Building Fluency

Fluency-  The ability to read with  speed, accuracy, and proper expression.
Building fluency is a main focus in my upper elementary classroom.  The majority of my students can say the words on the page, but reading the words with proper speed and expression takes practice.  Working on fluency carries over to other areas of reading, such as it helps to increase comprehension. As I tell my students..... to read is to understand, and if you don't understand/comprehend what you are 'saying', you aren't really reading. Building fluency is just one reading skill that is going to help them better comprehend.

We have all had kids in our classroom read aloud, whether it be whole class or in a small group, or even one on one.  As a teacher (and even as a student), we can easily recognize a child that struggles with fluency. It can typically be identified within the first few sentences of having them read aloud.  The same struggles we hear when they read aloud are most likely carrying over to their quiet independent reading.  Because of this, there needs to be some kind of activity within the classroom (or for homework) that focuses on building fluency.

 In talking to other teachers about what they do in regard to building fluency, I have come to the conclusion that many teachers assess fluency, they correct fluency, but they simply are not providing activities to build fluency. As always, time is a factor.  With that said, I wanted to share a little activity I do with my students.

I named this fluency building activity "Read It and Repeat It".  Yep, it's as simple as that!  Just practice and improve.  I don't have the kids read an entire book, but rather I assign them a Read It and Repeat It paragraph or short passage.  I actually take a suitable passage from a book, type it, and then give a copy to each student.  The passage is not long, most likely just a paragraph, but I make sure it's one that allows for expression.  It may have commas and other punctuation that kids would typically struggle with.  When I type the passage, I can fit 3-4 on a page, so that cuts down on copies. I know you could just have students read a short passage from a book they have, but for some reason, the kids get so excited about seeing what the passage is.  Having it on the small slip of paper doesn't seem so overwhelming. 

So, how does it work?  I have done the activity several ways.  I have made it a homework activity where I pass it out on Monday and they are required to practice reading it aloud each night. Then they come back and read it to the class on a Friday.  You don't even have to pick all kids to read aloud, as you can draw five names and just have those few read it aloud. I have also encouraged my students to make two recordings at home, and I even pass that suggestion on to the parents.  The students love to hear how much they improve, and when they do, they are amazed!!  You could even do this activity with just your weakest readers in the area of fluency.  You could easily pull them to the hallway and record them reading their passage.  They can practice reading it aloud to you each day in their reading group or even in the morning while all of the kids are arriving, and then record them again at the end of the week. You are sure to hear major improvements that will carry over to other reading activities.

I encourage you to give it a try!  Try it once. Do it weekly.  Add it as a bi-weekly activity.  However you do it, I feel sure you will have readers that love it and want to hear themselves improve in the area of fluency. 

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

Yes, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I am quickly getting into the Christmas spirit.  It's kind of hard not to when you see all the Christmas decorations in stores. I always like to give my co-workers or neighbors a little something for Christmas, so I made these whimsical tags to use on gifts for friends.  I thought I would share the tags with you.  Just click on the link below.  The file is a png image saved in a power point.  All you have to do is open it up and print the slide. Punch a hole in the corner and add a ribbon. Instant Christmas tag. :-) Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Turkey Toes Baggie Toppers

Your students will think these are the funniest thing.... turkey toes!!  I have made the baggie topper, so all you have to do is get the candy corn and print the turkey toes baggie topper and your are set.  If you are a room mom, this is an easy treat to take in for the kids. Teachers, your coworkers might also find this cute if you leave a baggie in their mailbox.  :-)  Just click the link below. Enjoy! Free Turkey Toes Baggie Toppers

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Free Printable Thanksgiving Bookmarks

Your students will love receiving one of these colorful Thanksgiving bookmarks.  Laminate the bookmarks for durability.  I love placing something like this on my students' desks where they find it when they arrive in the classroom. Another option is to meet them at the door one morning and pass them out as they come in.  It brings a smile to their face and makes them feel appreciated.   Click below for the free printable Thanksgiving bookmarks. FREE Thanksgiving Bookmarks

Hover over the image to pin on Pinterest.

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Free Fall Summarizing Activity

Fall Summarizing Activity

When we teach students to pull out the most important details from a text and organize those details in a meaningful way, we are teaching them to summarize.  According to a statistic I read on the West Virginia Department of Education website (taken from Marzano research), the skill of summarizing is one of the top ten most important skills taught in school.   I would say that means it's pretty important. :-)  With that said, it's not something we should just teach once and walk away from it never to return. It should be a skill we come back to time and time again. In order to do just that, I have made a fall summarizing activity sheet that can be used with any book or story.  It's a free activity and can be found in my Teachers pay Teachers store by clicking the link below.    Free Fall Summarizing Activity  

   

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.