“Building the Bridge to Comprehension” For further information contact…

Gitona Rogers & Cheryl Vermilye Lake Country Elementary 516 CR 29 Lake Placid, FL 33852 863-699-5050 [email protected] [email protected]

2006 - 2007 Idea Catalog of Excellence

n PROGR AM OVERVIEW Scaffolding Fluency-Building the Bridge to Comprehension is a language Arts project used for teaching both Science and Social Studies content as well. We designed this program with the understanding that the reading process must be automatic and only comes from repeated opportunities to practice sight words; high frequency word phrases and text pages. Keeping children engaged and on-task during this practice means that these opportunities for repeated practice must be engaging and motivating. The developing of Scaffolding FluencyBuilding the Bridge to Comprehension has provided critically needed techniques for improving automaticity and fluency. Scaffolding Fluency-Building the Bridge to Comprehension engages students in activities that provide for repeated exposure and multiple opportunities to practice oral reading fluency. It is essential to recognize and capitalize on students’ varying background knowledge, readiness levels, language abilities, and learning styles in order to get maximum growth and on-task behaviors. Eighty five percent of our struggling readers tend to be a combination of auditory and kinesthetic learners that need to interact with the text in a variety of ways. Scaffolding Fluency-Building the Bridge to Comprehension provides classroom teachers with proven strategies that will integrate both auditory and kinesthetic activities into their classrooms to teach all students with incredible results, if used consistently.

This program is based on activities from two different classrooms, a third grade classroom of 21 students and a second grade classroom of 19 students, each with various levels of abilities and language backgrounds. Variations of all of the activities are used in both classrooms. The variables being levels of text and the amount of time each strategy is used, all dependent of the levels and needs of the students. Scaffolding Fluency Building the Bridge to Comprchension is a program that is designed to be both interactive and based on multiple learning styles. It can be easily adapted for content and age diversity.

n OVER ALL VALUE Results from Scaffolding FluencyBuilding the Bridge to Comprehension have been extraordinary. The 38 students that were the focus group for this program were all significantly below grade level in the fall. The growth of these students has surpassed many of their higher performing peers in words read per minute. Scaffolding Fluency-Building the Bridge to Comprehension is designed to be both interactive and based on multiple learning styles. It can be easily adapted for content and age diversity. We have designed Scaffolding Fluency-Building the Bridgc to Comprehension to be a way to make repetitive practice fun and enjoyable. Students are eager and willing to participate while making huge fluency gains. An added benefit is that, while is our goal, comprehension increased because of the additional attention to character, mood, and text structure.

n LESSON PLAN TITLES • Building Fluency by Using Poetry • Fluency Fun • Literacy-Phonics Comprehension

n MATERIALS Materials for each lesson are listed with each lesson plan. Overall materials budget including pricing and vendors follows the lesson plans.

n ABOUT THE DEVELOPERS Gitona Rogers graduated from Warner Southern College with a B.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Ed. This past year she earned her National Board Certification as an Early Generalist. Gitona has just completed her thirteenth year at Lake Country Elementary in the third grade. She has been the recipient of three grants from the Teacher to Teacher Connection. Cheryl Vermilye graduated from Warner Southern College with B.A. in Public Administration. She has taught at Lake Country Elementary one year and was a paraprofessional for two years prior to teaching second grade. This is her first grant from the Teacher to Teacher Connection.

HHH

“Building the Bridge to Comprehension”

Gitona Rogers/Cheryl Vermilye

Lesson Plan No 1: Building Fluency by Using Poetry n SUBJECTS COVERED

n DIRECTIONS

Reading Fluency, Comprehension, Science, and Social Studies

Monday: All students receive four new poems to place into their individual poetry folders. Teacher reads through the poems, modeling good reading fluency and prosody appropriate for each poem. Unfamiliar words and phrases are discussed and explained in order for the students to experience success in reading the poems with a partner. Each afternoon student will take their poetry folder home in order to read the new poems to someone at home for homework. Students are required to collect signatures from their home audience. (This becomes somewhat of a competition between students to see who can collect the most signatures). An added benefit is that the audience becomes more fluent as well!

n GR ADES Kindergarten/High Schools

n OBJECTIVES The students will practice reading poems with prosody as a large group, with a partner in a small group, for home work, and perforrn as a readers’ theater in large group during the week in order to strengthen their reading fluency and comprehension.

n SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS (LA.A.1.2.2.a) The student participates in guided reading lessons that provide modeling and practice for effective reading strategies. (LA.A.1.2.3.b) When questioned, explains the meaning of appropriate vocabulary when reading aloud, such as in guided reading.

Tuesday-Thursday: All students will read their poems during the reading block in a variety of ways. • Large Group - teacher leads whole group in reading the poems to model cadence, reading verses, reading choruses. • With a Buddy - students choose a fluency Person face and practice reading the poem in different voices with different inflections. • In Small Group - Students divide the poem into parts and practice reading in verses or in chorus.

n MATERIALS • File Folders • A variety of poetry passages at appropriate levels • Copy of Fluency Person faces

Friday: Students have practiced the poems during the week and are ready to perform the poems in a readers’ theater or coffee house atmosphere. Everyone gets to celebrate by chooosing one of the four poems to either read or recite for the class. They may use props from home or the classroom resources. Even the most reluctant readers feel comfortable being on

stage or standing by their chair. Friday video taping has become a favorite besides being a wonderful portfolio piece to share with parents and to mark achievement!

n EVALUATION/ ASSESSMENT

Students record fluency rate at the beginning of the week and again on Friday to measure words per minute. Teacher observes oral reading fluency and prosody. Video clip is added to portfolio.

n ADDL INFORMATION Skills The students increase their background knowledge in a variety of subjects as well as build their vocabulary. They learn to recognize word patterns and rhyme.

