I NTRODUCTION. As educators, we believe there is power inherent in the written word. It

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1 I NTRODUCTION As educators, we believe there is power iheret i the writte word. It is the power of kowledge ad iteractio the ability to covey what we mea ad to be heard, the gift that brigs others thoughts ito our realm of uderstadig. It is our hope that the childre i our care will lear to look to the writte word for the same reasos we do to aswer questios, clarify learig, ad exchage ideas. A relatioship betwee readers ad the text ca come oly from traiig ad experiece. To help ulock the meaig of laguage, we teach readers to apply sese to symbols. They lear to associate souds with letters ad the to combie letters to make words. Ultimately, they coect these words to make sese of what they are readig. They ca aswer questios such as What is this story about? ad What is the author tellig me? For some, this progressio happes aturally. Oe day childre are decodig sigle words ad the ext they are readig seteces, paragraphs, ad chapters with ease. For others, each step comes with great effort, ad success is ot always at had. They seek what the proficiet readers have ad what all readers deserve: fluecy. Fluecy, the ability to read with speed, accuracy, ad expressio, is essetial to comprehesio, which is the primary goal of readig. Fluecy comes with practice, ad all readers must strive to achieve it. Readers who are already fluet, readers who are well o their way to beig so, ad those who are strugglig to get there all must employ practice ad patiece to become cofidet, capable readers. Their skills may be differet, but their goal is the same: They wat to uderstad. This teachig resource, Fluecy Practice Mii-Books: Grade 1, offers coutless opportuities to build ad stregthe your studets ability to read with ease ad cofidece. It cotais 15 mii-books o topics from core curricular areas, tied i with atioal stadards at the first-grade level ad preseted as fictio, ofictio, poetry, ad prose. It also offers tools for assessmet, icludig a teacher checklist ad rubric ad a checklist studets ca use to moitor their ow readig progress. (See Assessig Fluecy, page 9.) The mii-books ad accompayig activities target specific skills i fluecy ad phoics ad aim to icrease speed of word recogitio as well as to improve decodig accuracy, use of expressio, ad, ultimately, comprehesio. The text adheres to vocabulary stadards based o the studies of Harris ad Jacobso. These stadards esure that your studets 4

2 will ecouter words withi the first-grade readig vocabulary rather tha those that might hider their progress. The stories have bee leveled usig readability scores from the Lexile Framework for Readig (See chart, page 14.) These scores offer guidelies to help you select the stories that best match the eeds ad readig levels of each studet. The stories are ready for use to practice, stregthe, ad assess skills i readig fluecy. Ad they all share the same objective: to give studets practice readig comfortably, cofidetly, ad with ethusiasm, so that you ca build a ever-growig flock of fluet readers withi the walls of your classroom. Fluecy: A Overview What Is Fluecy? Fluecy is the mark of a proficiet reader. Whe a studet reads text quickly, gets most of the words right, ad uses appropriate expressio ad phrasig, we say that he or she has achieved fluecy. Fluecy frees readers from the struggle that slows them dow. Hece, they are able to read for meaig ad to uderstad. They ca atted to the details of text, pausig as idicated ad varyig toe ad pace to ehace comprehesio for both themselves ad potetial listeers. How Does Fluecy Develop? As with every skill worth developig, fluecy sharpes with experiece. Exposure to prit, immersio i a rich liguistic eviromet, ad practice, practice, practice all lead to fluet readig. From the emerget o up, readers must lear ad apply tools to help them advace. The Natioal Istitute for Literacy (NIFL) speaks of fluecy as a skill i flux. Fluecy is ot a stage of developmet at which readers ca read all words quickly ad easily. Fluecy chages, depedig o what readers are readig, their familiarity with the words, ad the amout of their practice with readig text. Eve very skilled readers may read i a slow, labored maer whe readig texts with may ufamiliar words or topics. (NIFL, 2001) Fluet readers read aloud effortlessly ad with expressio. Their readig souds atural, as if they are speakig. Readers who have ot yet developed fluecy read slowly, word by word. Their oral readig is choppy ad ploddig. NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY, 2001 Readers are most comfortable (ad most fluet) whe readig what they have see before or what they kow most about. Whe veturig beyod that, they must rely o word attack skills, prior kowledge, ad the host of tools that helped them advace previously. 5

