аЯрЁБс>ўџ >@ўџџџ=џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅСq` №П /bjbjqPqP 8>::№&џџџџџџЄŠŠŠŠŠŠŠ`єиии8,TgьTTjjjEEEцшшшшшш$ShЛj ŠtEEtt ŠŠjjл!кккtŠjŠjцкtцккŠŠкjH `ДZД Чи„кц70gк% *%к%Šк E>ƒ,кЏ$гЁEEE  ЪEEEgttttTTT„иTTTиžtJ\ŠŠŠŠŠŠџџџџ  Fluency, Imitation, Balanced Instruction Amy Gregory RE 5100 Fall 2006—Final Part 1: Fluency in Reading Power…potential…progress. These are three words that come to my mind when I think of a student picking up a book to read. However, if a student is a struggling reader, these three words may never become an actuality. Reading is made up of multiple processes which occur simultaneously and often voluntarily unless the reader is struggling. If any one of these components or processes is missing, the reader may lose meaning in the text, or give up on reading all together. The challenge for teachers is to identify and compensate for any missing component in a struggling reader. Teachers spend much time focusing on vocabulary, phonics, decoding and comprehension, but often overlook fluency. Fluency is just as important to reading as vocabulary and decoding skills. What is fluency? Fluency is a student’s ability to correctly read words in a smooth and reasonably fast manner. The speed of words read correctly increases as age and reading experience increase. Typical rates of fluency range from 90 words per minute in second grade, to 110 words per minute in fourth grade to 140 words per minute in sixth grade and above. Fluent readers are able to automatically recognize and connect words while reading. Fluency is important because it is the liaison between decoding words and comprehending words. Students who have a low fluency rate spend more time sounding out and decoding words and less time on understanding meaning. If a student struggles to sound out each word in a text, he or she will forget the topic and main ideas by the end of the passage. More fluent readers do not spend time decoding words, rather, they spend time connecting ideas within the text and their prior experiences. Without fluency, students will not gain meaning, or much connection from text. Just like weekly vocabulary drills or phonics lessons, fluency deserves its space in each classroom’s reading plan. A variety of activities increase fluency and most are relatively easy to incorporate into daily/weekly instruction. One such activity is Reader’s Theatre. This activity encourages the readers or actors to practice a specific text and then read it aloud to a group. The repeated practice and eventual performance of a familiar text increases fluency and therefore increases comprehension. Reader’s Theatre can be used to accompany almost any subject matter, and students can even write the script for the performance themselves. This activity is a sure-fire way to get students involved in increasing fluency. Another fluency activity is timed repeated readings. This entails choosing a grade-level appropriate text and timing a student reading it. The rate of fluency is calculated by subtracting the misread words from the amount of words read in one minute. Results are charted, and students continue to practice and reread the same passage until the desired fluency rate is reached. Then, another passage slightly more difficult is selected and the same method applies. Using this activity will improve fluency on the specific passage of text and the skill will generalize to other passages of reading. In closing, teachers must remember that fluency is a crucial part of reading, because it is so closely linked to comprehending text. Fluency is a skill that must be practiced just like phonics and vocabulary. It should be included in the focus of the curriculum of any classroom, and can easily be facilitated through Reader’s Theatre and repeated readings. When students begin to read fluently, power, potential, and progress become a reality in reading. Part 2: Imitation in Writing and Telling It has often been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. While this may be true, imitation also serves as a great teacher! Almost all great authors acknowledge other great authors who influenced their writing. I believe that encouraging students to imitate great writing will help them become great writers. Imitation or borrowing ideas in writing tends to occur naturally in the phases of becoming a writer. Many kids when first learning to write use writing to retell or summarize their favorite stories. Later, students may use characters, plot ideas and even writing styles from favorite authors to create a piece of writing. Teachers should encourage and direct this behavior to increase student writing skill and ability. Students learn most skills by studying and imitating an example, and writing should be the same. In the classroom, imitation can be used to teach the specific parts and styles of story writing. For example, in my fourth grade class I am using imitation to teach story beginnings. I selected several books that begin with exciting first lines or first chapters. The students are now reading these beginnings, and developing a category plan: starts with an exclamation, starts with a quote, starts with action, starts with a sound effect, starts with a definition, starts with description. After viewing lots of effective beginnings, I will lead the students imitate these beginnings in their own writing. By imitating the story beginnings of other authors, my students will learn what does and does not work for a beginning. Imitation is a simple and effective way to teach the concept of story beginning. Literary imitation is also an effective teacher, because it lends itself to student success. Writing is a difficult skill to master, but when students can use the framework or ideas of another author, it becomes much easier. Students do not sit in panicked silence racking their brains for ideas when they can imitate an author, idea, or style of writing. Imitation can be used multiple ways in the classroom. As I mentioned earlier, it is an effective teacher of the elements of a story (beginnings, description, main events, and endings.) In addition to that, imitation can be used to teach voice or style in writing. Students should read pieces of writing that use literary elements and then imitate these elements. Borrowing in writing can also be used to nurture creativity in further writing. Students can borrow a character from one story and use the character’s mannerisms to write their own character, or write an original plot using the borrowed character. Teachers should facilitate activities that allow and encourage imitation in writing. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and an effective method for teaching writing. Part 3: A Balanced Approach Balanced reading instruction seems to be an elusive but necessary concept. Reading instruction follows the current educational trends and the current trends swing on a pendulum from extreme phonics to extreme literature based instruction. However, a balanced reading plan includes proportional amounts of each type of instruction. In a balanced reading approach, teachers use both phonics and literature to teach decoding, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. In the balanced approach, phonics should play the role of teaching decoding and fluency. It should be the initial lesson, on which a foundation of literature can be built. Phonics will play a major role in teaching reading early on, but will drop into a secondary role during the upper grades. In a balanced approach to reading instruction, phonics should be taught in a skill oriented mini-lesson. After the mini-lesson is taught, literature can be used to back up and practice the phonics skill. Literature should be used to teach comprehension and vocabulary. After students grasp a phonics skill, they need to practice it. What better way to practice reading, than to actually read. Students should not only read decodable/phonics lesson books, but also real world authentic literature. The literature should be used daily to allow students the chance to encounter patterns of words they are learning in phonics and to practice fluency. Literature is also the best teacher of comprehension and vocabulary, because phonics skill books usually do not have complicated plots for students to predict, infer, and connect. Students will not pick up much comprehension or valuable vocabulary without the use of literature. I mentioned earlier, that phonics plays a major role in teaching reading early on, but it still has a space in upper grades. Students should be continually reminded of the patterns and irregularities in our language. As upper grades students encounter difficult words in literature, they should be taught to decode them using the phonics patterns they learned early on. In a balanced approach to reading, both phonics and literature should be interrelated and connected in such a way, that each component relies on the other to teach a lesson or provide practice for a skill. With this in mind, literature must be selected carefully to meet the needs of the classroom. I believe that all classrooms should have a large variety of books available to the students. I think teachers should cautious about limiting what type reading material is accessible to students. If comic books get students to read, teachers should have them on hand, and pull phonics lessons from them. If students are interested in fantasy books, those should be used to teach phonics and comprehension. I feel that whatever material gets students to pick up a book must be encouraged in the classroom, even if its instructional value isn’t obvious. Classrooms should be stocked with all kinds of print on all kinds of levels. Students should be directed to the material that will meet their reading needs in terms of skill/frustration level and interests. A balanced approach to reading can only occur with much planning on the teacher’s part. The teacher must blend both phonics and literature so that the components compliment and complete each other. Students in a balanced reading program are likely to succeed and develop a love for reading.      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