Extension • Have the students keep a list of rhyming words on the back of each poem. • Have them circle the word families with different colors. • They can be instructed to add new vocabulary words to their personal dictionary or thesaurus. • Students also enjoy performing their poems for the daily broadcast and for younger classes. • For a writing extension, have students illustrate, rewrite, or add to a favorite poem.

2006 - 2007 Idea Catalog of Excellence

HHH

“Building the Bridge to Comprehension”

Gitona Rogers/Cheryl Vermilye

Lesson Plan No 2: Fluency Fun n SUBJECTS COVERED

n DIRECTIONS

Reading

Time Required to Complete Lesson 15 – 20 minutes for 3-5 days a week.

n GR ADES Two

Procedures Hook (Focus for lesson or objective)

n OBJECTIVES Building oral reading fluency and comprehension



Students will get out fluency folder and review graph. APK (Access Prior Knowledge) -

n SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS Standard 1

We will discuss what fluent reading looks like and sounds like and address why it is helpful. Steps and Activities Used –



The student uses the reading process effectively.



(LA.A.1.1)

ESE/ESOL Accommodations



These students will have buddy and listening opportunities.

n MATERIALS

Teacher Input – I will model fluent reading and non-fluent reading and let the students vote on which is better. Guided Practice – Students will practice in pairs at their seats what fluent reading sounds like and looks like.

• A-Z leveled reading passages • Timer • Fluency folder • Red crayon

n EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT Students will self monitor with buddy and coach as needed. Students will then apply progressing fluency skill to reading passage and improve each time building confidence!

n EXT. ACTIVITIES Hand up Pair up to music, Point for Your Partner Reading, Readers Theater

n ADDL INFORMATION Notes regarding implementation of lesson: This activity is leveled by letter and color. The pairs will have different colors and be paired to their ability. This will change from time to time. I keep different colors so they never know which is which. This is excellent for Dibels.

Independent Practice – Students will take passage, timer, crayon and folder to spot around the room and they will then time each other, and graph results.



ISS (Independent Student Success to check for comprehension of content)

2006 - 2007 Idea Catalog of Excellence

HHH

“Building the Bridge to Comprehension”

Gitona Rogers/Cheryl Vermilye

Lesson Plan No 3: Literacy - Phonics Comprehension n SUBJECTS COVERED

n DIRECTIONS

Reading / Phonics – R controlled with -ar

Time Required to Complete Lesson 20 minute center

Procedures

n GR ADES

Hook (Focus for lesson or objective)

Two

Student will hear lesson on phonics skill target. R controlled –ar.

n EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT Students will self monitor with buddy and coach as needed. Students will then apply skill to phonics quiz at the end of the week.

n EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

n OBJECTIVES

APK (Access Prior Knowledge)

Students will recognize phonics sounds of -ar while reading and listening from familiar texts.

We will review phonics target skill as a class and this will be the target skill at the center used.

(Optional) We will make mini barns with R controlled words stamped on front.

Steps and Activities Used

n ADDL INFORMATION

n SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS Benchmark LA.A.1.1.2: The student identifies words and constructs meaning from text, illustrations, graphics, and charts using the strategies of phonics, word structure and context clues.

Other Related Standards

Reading Firsst 90 minute reading block

ESE/ESOL Accommodations

These students will have buddy and listening opportunities

n MATERIALS •

2 Portable tape players

•

2 Phonics phones

•

2 Scott Foresman Readers

•

2 Tapes of story

Examples… Teacher Input – I will model different spellings for target sounds Guided Practice – We will use white boards to write sounds that we hear Independent Practice – Students will apply knowledge at center during reading along with book on tape and practice sounds in phonics phone.

Notes regarding implementation of lesson: The students will use their knowledge in reading the story of the week at a center. They will have a buddy and tape at the center. Once they have listened to the story on tape while following along in the book, they will then go back and find all of the R controlled words repeating them in the phonics phone.

ISS (Independent Students Success to check for comprehension of content) Students will self monitor with buddy and coach as needed. We will address skill for entire week.

2006 - 2007 Idea Catalog of Excellence

HHH

“Building the Bridge to Comprehension”

Gitona Rogers/Cheryl Vermilye

Lesson Plans Materials Budget

Materials Budget

Supplier

Item Description

Cost

Quantity

Total Cost

Walmart

Portable Cassette Player (headset)

$5.00

20

$100.00

Walmart

AA batteries 8 pk

$6.59

10

$65.90

Walmart

Microphone

$7.89

1

$7.89

Dollar Tree

Timers

$1.00

5

$5.00

Home Depot

Whisper Phones (PVC pieces)

$1.50

5

$7.50

County Warehouse

File Folders

$7.00

1 box

$7.00

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Gitona Rogers and Teacher’s Names__________________________________ Cheryl Vermilye __________________________________ Lake County Elementary School:__________________________________________

Subtotal $193.29 ________________________________________________ Tax if applicable ________________________________________________ Shipping if applicable ________________________________________________



TOTAL BUDGET AMOUNT

2006 - 2007 Idea Catalog of Excellence

$193.29