Saturday, November 23, 2013

Fluency Tool FREEBIES and Chocolate Fever: A CCSS Middle Grades Novel Unit

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chocolate-Fever-A-CCSS-Middle-Grades-Novel-Unit-990749

I have been tutoring on Tuesday and Thursday nights in order to keep my teacher mind active and challenged.  My focus with this 3rd grade student has been fluency work: timed fluency passages, chunking text, Big Bubble Breath boxes, and a bit of comprehension work with novels.  A few of the gems I have found: 

  1. Bubble Breath Boxes to increase high frequency word fluency: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREEBIE-High-Frequency-Fluency-Intervention-Set-1-Fry-Words-1-25-Breath-Boxes-841363
  2. Leveled Fluency Passages for timed reads:  http://www.meade.k12.sd.us/Curriculum/3rd%20Grade%20Fluency%20Passages/ 
I utilized these leveled fluency passages with my 6th graders reading well-below grade level during 6-minute solution time.  It was perfect because everyone could work on fluency from on-level readers to students reading at the first grade level.  Check out this site.

The Bubble Boxes are a tool I just found.  While I bought the package of all 300 FRY words, you can sample the first 25 and practice with students needing repeated practice with high frequency words independently, with a partner, or in a center setting.  The idea is that the student takes s breath and has to read the whole box of words before running out of breath.  Cool tool for stamina!  My 2nd grade son loves the Bubble Boxes because it is a challenge-competition is something he loves.

Pictured below are some of my 6th graders from last year working on the novel unit for Chocolate Fever.  I have just taken some time to update this unit and make it aligned to CCSS.  If you are looking for a fun book and middle grade unit about a boy with a "chocolate problem" that leads him on quite an adventure for a cure, this is a fun tool for you.  A perfect book and unit to fit in between the Thanksgiving and Christmas break!




I would love to hear about the tools you utilize to improve fluency in your middle grade classrooms, as I am always looking for more items to use with my students.  If you leave a comment below and an e-mail, I will happily send you a free copy of the Chocolate Fever unit. 


3 Comments:

At Sunday, 08 December, 2013 , Blogger Andrea L. said...

I bought the breath boxes, too! My kids think they are a lot of fun. With older kids I usually do repeated readings on interesting passages, poems, and reader's theater scripts, as well as reading different ways to hear different phrasings and what sounds better.
andrea . m . lee84 @ gmail . com

 
At Wednesday, 11 December, 2013 , Blogger Erin Beers said...

Thanks for your comment and sharing your ideas. I sent you a copy of Chocolate Fever! I hope you are able to use it!

 
At Sunday, 29 December, 2013 , Blogger Shannon said...

We JUST started working on fluency in my 6th grade classroom the week before we got out for Christmas-need I say anymore? :)

I already have tons of passages that have a word count(not that it matters to me). I made a sheet that they use to record the words they missed and need to practice.

They partner read-so 1 student reads while another student listens and marks. Then they practice throughout the week. I have them sign up to practice together in the hallway right outside our room because IT WAS TOO LOUD DURING READING WORKSHOP. Lol!

I still need to really set up some kind of system-I don't want to take too much time away from their independent reading.

Any ideas???

Shannon
http://www.irunreadteach.wordpress.com

 

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