Week 7 Assignment 1: Fluency & Word Study Chart

View my fluency and word study chart here.

Every classroom should be equipped with a variety of leveled books that are easily accessible to the students. One way of doing so, is by arranging a class library where books of different genres are neatly organized so students know where and how to select books of their choice and level. A word wall with brightly decorated vocabulary words, which are always visible to the students, is a great way to reinforce and strengthen vocabulary words they learned. Also, reading from enlarged books where students can easily follow along while the teacher models fluent reading supports students’ development of fluent reading.

Prior to reading a book, the teacher selects any word/words she feels are too difficult for her students. Exposing her students to these words before they begin reading gives them an easier time since they are already familiar with the words. The teacher uses her judgement how much time is necessary to allocate for the word study lesson, depending on how many words she chooses. It usually doesn’t require that much time, since too many words at one time can confuse and frustrate the students.

In my classroom, my students are familiar with which procedures to perform when they come across an unfamiliar word. During independent reading, I encourage them to sing the helpful reader strategy song quietly to themselves to help them figure out the word they are having trouble reading. During shared, when we get across an unfamiliar word we sing the song loudly and together try to figure out which strategy is appropriate to use. During guided reading I check to see if my students are applying the strategies correctly and assess their ability to properly decode.

Differentiated instruction is the key to help every student produce maximum results. Therefore, for independent reading I give each student a book appropriate for her level. I walk around the classroom and offer assistance to those who are struggling. Students who have already mastered the new words and are reading fluently are given higher level books. Using a variety of engaging and exciting activities while teaching helps the students, especially the weaker ones, easily retain the information.