Comprehension/Fleuncy I wasn't going to write anything - just read tonight - but this is a topic we have wrestled with - alot! We started with DIBELS several years ago because there was/is logic connecting fluent readers with readers who can comprehend. Data collected and correlated with ITBS comprehension scores seemed to support that. Then we noticed that once we had a concrete skill to teach, we got very proficient at it. I don't know that any correlations were made after that, but we began to notice that kids were racing to beat the numbers....so we changed our focus. We still pay attention to the numbers, but we also listen to how the reading sounds. I tell all my testees (especially those that have a high number history) that if they are reading too fast, I will not count that story and/or I will expect them to tell me about it. Their job is to make their reading fluent and phrased, like they sound when they are talking. Many of our teachers are using similar language when they provide practice for those that need it. I will model reading at an appropriate rate for the age I am working with at the moment - so they can hear how it should sound. (Usually they are surprised that it doesn't sound like a race.) I will also tell them where they are going wrong which makes speeding up more difficult: pay attention to the punctuation, read in phrases, reread only if you need to, decode by chunks, etc. The pendulum is swinging, but the balance between decoding, comprehension, and fluency is starting to come together - for the benefit of our students. We even accept that some kids are just not going to be fluent readers, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't work towards it, while they sound phrased and are comprehending what they read. Go readers!! Beth Title 1 (Reading Recovery, grades 2-4) _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
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