Helping Readers Build Fluency and Vocabulary-Chapter 6 Mod 4

As we read Chapter 6 Helping Readers Build Fluency and Vocabulary, I am thinking of ways to apply these ideas and concepts to the struggling readers in the high school setting.  I was pleased to see that my own ideas are supported by research.  Rasinski (2003) stated “teaching reading fluency should include modeling good oral reading, providing oral support for readers, offering plenty of practice, and encouraging fluency through phrasing” (p. 162).  As a reading intervention specialist, I believe that the opportunity to read, with available support, is vital to developing reading fluency and comprehension.  I really loved the strategy of having students create a Four-Way Response Chart for reading similar to the Frayer Vocabulary model found on page 165.  The idea of having students: 1. Recall an important quote (conscious of important theme or lesson)  2. Draw a picture of an important character or scene (interpretation of text)  3. Write or draw what the text made them think of (relate to their own lives) and 4. What they liked about the text (personal opinion) is a way to gauge fluency and comprehension, as well as foster an engagement or connection to the text.  I was also thrilled to watch the videocast resource The Word Wise and Content Rich as it offered confirmation that my “talking through the text” is a valid best practice that is effective to enhancing both fluency and vocabulary for my students.  I have used this to assist students in transferring the skills of pleasure reading to academic reading.  My reading class will begin a literature based reading in the next few weeks and I am pleased to know that this strategy will help build the skills necessary to be successful in their literature classes.  This chapter also reiterated the strategies we learned in the Emergent Reader chapter as ways to support student learning in all content areas.

Since my inquiry project is focused on student motivation in the methodology of teaching reading, these chapters offer valuable research-based methods to apply in my classroom.  I feel that one reason students are reluctant readers is because they are not fluent readers and many of these strategies will benefit both my research and my classes. One of the keys for sustained reading in Chapter 6 is allowing choice rather than assigned reading.  This is one of my strategies in my reading classes for 9^th graders and it will be interesting to see how this strategy works versus the required reading in their literature classes.  Once we integrate academic reading into our class reading/discussion activities I hope to see an improvement in the reading fluency and comprehension that will assist the students in their literature classes.  I will keep you all posted on the progress!