3 Ways to Build Fluecy Two words ecompass what readers require for the developmet of fluecy: exposure ad practice. To foster fluet readig, be sure to: Fluecy develops whe childre do lots of readig ad writig icludig lots of easy text. Repeated readig helps childre develop fluecy because with each readig their word idetificatio becomes quicker ad more automatic, freeig attetio for expressio, phrasig, ad comprehesio. (CUNNINGHAM, 2005) MODEL FLUENT READING. Read aloud to studets. As you read, model (ad poit out) aspects of fluet readig such as phrasig, pacig, ad expressio. Help studets uderstad that people are t bor kowig how to do this; they lear it by hearig it ad tryig it themselves. PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH PLENTY OF READING PRACTICE. Oral readig is highly effective for trackig ad stregtheig fluecy. It eables both the reader ad the listeer to hear the reader ad assess progress, ad it allows the listeer to provide guidace as eeded. Whisper readig serves as a trasitio from oral to silet readig. I whisper readig, all studets read aloud at the same time, but at a volume that is just barely audible. The studet is able to self-moitor ad the teacher to move aroud the room, otig progress, keepig studets o task, ad offerig guidace as eeded. For silet readig, studets read a assiged passage or a book of their ow choice. Because the reader caot be heard, assessmet of readig skill is ot possible. The value of silet readig is that it icreases time spet readig ad gives studets opportuities to expad ad practice readig strategies. (Foutas ad Piell, 2001) SELECT APPROPRIATE TEXT. To develop fluecy, a studet must practice readig text at his or her idepedet readig level the level at which he or she is able to accurately decode 96 to 100 percet of the words i a give text. This level varies for every studet. By assessig each studet s readig level up frot, you will be prepared to select appropriate texts ad esure that your studets get a lot of practice readig at a level at which they achieve success. (Rasiski, 2003; Worthy ad Broaddus, 2001/2002) For iformatio about how to use text to assess fluecy, see Assessig Fluecy, page 9. RAISE THE BAR. Read aloud to studets from text that is above their idepedet readig level, exposig them to ew ad more difficult words ad cocepts without the pressure of havig to decode. GIVE ROOM TO GROW. To help a studet advace i fluecy, preset text at his or her istructioal level. This text ca be read with 90 to 95 percet accuracy. With a little help, the studet ca get almost all the words right. (Blevis, 2001a; Rasiski, 2003) PROVIDE DIRECT INSTRUCTION AND FEEDBACK. Prepare studets before they read. First, review phoics skills they will eed to decode words. Draw attetio to sight words, root words, affixes, ad word chuks. Pre-teach difficult or ufamiliar words. Demostrate the use of itoatio, phrasig, ad expressio, ad tell childre whe they have doe these well. Liste to childre read, ad offer praise as well as helpful tips for the ext attempt. 6

4 USE A VARIETY OF READING MATERIALS. Plays, fictio stories, ofictio passages, ad poetry offer a rich ad varied readig experiece. Expose your studets to each of these. Give them may opportuities to get excited about ad immerse themselves i what they are readig. HIGHLIGHT PHRASING. Oe of the most effective ways to help studets who are strugglig with fluecy is to use phrase-cued text. Phrase-cued text is marked by slashes to idicate where readers should pause. Oe slash idicates a pause withi a setece. Two slashes idicate a loger pause at the ed of a setece. Ready-made samples of phrase-cued text are available (see Resources for Readig Fluecy ad Comprehesio, page 19), but you ca also covert ay passage of text to phrasecued text by readig it aloud, listeig for pauses, ad drawig slashes i the appropriate places. (See the example, right, from the mii-book Little Frog, page 73.) Model fluet readig with proper phrasig, ad ivite studets to practice with the text you have marked. Little Frog Little Frog/ did t like/ his color.// I do t wat/ to be gree,/ he said.// Little Frog/ hopped/ ito a ca of pait.// He hopped/ out agai.// The pait/ was red.// Now Little Frog/ was red,/ too.// Little Frog/ hopped/ dow the road.// A cat/ saw him go by.// A red bird!/ said the cat.// I ll eat it!// I m ot a bird!/ cried Little Frog.// Studets who are havig trouble with comprehesio may ot be puttig words together i meaigful phrases or chuks as they read. Their oral readig is characterized by a choppy, word-by-word delivery that impedes comprehesio. These studets eed istructio i phrasig writte text ito appropriate segmets. (BLEVINS, 2001A) Brigig Oral Readig Ito Your Classroom Provide opportuities for childre to read aloud. This may iclude all or ay of the followig: INTERACTIVE READ-ALOUD: A adult reader demostrates fluet oral readig ad talks about how he or she chages toe, pace, or expressio i respose to the story. Studets ejoy a dramatic readig ad absorb skills i fluet readig. I additio, the iteractive read-aloud provides a opportuity for teachers to ask ope-eded questios before, durig, ad after the readig, solicitig studets prior kowledge ad extedig their uderstadig, comprehesio, ad coectio with the topic. This coectio ca advace studet iteractio with the text ad promote optimal coditios for fluecy. SHARED READING: A adult reader models fluet readig ad the ivites childre to read alog, usig big books or small-group istructio. 7

