Fluency Matters in the News – Know you News



Flowing News from the Houston Chronicle

An integrated literacy unit for …

Reading, Speaking, Summarizing and Writing Headline Stories

OBJECTIVE:

The student will be able to…

• read fluently a news article selected from the Houston Chronicle

• paraphrase a news story using student’s selected vocabulary developed from the article, and

• compose a written summary of the article found in the Houston Chronicle on computer.

RESEARCH AND BACKGROUND

As students become independent readers, they move from reading in shorter phrases to longer fluent passages. This in turn creates deeper comprehension in text passages. Fluency in reading longer passages must be taught as an integral part of the curriculum with equal balance with phonetic instruction and comprehension.

In developing the fluency, a student must be able to enrich his/her vocabulary and therefore vocabulary development in oral language as well as written language is equally important. Research shows that newspapers have a median word number of 1690 words. Compare this to the average children’s book with a list of 627 words. The newspaper is an excellent source of information to use for instructional strategies in vocabulary and comprehension.

These lessons are used to develop the skills of an independent reader and to refine the skills they posses using The Houston Chronicle as a tool to build fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

Meeting the Need of All Learners

English as a Second Language – Find an article relating to each child’s culture or country. By doing this, students will have a larger interest base and will be able to use the schema to read proper nouns. Depending on the English language level, set words per minute to increase by 10 words during each attempt from the student’s first base reading.

Dyslexia – The “Parade” section is a good resource for these students. The print is larger and the words are spaced further apart. With a colored reading guide, they are able to follow along with the text and the larger columns for return sweeps make reading easier.

Special Education – It is recommended for these students to have the articles enlarged and for all students to have the same article. The teacher may change the words per minutes to a starting goal of 50 words and build to 100 words. Choral reading of the same article will also build confidence with this population of students.

Gifted and Talented – During the first day, students may cut out articles related to the same topic from different days in the Houston Chronicle. Headline news is a good resource for this. On day two, have students video-tape their own readings of the text and critique their news reading of the entire article. For enrichment of vocabulary on day three, have the students create concept maps of 2-3 vocabulary words. On days four and five, students may create a mini-page newspaper or web page using Microsoft Publisher. Choose students to be newspaper editors and categorize news stories and make selections of headline news. Tell why and justify selection. Then have other students become reporters that must set the type, photo, and headline in assigned areas.

TEKS

(5)  Listening/speaking/audiences. The student speaks clearly and appropriately to different audiences for different purposes and occasions. The student is expected to:

(B)  demonstrate effective communications skills that reflect demands such as interviewing, reporting, requesting, and providing information (4-8);

(D)  use effective rate, volume, pitch, and tone for the audience and setting (4-8); (6)  Reading/word identification. The student uses a variety of word identification strategies. The student is expected to:

(C)  locate the meanings, pronunciations, and derivations of unfamiliar words using dictionaries, glossaries, and other sources (4-8).

(7)  Reading/fluency. The student reads with fluency and understanding in texts at appropriate difficulty levels. The student is expected to:

(A)  read regularly in independent-level materials (texts in which no more than approximately 1 in 20 words is difficult for the reader) (5);

(B)  read regularly in instructional-level materials that are challenging but manageable (texts in which no more than approximately 1 in 10 words is difficult for the reader; a "typical" 5th grader reads approximately 100 wpm) (5);

(C)  demonstrate characteristics of fluent and effective reading (4-6);

(D)  adjust reading rate based on purposes for reading (4-8);

(E)  read aloud in selected texts in ways that both reflect understanding of the text and engage the listeners (4-8); and

(9)  Reading/vocabulary development. The student acquires an extensive vocabulary through reading and systematic word study. The student is expected to:

(A)  develop vocabulary by listening to selections read aloud (4-8);

(C)  use multiple reference aids, including a thesaurus, a synonym finder, a dictionary, and software, to clarify meanings and usage (4-8);

(10)  Reading/comprehension. The student comprehends selections using a variety of strategies. The student is expected to:

(A)  use his/her own knowledge and experience to comprehend (4-8)

(B)  establish and adjust purposes for reading such as reading to find out, to understand, to interpret, to enjoy, and to solve problems (4-8);

(F)  determine a text's main (or major) ideas and how those ideas are supported with details (4-8);

(G)  paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas (4-8); (15)  Writing/purposes. The student writes for a variety of audiences and purposes, and in a variety of forms. The student is expected to:

(C)  write to inform such as to explain, describe, report, and narrate (4-8);

(19)  Writing/writing processes. The student selects and uses writing processes for self-initiated and assigned writing. The student is expected to:

(F)  use available technology to support aspects of creating, revising, editing, and publishing texts (4-8);

(25)  Viewing/representing/production. The student produces visual images, messages, and meanings that communicate with others. The student is expected to:

(B)  produce communications using technology or appropriate media such as developing a class newspaper, multimedia reports, or video reports (4-8).

Materials:

Copies of Houston Chronicle from several days.

Reader’s Notebooks

Scissors

Tape

Stopwatches

Highlighters

Toy Microphones

Alpha Smarts

Spelling Aces

Classroom Computer “Blog”

Blank tapes

Tape recorders

[pic]

Lesson 1 Choose your News

Teach

Introduce students to the newspaper. Show students how the newspaper is organized and how a reader uses his or her schema to choose articles of interest. Model articles you have chosen to read and “think aloud” your own schema to students.

Guided Practice

Let students spend 15 minutes with reading partners looking at a copy of the Houston Chronicle. Let students spend time discussing articles and news they see. Have the students cut out two articles they are interested in using. Place the article in each reader’s notebook.

Independent Practice

Have students read the article through once more independently. In reader’s notebook, have students write schema connected to article. Use codes for text to self (T S), text to text (T T) and text to world (T W).

