Reading Fluency

Are we doing your homework by chance? There are some programs called Read Naturally, and Great Leaps that work on fluency. Also there are books and research articles that you can access on the web at your college. Keep looking, I am still trying to find that all inclusive great lesson plan myself. I personally don’t think it exists, it depends on the kids you are working with.

I’d read them a great short story and talk to them about itwith them, dream with them, explore with them, showing them - inspiring them as to what reading fluency looks like and what it can lead to. I developed Great Leaps because adolescents who needed reading fluency needed one to one - I couldn’t do it with a group. If you can teach reading fluency to adolescents - or 4th graders for that manner in small groups, I’d be interested in publishing what you come up with - we’ll be billionaires. Ken Campbell

Thanks Ken, but I was hoping to get a lesson for a mixed ability group of students in a 6th grade class. I thought a lesson that was turned down by my professor. I have to have two groups, and they must work on fluency e.g. reading in pairs (is acceptable). But how do I address the other issues of culture, etc.

Garce,

I’ll have to agree with Ken. Reading fluency must be worked on one child at a time. If you do it in a small group, then each child would have to take a turn, which is still one at a time. Each child should be working at his own level, too, so I do not see that it would be appropriate to group students of mixed ability levels together to work on reading fluency under any circumstances. I do not understand what you mean about cultural issues. When you sit and listen to a child read and make error corrections, I see no issues regarding culture to be considered unless the child doesn’t speak English. In that case, the child probably isn’t reading English either.

In the following article, it does say one activity would be to have children listen to a story and follow along which could be done as a group, but you still need to group the students according to their reading levels. How can a child become fluent in material he can’t even read?

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/reading_fluency.html

Janis

Grace,
I don’t know the “political” slant of the professor, but if I had to pair kids, I’d do it by my teaching intuition, choosing compatibility as my first and only criteria. As a Southerner, I’ve spent a lifetime trying to quit making choices, etc. by culture and race. I do know enough not to place a white racisit with a black racist as a pair, or a boy on the make with a girl who has been abused, etc. Decisions as to small group work must be made carefully with each individual in careful mind - I do not, nor will I use ethnicity, cultural background, etc. as a method - when the individual and her/his needs are carefully considered, it takes care of itself.
Now, and this is important - I have at least 20 years of successful experience working with 6th graders - many 6th graders with reading problems will not perform in front of their peers - and - in my career in behavior - I’ve come to see this as normal behavior. Thus, the children needing the most help will not benefit from a lesson plan involving them reading with a peer. Such a lesson could and often has resulted in children acting out so as to not have to perform. Do not forget, that after 7 years of reading problems, these children have been made fun of, punished, ridiculed, forgotten, etc.
If I were to have to do small group lessons in fluency - again, at all costs, it would be an activity everyne could do and enjoy. It probably would not involve much reading.
I hope my responses have been clear, I do care. I’m on major pain meds, trying PT to avoid back/neck surgery. Would welcome prayers. Ken Campbell

Ken,

I’m so sorry you are still having problems from your accident! I hope you get some relief soon! Praying for you…

Janis

Ken — you’re making more sense on pain meds than a lot of people do without. Get well soon.
Look for another post I plan to make about good news.

Just for an anecdote to support what you’re saying:
My daughter was a good and early reader — with a mother who does reading tutoring from the home, not exactly a surprise. She has been correcting many of her (unqualified and incompetent) teachers since she was in Grade 2, since she read better than many of them. When she was in Grade 7 (similar to the ages you are discussing), the state administered a set of tests that were designed according to the fads of the times to involve all sorts of group work. (Maryland, 1994 — the tests, I am glad to say, have since been replaced.) The kids were assigned randomly to a mixed group of students, generally total strangers because of the random mix. They were told to read and discuss something as a group and then to do some sort of written task as individuals. How this was graded, or what the grading was supposed to mean, I cannot fathom, but that was what was done. Anyway, the school was a pit with academic scores in the bottom of the barrel and a police car permanently at the front door. Of course Grace’s random group consisted of her and four near illiterates; I believe she told me four boys. She also told me that they didn’t do any work at all (surprise! Just as Ken predicts.) When I commented about this to a guidance person at the school, she waved away my concerns and said that the written response was individual and the low level of the group would not affect Grace’s score. If this had been true, one would wonder what was the point of the whole affair; but it was patently false. When the scores were reported, Grace got a failing grade in reading. Luckily I was quite secure about her abilities and luckily this score in middle school could be lost before college applications. But to be blunt, this kind of thing is a joke. It isn’t a learning experience and it isn’t a fair measure, and it is a waste of time that could be spent actually teaching something..

Consider yourself on MY ‘pray’n for” list, Ken…best to you!
Elizabeth (an unknown fan…)

My mind seems to tolerate pain medication fairly well - I’ve finished the spring “season” speaking in Chicago, working NYC, and then Pennsylvania. Next weekend I speak in Fort Myers and then I’m done for awhile. The Physical Therapy is intense, but is my only hope to avoid major surgery. All this from a concussion from the best wave (at the beach) I’ve ever seen. Thanks for the prayers. Ken

Hi Ken,
I hope you start to feel better soon. I’m sending good thoughts and prayers your way too! :-)

After reading the responses of others, I will give you a great lead! Check the Reading Teacher (Vol. 52, No. 4) on page 326. I actually know one of the authors and what is said WORKS!

When working on fluency, you don’t always give children “instructional level text.” When I worked with children struggling with fluency, I give them text in the “easy” range. That way they focus on expression, rate, accuracy, phrasing and fluidity - all aspects of fluency. They are not bogged down with other skills such as decoding.

You can give children of different reading levels the same material. Just give the below level child a chance of seeing the script ahead of time - maybe with you alone before hand. This way, when they come together, he already has read it with you several times (amount of reading depends on his needs).

Here are web sites with Reader’s theatre scripts:
www.vquest.com/rtheatre
www.readerstheatre.com
www.fictionteachers.com/classroomtheater
www.readers-theatre.com

Hope this helps!

„,That way they focus on expression, rate, accuracy, phrasing and fluidity - all aspects of fluency. They are not bogged down with other skills such as decoding.

I agree strongly - all the research agrees. But…..it is still difficult to get the really behind student to show their weakness to peers.

I’ve thought a lot about this thread and would like to see group fluency work in action - see it measured for progress - see what happens to the lowest students - see the levels of off-task behavior and what it requires to get them on task, etc.

Cannot type any more, wish I could. Ken