Pronunciation Class-Lesson 12

Speed and Fluency

1. Warm Up
Read the following tongue twisters aloud.

Betty Botter bought some butter

But she said the butter’s bitter
If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter
But a bit of better butter will make my batter better
So it was better Betty Botter bought a bit of better
butter

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper
picked?

She sells seashells on the seashore.

The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.
And if she sells seashells on the seashore,
Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
Pronunciation Class-Lesson 12

2. Discussion
Over the last several years, reading fluency has become synonymous
with speed. This connection between fluency and speed is likely an
unintended consequence of one-minute readings, which gained popularity in
the early 2000s.
When we only focus on reading speed, students become “word callers” or
“word barkers.” Obviously, it is NOT the goal of reading fluency instruction.
The ultimate goal of improving reading fluency is to improve reading
comprehension.
We will define reading fluency by incorporating all four of the components:

Accuracy Rate

Prosody Comprehension

Accuracy
The students must accurately identify most of the words in a text.
Comprehension is greatly affected when critical words or a large percent of
words are misread.
Rate
Rate includes two factors: automaticity and speed. Automaticity is
quick and effortless word identification, in or out of context. Speed also
relates to comprehension. It is common for students who read slowly to fail
to complete their word, lose interest in school, and rarely read for pleasure.
Pronunciation Class-Lesson 12

However, it is important to note that reading rate does not ensure

comprehension. We have all had students who read fast, yet they do not
understand what they read.
Prosody
Prosody is the rhythmic and tonal aspects of speech. It refers to a
reader’s ability to read smoothly with appropriate phrasing and expression.
Prosody includes variations in pitch, stress patterns and duration. Prosody
also encompasses phrasing or parsing text into appropriate segments.
Comprehension
Does the student understand what he just read? Could he provide an
accurate retelling or summary of the text?
Comprehension has been overlooked in fluency instruction as education has
focused on accuracy and rate. However, a comprehensive fluency program
must include comprehension instruction. Authentic reading does not occur in
one-minute bursts of cold and hot timings. While these timed readings serve
an important purpose, we must be careful to communicate to students that
understanding the text is the ultimate goal.

3. Activities 08-05-21

3.1 Reading Practice

Read aloud the passage below. Don’t forget to observe proper pausing,
phrasing and stressing, especially on the content words. Your teacher will ask
you questions regarding the content of the passage.

Unsinkable Ship
Naval architects never claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the
passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely should have never have
happened. It was well designed and carefully maintained. It carried the proper
number of lifeboats. It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its fatal voyage.
Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went
down so quickly that most of those on board, caught in their dark, flooding
cabins, had no chance to save themselves: Of those who managed to scramble
overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of hypothermia before the rescuers
could pluck them from the cold sea. The final death toll amounted to 912 souls.
However, there were an unpleasant number of questions about why the Estonia
sank and why so many survivors were men in the prime of life, while most of the
dead were women, children and the elderly.
Pronunciation Class-Lesson 12

3.1 Reading Comprehension

Answer the following questions about the passage “Unsinkable Ship”. Let your
teacher check your answers.

a. Who are most likely the survivor of the accident?

b. How many people the ferry Estonia had before it sank?
c. What was the weather like when the accident happened?
d. How many people died?
e. What was the cause of their death?

4. Homework
Practice more using the material below and record your voice while reading the
passage. Present your recorded reading to your teacher the next day and state a
summary of the story without opening the passage.

A Little Rainbow of Her Own

Vegetables come in a large variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. My neighbor,
Vi, owns a vegetable farm. The farm belonged to her parents until they
became too old to work on it. Vi started farming when she was seven. She
didn't know how much she loved her vegetable farm until she tried something
else.

For a few years, she saved her money to become a vet. She liked animals and
thought she would enjoy helping them. She volunteered at a veterinary clinic.
During her visit, she observed mostly nice animals, but some were very mean.

After this experience she was convinced that she wasn't brave enough to work
as a veterinarian. Besides, she liked the privacy she had while working on the
farm. Having and working on her own land gave her a strong sense of
satisfaction. She believed that she was part of her environment and that was
her driving force to grow the freshest vegetables in the valley.

Vi was positive that her vegetable farm was her own piece of heaven. She
loved what she did and that was enough for her.
Pronunciation Class-Lesson 12

4.1 Comprehension Check

Answer the following questions about the passage “A Little Rainbow of Her
Own”. Let your teacher check your answers.

a. When did Vi acquire the ownership of the farm?

b. What was Vi’s profession?
c. What made her decide to go back to farming?
d. How did working at the farm affect her?