Rationale:
In order for students to better comprehend text it is essential for them to be fluent readers. To gain effortless, automatic readings students must practice expression, pace, and comprehension through repeated readings. Fluency is very important when wanting students to enjoy reading. Being a fluent reader improves comprehension, accuracy and word recognition. Through tools such as reading, decoding, crosschecking, mental marking, and then rereading students will improve their reading rate and become fluent readers.

Materials:
Pencils for each student
3 or 4 Stopwatches
Dinosaurs Before Dark books Classroom set of Peer Fluency Sheets Reading rate for teachers
WPM graph for each student

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Procedure:

1. Say: Today we will be working on becoming fluent readers! Being a fluent reader

   makes reading enjoyable. Do we know what fluent means? *Listen for responses* Now explain what fluency means. Say: Fluent readers read smoothly and are able to pick up words automatically. Fluency also helps us enjoy our book because we can better understand what is going on.

2. Say: Now lets look at this sentence on the board- The fast cat ran from the dog. I want you to listen closely and you decide if I am a fluent reader or not! “ The f/f/f/a/a/s/t/t/s/s/ fast, s/a/a/t cat, r/r/a/n ran, f/r/r/o/o/m from, the, dog. The fast sat ran from the dog? *Listen for reactions* No, that doesn't make sense, does it? I know what I did, the /c/ should have made the /k/ sound, Cat. To know the word I had to go back and reread the sentence to see what word made that sentence make sense. This strategy is called crosschecking! Crosschecking is very important to becoming a fluent reader. Raise your hand if you thought I was a fluent reader when I read that sentence! Good, no hands because I was not fluent!

3. Say: Let’s practice! Practice makes perfect! The sentence on the board was hard because I had never seen it before. The word “cat” gave me trouble. To figure out the word I had to crosscheck. Remember crosschecking is when you read a sentence and something doesn't make sense so you reread it to figure it out. Crosschecking is a very important part of becoming a fluent reader! Do you think y'all can try crosschecking?

4. Say: Now it’s time to let y'all try. *Pass out Dinousaurs Before Dark books* Pair children with a partner and hand one book to each group* Say: This book is called Dinosaurs Before Dark. *Give book talk to spark interests* Have children read silently to themselves for 1 minute then, make them take turns reading aloud to their partner. Say: Make sure not to help your partner with any words because we want to try to use our new strategy.

5. Pass out recording sheets, progress wpm graph and stopwatches to each group. Say: Let’s play the fluency game with our partners. Pick a partner to be the first reader. The first reader will start off by reading the first chapter while reader 2 is timing them using the stopwatch. Reader 1 will read the first 2 pages while reader 2 times. Reader 2 will write the time on the sheet I gave you. Explain how they must count WPM with theformula given total wordsx60/seconds read and have them record it by keeping progress on the WPM graph. After you have recored the time, you and your partner will switch 6. After both partners have read and been timed three times, I will take each student one by one back for an assessment. They will read aloud a section of the book they been reading. You’ll want the student to bring their record sheet so you can observe their progress. You will time them on the paragraph read aloud and use the WPM formula to record their final WPM number. Use a list of comprehension questions to assess how their fluency has improved their comprehension. 

Peer Fluency Check
Name of Reader: ____________________ Date: _________________
1st Time: ________
2nd Time: ________
3rd Time: ________
I noticed that my partner...

After which read? Remembered more words

Read faster
Read smoother
Read with expression

2nd 3rd

Teacher Fluency Check
Name of Reader: _______________
Date: _________________
Time: ________
Words x 60/time in seconds: _______WPM Comprehension:

1. What book did Jack find a Pteranodon in?

2. What did the Pennsylvania book have a picture of?

3. What appeared out the window of the tree house when Jack wished he could see a

   Pteranodon?

4. What happened to the tree house after Jack said these words?

Answers:

1. Frog Creek and the woods Jack and Annie were in

2. Dinosaur book

3. A real live Pteranodon

4. The wind began to blow and it spun faster and faster

References:
Comprehension Questions http://www.risetoreading.com/2012/11/13/comprehension-questions-1-dinosaurs-before-dark/

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Osborne, Mary P. Dinosaurs Before Dark http://magictreehouse.wikia.com/wiki/Dinosaurs_Before_Dark

 

Ashton Wells, A fluency Lesson From Dinosaurs https://ashtonslearningtoreadlessons.weebly.com/growing-fluency.html 

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