Dear Kelly, I am sorry that this response is so much after the fact. Getting ready for the start of school took time away from my regular checking of the sight. I use running records of oral reading to check for strategies a child may or may not be using to keep their reading moving forward... no matter what grade level (I have used them for 1st-5th grades - Reading Recovery and Title). If the running record is not mostly fluent(and fluent could be different from one child to the next), I know the reading is too difficult so I stop the running record, do a teaching point, decide whether to share the rest, take it over, or practice a part and try it again or go on to something else. If the reading is not too difficult I record strategies they use, (such as rereading, initial sounds, finding a known part or appealing for help, etc). I also try to make sure to write down how the reading sounded - was it choppy, phrased, word by word, expressive, etc. I do try to follow up with a quick retell or question about the reading that will give some insight into their comprehension without making it the focus. That being said, If there is a pause while reading, I mark it ( I use a circled p), and give the word after 3 to 5 seconds. If they are trying something, I don't count that as wait time. I think we do a diservice to kids if we wait too long because long pauses do not keep the reading moving forward and they need to hear how their voice sounds so when they are reading independently they don't settle for slow, labored work.
If I am using the reading to check for fluency, the timer is on and a word is told after 3 seconds even if they are trying something. Often I will use a quick moment to reteach a strategy that would be helpful to them, let them practice independently, then try again. I have them graph the first reading in one color, and if number went up on second read, they graph that on the same line, using a different color to mark the added number of words. I have made a 180 degree flip in the importance I have given to fluent reading since beginning Reading Recovery training 9 years ago! It has carried over into all my Title work, too. The longer the child can get by without being fluent, the harder it will be to reach or maintain their standing as an average reader in the class. Required and recreational readings do not get shorter as our kids get older, and the more time they have to put into a first reading affects how many words they read, and their willingness to do rereading or checking back to complete assignments, etc. And before I hear back from someone, I view DIBELS oral reading fluency as one piece of information that may or may not be vailid for any particular reader on any particular day. Fluent reading will look different on different kinds of readings as well as prior knowledge, interests, etc...And sometimes a good strategy is to slow down in a tricky part. Sorry, I think I am thinking outloud to get myself back into the right mode for the school year. I hope this makes some sense, though. Beth Lauterbach _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
