Growing Powerful Readers with Pumpkins
Growing Independence and Fluency Design
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Rationale: This lesson is designed to help students read longer more developed texts. To read fluent is to comprehend the words but being able to read fast and smoothly. The students need to be able to decode the words in text in order to be fluent. In this lesson, students will practice fluency by learning tips and reading then rereading the book The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. They will read silently then be with a partner so they can learn together. If they come across a word that is unfamiliar, crosschecking will be used to figure out the word.
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Materials:
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The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
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Stopwatch to keep time
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Pencils
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White Board
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Dry Erase Markers
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Cover-up critter
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Reading Rate chart
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Comprehension Questions
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Fluency Checklist
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Worksheet for #7-9 is attached at bottom
Procedures:
1. Say: We are going to work on becoming fluent readers together! What does that mean to you, in your own words? It means someone who can read a book quickly and smoothly because they know what the meaning and sounds of the words. This helps us comprehend what the words mean! If we are fluent readers, we can pick up and be able to read books! Wouldn’t that be cool!
2. Say: I have written a sentence on the board that reads, “Pumpkins will be carved!” If I read it to you, tell me if I sound like a fluent reader who reads it quickly and smoothly. Here I go. “P-p-u-u-m-m-p-p-k-k-i-i-n-n-s-s, pumpkins will be caved. Pumpkins will be caved. Pumpkins won’t go in a cave! Let me try again with my cover-up critter. C-a-r-v-e-d, oh carved like cutting! Pumpkins will be carved. I messed up on the last word carved but I understood it didn’t sound right. I reread the sentence to help myself. Then I got the word right. What I did there was crosschecking which is essential for us to be fluent readers! I would have no problems if I was a fluent reader. I would read “Pumpkins will be carved.” That was super easy because I have had practice and lots of it! Now I want you to try and then turn to your partner and discuss it. Look on the board where the sentence says, “I can’t wait to eat candy!” I want this sentence to be effortless when you look at it so practice a little right now.
3. Say: Remember when I read the first sentence and missed the word carved? I went back and reread the sentence until I read it correctly. I said caved at first but when I checked back caved wouldn’t make sense. The crosschecking is essential to be fluent readers so we can understand what the word means and when we get tripped up on the word.
4. Say: It is time for you to read silently! I will pass out a book called The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll. We will use this book to get closer to being fluent readers! The book is about Desmond and Clayton are mice who feed and help the pumpkin grow but they do it at different times of day! They don’t know the other mouse exists. They finally find out they are both raising the same pumpkin. What happens to them and their pumpkin? Let’s read it to find out!
5. Say: After you have read silently, find a partner and read the book out loud to them!
6. Say: I will pass out a worksheet and a stopwatch to you all. You and your partner will each read the first 4 pages of the book 3 times out loud to each other. I want you to time each other and calculate how many words per minute you read. On the chart record how, your partner does each time. After each time you have read 4 pages switch duties. I want you to listen clearly to your partner so you can assess them appropriately. Follow the directions on the worksheet, which you will turn into me. You can’t be distracted so you can focus on how smoothly and quickly they read.
Assessment worksheet for #7-9: Found here.
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Book: Kroll, Steven. The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. Cartwheel Books; Illustrated Edition.
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Reference: Amy Maynard, Growing Independence and Fluency Design https://amm0115.wixsite.com/readinglessondesign/growing-independence-and-fluency-de
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