The Fast and The Fluent

Rationale:

In order for students to become more independent readers, they must first work on
becoming fluent. Fluency is the ability to recognize words in text automatically and
correctly. The best reading techniques for building include decoding, cross-checking,
mental marking, and re-reading. By implementing these methods, students can be on
their way to reading with more expression, comprehension, and speed. This lesson has
been crafted to help your students achieve each of those things.

Materials: *Students should be divided into pairs and supplies should be passed
out before beginning the lesson*

 Class set of Smile and Say “Lettuce!”

 A stopwatch (one for each set of students)
 A calculator (one for each set of students)
 A sheet of copy paper (one for each set of students)
 Coverup Critter (one for each student)
 Fluency Checklist (one for each student: Teacher fill in the total number of words)
 Fluency Pacing Chart (one for each student)
 Example Sentence (written on the whiteboard)
 Calculator Symbols (multiplication, equal, and division symbol written on the
whiteboard)
 Assessing Questions (written on the anchor chart that is revealed after reading
the text)

Procedures:

1. Say: Today we are going to practice becoming The Fast and The Fluent. In
order to achieve that, we must use the reading skills we have been working
on: decoding, cross-checking, mental marking, and re-reading in order to
recognize and read words in our text with accuracy, expression, speed, and
comprehension.
 2. Say: Let’s all bring our attention to the sentence I have written on the board:
(Sea turtles can be very large). I will read the sentence to you two times. I
want you to listen closely, as I will ask you afterwards to identify which time
was read more fluently. 1. See-ah turtles can be very lar-guh-ee. Hm, that
didn’t make a lot of sense, let me crosscheck those tricky words. Based on
the context of the text, I can tell that when I read “Sea turtles can be very
large,” the sentence makes much more sense. Which time sounded more
fluent? Raise your hand if you think it was the first. Raise your hand if you
think it was the second. That’s right! The second time was more fluent
because I read with accuracy, expression, speed and comprehension.
3. Say: It is important as we continue to become more independent readers that
we always read to the end of the sentence. Usually, the context can help us
identify tricky words by choosing a word that makes the most sense in the
sentence it is being used in. This is called crosschecking! Even after we
crosscheck, we should re-read the sentence again to aid in creating sight
words and increasing fluency.
4. Say: Now we are going to put our fluency practice to the test by reading
Smile and Say “Lettuce! independently.” In this book, we will be introduced to
a spunky Sea Turtle named Gerry. Gerry lives at Sea Turtle Inc. in South
Padre, TX. In his tank, Gerry swims and enjoys his lettuce snacks until he is
greeted by his friends. In order to find out what kind of girls and boys have
visited him and other neat facts about Gerry, we will have to pay close
attention while we read.
5. Say: Now we will practice again but this time with our partner! One partner will
read the text aloud a total of three times, while the other times their partner
using a stopwatch and writes down and mistakes (tally for each mistake).
After each reading, the partner that is timing and recording mistakes will fill
out the fluency graph for their partner. Once all three readings are complete,
you will swap rolls with your partner. Once everyone has had an opportunity
to read through the text three times, we will work together as a group to
calculate our fluency!
6. Say: Using your calculators, I want you to press in each number (in order)
listed by “correct number” for the first reading score you recorded. (provide an
example) Then, press the little x (refer to the symbols on the board as
needed). Next, press 6 and then 0. Once that is done, press the symbol that
looks like this dot line dot (division symbol). Finally, type in the number of
seconds it took for the first reading. Press the equal (=) sign and you’ve got
your total of words read per minute. Repeat this step for all three readings.
(Teacher will walk around and assist when needed).

Assesment Activity:

7. Say: With your partner, I want you to answer the questions I have written on
the anchor chart up front. Work together to recall the information you
collected while reading. You may record your answer on the copy paper
provided. Once every pair is finished answering the questions, we will review
 answers and discuss the book further as a whole group. (discussion/answer
review will be catered to teacher’s individual preference.)

Items to Copy/Print/Write on Anchor Charts:

Fluency Pacing Chart:

0 - - - 10 - - - 20 - - - 30 - - - 40 - - - 50 - - - 60 - - - 70 - - - 80 - - - 90 - - - 100
Correct Words Per Minute

Fluency Checklist:

Reader: _______________  Recorder: _______________

Total # of words in chapter: ________

1st Reading: ______ correct words (total words minus mistakes) in _______ seconds
(______ WPM)

2nd Reading: ______ correct words (total words minus mistakes) in _______ seconds
(______ WPM)

3rd Reading: ______ correct words (total words minus mistakes) in _______ seconds
(______ WPM)

Which time sounded the smoothest? 1, 2, or 3? _________

Which time had the most errors? 1, 2, or 3? _________

Which time had the least errors? 1, 2, or 3? _________

Which time had the best expression? 1, 2, or 3? ______

Assessing Questions:

What is Gerry’s favorite snack?

How do Green Sea Turtles get their color?
What happened to the girl chewing bubblegum by Gerry’s tank?
 References:

Lesson Plan Reference:

Chase, M. C. (n.d.). Growing independence and fluency. Reading Lessons. Retrieved October
28, 2021, from https://mcc0087.wixsite.com/readinglessons/gorwing-indpendene-and-
fluency. 

Book Reference:
Jones, Sheryl. Smile and Say, “Lettuce!” Paloma Books, 2015.