5 As the child approaches a ew text he is etitled to a itroductio so that whe he reads, the gist of the whole or partly revealed story ca provide some guide for a fluet readig. He will uderstad what he reads if it refers to thigs he kows about, or has read about previously, so that he is familiar with the topic, the vocabulary or the story itself. (CLAY, 1991) CHORAL READING: A adult ad childre read aloud together. This activity works especially well with poetry ad cumulative tales. ECHO READING: A child repeats phrases or seteces read by someoe else, mimickig toe, expressio, ad pacig. REPEATED READING: A adult reads aloud while a studet listes ad reads agai while the studet follows alog. The the adult ivites the studet to read alog, ad, fially, the studet reads the same text aloud aloe. This techique is most helpful for strugglig readers. PAIRED REPEATED READING: Teachers group studets i pairs, matchig above-level readers with o-level readers ad o-level readers with those below level. Parters are ecouraged to take turs readig aloud to each other, each readig a short passage three times ad the gettig feedback. The maer of groupig provides every strugglig reader with a more proficiet reader to model. READERS THEATER: Studets work i groups to rehearse ad perform a brief play before the class. Performig ca be excitig, ad the drive to preset well ca be a powerful force behid masterig fluecy i readig ad speech, motivatig both strugglig ad proficiet readers. TAPE-ASSISTED READING: Childre liste to books-o-tape while readig alog i a book. (Cosider recordig your ow tapes if commercially made tapes go too quickly, or if the tapes iclude backgroud elemets such as music or soud effects, which ca be distractig.) Childre ca also liste ad critique their ow readig o tape. PHRASE-CUED TEXT: (See Highlight Phrasig, page 7.) Where Does Vocabulary Fit I? Stumblig over the words costitutes oe of the mai setbacks o the way to fluecy. It remais i your studets best iterest, the, to grow familiar with words they will likely ecouter i readig. Cuigham ad Alligto (2003) urge active use of word walls, ivitig studet participatio i choosig words to put o the walls, elimiatig words hardly used, ad reviewig the list words daily. Ehacig Comprehesio I all readig istructio, it is importat to remember that readig imparts meaig, ad so the fudametal goal of readig is to comprehed. All other istructio phoics, phoemic awareess, auditory discrimiatio is wasted effort if comprehesio gets lost i the process. Cosequetly, those who fid o purpose or meaig i the writte word will soo lose iterest i readig altogether. Avoid this by teachig your studets strategies to ehace comprehesio. Help them lear to questio the text they are readig. What is the message? 8

6 Does it make sese to them? Do they kow what it meas? Fid out by askig questios. Ask questios before studets read, to prepare them for the story. Ask as they read, to deepe their uderstadig of the text. Ask additioal questios after they read, to clear up ay comprehesio issues ad summarize the story. Teach your studets to formulate questios of their ow to give them a vested iterest i what they are readig. Assessig Fluecy There are two ways to assess a studet s progress i fluecy: iformally ad formally. Iformal assessmet ivolves listeig to studets read aloud, otig how easily, quickly, ad accurately they read ad decidig how well they atted to phrasig, expressio, ad other elemets. Formal assessmet ivolves timig a studet s oral readig to create a tagible record of his or her progress throughout the school year. To coduct a iformal assessmet of studets readig fluecy, use the reproducible Teacher Checklist ad Rubric for Oral Readig Fluecy, o page 10. Have a studet read aloud for five to seve miutes while you ote o the form the strategies the studet uses as well as his or her readig stregths ad difficulties. Studets ca moitor their ow progress usig the Studet Checklist for Self-Assessmet, o page 11. Photocopy ad lamiate oe for each studet. Review the checklist compoets with studets may times, util they uderstad the purpose of the checklist ad the meaig of each setece. Ecourage studets to metally complete the checklist from time to time to track their ow readig fluecy. To carry out timed repeated readig, select a passage of text ( words) that is at the studet s idepedet readig level ad that he or she has ever read before. Have the studet read aloud the passage for oe miute. Track your ow copy of the text while he or she reads, markig words omitted or proouced icorrectly. Cout the umber of words the studet read correctly. The give the studet three oe-miute opportuities (i separate sessios) to read the same text, ad average the scores to obtai his or her oral readig fluecy rate.* I N C ONCLUSION Does fluecy istructio work? Research has show that cocetrated readig istructio ca dramatically improve readig comprehesio ad fluecy, which i tur affect academic performace, self-esteem, ad overall achievemet. With this i mid, it is ot oly helpful to istruct with a eye toward fluecy, it is essetial. * For more detailed iformatio o timed readig, cosult Blevis (2001a, pp. 9 12) ad Rasiski (2003, pp ). Istructio that focuses too heavily o word-perfect decodig seds a message that good readig is othig more tha accurate word recogitio. As a result, studets ted to shoot for accuracy at the expese of everythig else, icludig meaig. (RASINSKI, 2004) The majority of childre who eter kidergarte ad elemetary school at risk for readig failure ca lear to read at average or aboveaverage levels if they are idetified early ad give systematic, itesive istructio i phoemic awareess, phoics, readig fluecy, vocabulary, ad readig comprehesio strategies. (LYON AND CHHABRA, 2004; ORIGINALLY CREDITED TO LYON ET AL., 2001 AND TORGESEN, 2002) 9