Say: Today we are going to learn how to become expert readers by working on our fluency. When we read fluently, we recognize words automatically which helps us to understand the story better because we do not have to stop and sound out each word. We will also be able to read faster, smoother, and with more expression. This will make reading a lot more fun!

Say: Now lets practice becoming fluent readers by reading a sentence together. Let’s look at this sentence that I wrote on the white board: “I like to swim.” Listen to the way that I read it to you, I-I l-l-i-i-k-k-e-e t-t-o-o s-s-w-w-i-i-m-m. That was very hard to understand let me try to read it again but this time I’ll try read it a little faster and a little more fluently. (read sentence). Reply, that seemed a little bit easier to read but I still did not get the full message of the sentence. Let me try and read it one more time and this time I will read it quicker, smoother, and much more fluently. Oh, now I see! I like to swim! Now that makes sense! See how after I read it a few times I was able to fully understand the sentence. Ask students: “Which reading was the easiest for you to understand?” (Wait for response). “Which was the hardest to understand?” (Wait for response). Explain to students: The first time I read the sentence I read it without fluency, so it was hard to understand and comprehend the message that I was reading. However, after I re-read the sentence a few times, I was able to read the words automatically and fluently. This made it easier to understand and comprehend that I like to swim. Therefore, it is important to become fluent readers.

Say: Lets go over some techniques that we have learn to help us when we get stuck. When I got stuck on a word in the sample sentence, I re-read the sentence to see if I could find the word that would best make sense. This is called crosschecking. We can also use our cover-up critter to figure out the word we are struggling on. Let’s go over how to use our cover-up critter. (Write the word dog on the board). “I am going to pretend that I do not know how to say this word, and I am going to use my cover-up critter to help me figure it out.” First, I will begin with the vowel and cover up the other letters in the word. The vowel is /o/. Now look at the letters before the vowel which is /d/. Put the /o/ and /d/ together to /do/. Now we look at the letters after the vowel which is /g/. We put both parts together and get d-o-g. We can also use our cover-up critters on harder words. If the cover-up critter doesn’t help us, then our crosschecking method can us figure out the word. 

The next step is to pass out a book to each pair of students. Say: Alright students, now we are going to practice being fluent readers by reading If You Give A Dog A Donut! A snack of donuts inspires this dog to go outside and pick apples. This reminds him of playing basketball. Let’s find out where else the donuts take the dog! 

Hand out a timer, fluency checklist, pencil, and a reading time sheet to each pair. Say: We practice repeated reading because they help us gain experience on fluent reading. The more we read, the closer we come to being expert readers. I am going to read the beginning of the book aloud to you, and I want you to follow along in your book. I am going to read with as much fluency as I can, so I was you to pay attention as I read. Read the first three pages aloud with expression and smoothness so students understand when they practice themselves. 

Say: In this activity, reader one will start, and reader two will be in charge of the timer. Reader one will read the first two pages of the story and reader two will time you. Remember, this is not a race! This activity is to help you get one step closer to becoming experts and work on your fluency. Make sure to take your time and work on reading smoothly. After reader one is done reading, the partners will switch roles of reading and recording. As you are listening to your partner read the pages out loud, I want you to be listening for how their reading changes over time, and ask yourself these questions as you observe – do they remember more words? Do they read with more expression? I want you to mark the changes you observe on your recording sheet.  

When the students finish with their partner work, get them to come up to your desk one at a time and read the first to pages of the book to you. Have them bring their fluency checklist with them so that it can be attached to their assessment sheet. As they read to you, time them one the paragraph read aloud and use the formula given to record how many words per minute they read. Then ask them the comprehension questions.