repeating the lines. Cumulative Choral Reading: An individual reads one line and another reader chimes in for the next line, then another and another until all are reading. You can reverse this by starting with the whole class and ending with an individual. This type of choral reading is great for emotional or dramatic texts. Reverse Cumulative Choral Reading: The readers drop out or whisper as the reading progresses.

Repeated (Practiced) of Authentic Texts Look for texts that can be interpreted orally, that have a strong sense of voice. Look for texts that can be performed for an audience. These are texts that need to be rehearsed (practiced): Scripts (Readers Theater) Poetry Song lyrics Speeches (www.americanrhetoric.com) Cheers Chants (jump rope chants) Monologues Dialogues Journal Entries Letters Informational text cannot be read with voice. Practice to perform.

Complete script in color as free PDF at www.kidscount1234.com

Quick as a Cricket
Written by Audrey Wood Readers Theater Script by Shari Sloane

Group 1: Im as quick as a cricket Group 2: Im as slow as a snail, Group 1: Im as Group 2:

small

as an ant,

Im as large as a whale.

Group 1: Im as sad as a bassett, Group 2: Im as happy as a lark, Group 1: Im as nice as a bunny,

Sources for Readers Theater

Web Sources
http;//www.teacherspayteachers.com - Kim Adsit http://www/aaronshep.com/rt/ http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/langrt.htm http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Tower/3235 http://www.storycart.com http://loiswalker.com/catalog/guidesamples.html http://www.readinglady.com http://home.sprynet.com/~palermo/intr_rdio.htm http://home.sprynet.com/~palermo/radiokit.htm http://www.margiepalatini.com http://www.fictionteachers.com/classroomtheater/theater.html http://hometown.aol.com/rcswallow/ http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=carrick/index.html http://www.literacyconnections.com/ReadersTheater.html http://bms.westport.k12.ct.us/mccormick/rt/RTHOME.htm http://www.readerstheatre.ecsd.net/collection.htm http://www.vtaide.com/png/theatre.htm www.timelessteacherstuff.com

Commercial Publishers Readers Theatre Script Service: www.readers-theatre.com 619-276-1948 Call for catalog. Has excellent scripts available from grades one through adult literacy. Reasonably priced. Portage and Main Press. 100-318 McDermot Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3A 0A2 800-667-9673, www.portageandmainpress.com Has at least 5 book collections of readers theater scripts from K throughGrade 8. Benchmark Education. www.benchmarkeducation.com For more fluency materials contact Teacher Created Materials (888-333-4551). Ask for Texts for Fluency Practice by Rasinski and Griffith

Websites for Finding Songs and Music

Songs for Children
http://judyanddavid.com/cma.html http://www.bussongs.com/ http://www.theteachersguide.com/ChildrensSongs.htm http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/music.htm http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/music.htm#index http://www.head-start.lane.or.us/education/activities/music/index.html

Folk Songs and Songs of America

http://www.contemplator.com/america/ http://folklyrics.classic-sf.co.uk/ http://www.ftmeade.army.mil/songs.html http://www.scoutsongs.com/categories/patriotic.html

Whisper Phones www.whisperphones.com Scholastic Sight Word Poems Flip Chart SC-9780545115940