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Catching on to Fluency With Kitten’s First Full Moon

Growing Independence and Fluency

Jenna Wilson

Rationale: Students become fluent readers by recognizing words instantly and automatically, which enables them to read faster, smoother, and with more expression. Fluent readers are able to receive the message of a text by improving their reading comprehension. This lesson was designed to build reading fluency through silent, repeated, and timed readings with the teacher and peers. During the lesson, students will use cover-up critters throughout their repeated readings of Kitten’s First Full Moon. This lesson strives to instill in each child the enjoyment of reading and eradicate the frustrations students may encounter when they read.

 

Materials:

  • Cover-up Critter (1 for each student and teacher)

  • Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (1 Copy for each student and teacher)

  • Document Camera

  • Smart Board

  • The word shell typed on a piece of paper- Attached

  • The sentence, She closed her eyes and stretched her neck and opened her mouth and licked. typed on a piece of paper-Attached

  • Stopwatch (1 for teacher)

  • Clipboard

  • Paper

  • Pencils (1 for each student and teacher)

  • Partner reading sheet (1 for each student)- Attached

  • Time sheet (1 for each student)- Attached

  • WPM Visual Graph (1 for each student)- Attached

 

 

 

 

 

Procedures:

1. Say: Today we are going to learn how to become more fluent readers. We want to become fantastic and fluent readers by reading at a good pace, smoothly, and with expression. Fluent readers are able to enjoy and understand what they are reading. All it takes is some practice to become fluent readers. Today that is what we are going to do! Is everyone ready?

2.Say: Sometimes readers get stuck on some tricky words when they read. Remember that it is okay to get stuck on a tricky word. Even Miss Wilson has been a fluent reader for a long time but sometimes gets stuck on these difficult words. I want to show you a tool you can use to help you when you get stuck on a tough word. Here is a cover up critter. This critter will help me decode an unfamiliar word. Let me show you how I would use my cover up critter with this word on the SmartBoard. [Use document camera to project the word shell on the SmartBoard.] I want to cover up all of the letters except for e. I know the letter e says /e/, so now I can uncover the sh and I have she. Then, I will uncover the ll and now I have the word shell. Now that I used my cover up critter, I should be able to decode this word automatically.

3. Say: Our goal is to become fluent readers [Project the sentence “She closed her eyes and stretched her neck and opened her mouth and licked.” onto the SmartBoard.] Now I am going to read the sentence on the SmartBoard. See if I sound like a fluent reader. Sh-/E//E/, She c-lll-/o//o/-sss-eeeddd h-errr, her eyes and sss-ttt-rrr-/e//e/-tch-ed, stretched her nnn-eee-ck and /O//O//O/-ppp-eee-nnn-eeeddd, opened her mmm-ou- th and lll-/I//I//I/-ccckkk-eeedd, liked. So she clossed her eyes and stretched her neck and opened her mouth and liked.

4. Say: I had some trouble with that sentence and I am not sure if it makes much sense. I am going to use my cover up critter to decode these difficult words to see if it can make a little more sense, She c-l-/O/-s-ed her eye-s and s-t-r-/e/-tch-ed her n-e-ck  and /O/-p-en-ed her m-ou-th. When I break the word into smaller parts it helped make the sentence smoother and fluent. Let me try the sentence again. She closed her eyes and stretched her neck and opened her mouth and licked. When I use my cover up critter to help me with the sentence, I am going to go back and reread the sentence so I can mental mark the passage. “She closed her eyes and stretched her neck and opened her mouth and licked.” That time I was able to read it must faster, fluently, and with expression. Do not forget to go back and reread the sentence!

5. Say: Now it’s your turn to practice! Today we are going to be reading Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes. This book is about a kitten who sees a bowl of milk in the sky, which is actually the moon. She tried stretching her neck, springing in the air, running through a field, climbing a tree, and much more to catch the bowl of milk. Every time she tried something went wrong. Do you think kitten will ever get her bowl of milk? We will have to read the book to find out if kitten will get her bowl of milk.

6. [Distribute Kitten’s First Full Moon to each student.] Say: We are first going to read the book the silently to ourselves. I would like you to try and not make any noise when you read! I will be walking around the room to see who my quietest readers are.  [Walk around the room with a clipboard and marks whether students are:

                                                      ____Voicing

                                                      ____Whispering

                                                      ____Moving their lips

                                                      ____Reading silently in their head

 

                          

7. Say: Everyone I am going to pair each of you up with a partner. Each of you will get a partner reading sheet [Distribute partner reading sheets.] We are measuring our fluency skills by reading the book three times to our partner. We are listening to our partner read the first time. The second and third time your partner reads you are filling out a partner reading sheet. Make sure to notice if your partner is remembering words, reading faster, reading smoother, and reading with expression. You will turn the partner reading sheet into me once everyone is finished. You may begin! [Walk around the classroom to assist students when necessary]

8. Say: Everyone return back to your seats. I will now pick up your partner reading sheets. [Pick up partner reading sheets.]

9. Say: I would like each of you to take out a sheet of paper and write a short summary of the book we just read. While we write silently, I will be calling each of you back to my desk to read. [Call students up to desk to read Kitten’s First Full Moon; Time the students while they read and calculate:

                                                  WPM= Words x 60

                                                                    Seconds

Ask a few comprehension questions; Have visual graphs to track WPM ready; Allow students to mark their WPM on their visual graph.]

            Questions:

                     1. What happens to kitten each time he tries to reach for the moon?

                     2. What scares the Kitten?

                     3. What was waiting for kitten at the end of the story?

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Reference:

Bruce Murray:

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/fluency.html

Caroline Hall, Flashlight Fluency.

http://ceh0057.wixsite.com/misshallswebsite/blank-vug9c

 Leah Solomon, Hot for Fluency.

https://www.auburn.edu/~las0045/solomongf.htm

Book:

Henkes, Kevin, Kitten’s First Full Moon, Greenwillow Books, 2004, 40.

Click Below for Lesson Attachments
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