Share

With reading partners, share schema recorded in journals. Have partners interview each other…What made you choose this article? What did you learn from the news story?

[pic]

Lesson 2 Lights, Camera, Read

Teach

Review lesson from previous day. Schema is used to create interest in stories. These stories are what make the news and news reporters must read fluently when on the news camera. Ask students

• Who watches the news?

• What does a news reporters’ voice sound like?

• How do they read aloud?

• What is the pace and pitch of their voice?

Create a chart with student input of how to read fluently.

• Practice reading aloud slowly.

• Use short engaging text

• Read to a partner.

• Set a time and word goal.

Model for students how to read fluently the news story they chose from the Chronicle. Read the article to the class. Model how a typical student reads aloud in your class. Do not add in teacher expressions. Think aloud, “What can I do to make my speaking voice sound more like the news reporter?” Solicit responses from students. Have them refer back to the chart for guidance.

Guided Practice

Read the story aloud for one minute into the toy microphone. Mark the word where you stopped reading at the end of one minute with highlighter. Count the words. Set a goal of reading 100 words per minute. Then tell students this is what they are to do with their reading partners.

Independent Practice

With students sitting throughout the room with their reading partners, have each pair listen to one another using a T-chart.

Second, have the students time each reader for one minute. Practice strategies on the chart. Taking turns reading their article aloud.

Send students to an independent work area. Have the students reflect at the bottom of the worksheet. This is similar to a science experiment where you collect data and then form your conclusion.

• What strategies did you use to increase your fluency with the text?

• How will these strategies help you as a reader in the future?

Share

Choose students to model their fluent reading news stories one minute. Refer to chart to share positive models and strategies used.

[pic]

Listen to your reporter partner read the news story from the Houston Chronicle.

|I heard….. |I did not understand… |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

Words read in one minute

| |Goal |Actual |

|First Attempt | | |

|Second Attempt | | |

|Third Attempt | | |

|Fourth Attempt | | |

Strategies used to improve fluency….

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 3 - Be Strong with Your Words

Vocabulary Development

Teach

Sometimes when we read we can say a word but we truly do not know the meaning of the word. We can figure the word out sometimes from context clues in the text or using other resources. Good readers stop and learn new words from text that interest them and connect to their schema. This allows the reader to have ownership of the word. Newspapers allow students to gain printed word knowledge by over 1000 more words than the popular prime-time children’s show.

Using an Elmo, display the teacher’s newspaper article. Underline three words that have a high-level of difficulty in meaning. You may wish to refer to the T-chart from the previous day.

Guided Practice

On chart paper use Four-Square Vocabulary Map. Choose a word from article and using references complete the chart.

|Word |Picture example |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|Definition using own words |Picture of non-examples |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

Independent Practice

Have students create their own charts using their news article from the Chronicle with self-selected words.

Share

Have students share their own charts from the Reader’s Notebook on the Elmo.

REFERENCE MATERIALS FOR VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT:

• Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus

Interactive dictionary and thesaurus using a visual display for data navigation.

o

• Merriam-Webster Online

Merriam-Webster provides a free online dictionary, thesaurus, audio pronunciations, Word of the Day ... given to inventing creative new words because one's large vocabulary needs sustenance

o

• Spelling Aces

• Classroom Dictionary

• Classroom Thesaurus

Lesson 4 Send the Online News

Rewrite the news with main idea.

Teach

Sometimes reporters must take an original article and paraphrase it in order to fit into the space allotted on web news services or in newspapers. Show examples on the internet.

Model how to summarize an article into 50-75 words. Use words from the vocabulary development lesson from previous day. Create a list of main ideas.

Guided Practice

Have students tell partners key ideas and create a list in their Reader’s Notebook as a prewriting exercise.

Independent Practice

Students write a 50-75 word summary of their article using Alphasmarts. Monitor the students during this time and help them rewrite using the richest vocabulary in the summary.

Share

Download Alphasmarts into a word processing document as a class news blog.

Lesson 5

Say it for Radio News Broadcast

Teach

Radio is another way for news to reach the community. Many times radio announcers read news as it comes to them over the wire service. Announcers must be fluent and expressive in their message. Show video from Ronald Regan’s interview on his start into sports announcing.

Tell the students, “Today we are going to be radio announcers. You will receive your radio news at each group of four students. The news will be from the news summaries written yesterday and downloaded into your classroom blog. You will have one minute to read the news into the recorder. Then the next broadcaster will tape their news segment.” Refer to the Fluent Reader chart for tips on reading news fluently.

Model how to record the information with their introduction and news reading.

Guided Practice

Have students write their introductions for their news broadcast.

“Hello 5th grade students, this is Mrs. Brown reporting the local Houston News….”

Independent Practice

Students read news into recorders.

Share

Play tapes for class. Discuss positives heard in fluency.

Reflection

What did you learn about your reading? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rate yourself in the follow areas.

| |I am very strong using this |I am good at this strategy while I |I need improve this strategy in my |

| |strategy while reading. |am reading. |reading. |

|I can read fluently. | | | |

|I speak clearly when reading. | | | |

|I can use resources to learn | | | |

|definitions of words I do not know.| | | |

|I can summarize text after reading.| | | |

|I am able to make good schema | | | |

|connections and ask questions while| | | |

|reading. | | | |

What do you like best about reading from the Houston Chronicle?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bibliography:

Brand, Max and Gayle Brand, Practical Fluency: Classroom Perspectives, Grades K-6, Stenhouse Publishers, Portland, Maine 2006

Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis, Strategies that Work, Pembrooke Publishers, Markham, Onterio 2000.

Vaugn, Sharon and Sylvia Linan-Thompson, Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction: Grades K-3, ASCD Publications, Alexandria VA 2004

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download