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What can I use to increase my dd reading fluency?


Michelle in MI
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or what are ways/ideas I can work on this with her? I would prefer something laid out for me, of course, but I will do whatever it takes.

 

Would short reading passages that we would time then repeat until a certain time is reached be of any help?

 

TIA!

 

PS...if it helps... My DD is 9 (just turned this month) and she is struggling with reading. I am pulling her out of a sm. christian school to hs full-time.

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If you feel she has the skills to read and just lacks fluency, I would have her choose some books she is interested in to read to you. If they are her choices, she'll probably be more motivated and you'll get to see first hand what skill level she's at. You can build from there by encouraging her to read more and more and add books closer to grade level as time goes on.

 

If you think she needs phonics instruction to help her, I can't say enough good things about The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise. We're only half way through and my daughter is reading 1st and 2nd grade level books to me fluently. You could always skip over the parts you know she knows and it's scripted so no prep work for you.

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As a former English teach now homeschooler, I totally sympathize with your situation. I would encourage you to have your daughter read below her current reading level. For example, if you have younger children, have her read aloud to them. It is non-threatening, easier for her to manage (content/fluency), and is a great help in building confidence. Also, having her read aloud to you, privately, things that are at/slightly below level would be helpful. Pick 2-3 sentences that do not have difficult words and read them to HER so she can hear what a fluent reader sounds like, then have her give it a try until she sounds (nearly) as fluent as you. Reluctant readers sometimes lack the confidence to read with "authority" (fluency), especially if they have a more withdrawn or shy personality. Sometimes it IS a reading "issue" which you would have to determine. Review of phonics is always a good thing and sometimes can help build that confidence in sounding out more difficult words and building her "word attack" skills. Hang in there!

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If you think she needs phonics instruction to help her, I can't say enough good things about The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise. We're only half way through and my daughter is reading 1st and 2nd grade level books to me fluently. You could always skip over the parts you know she knows and it's scripted so no prep work for you.

:iagree:This is a fantastic resource; I use it with my sons, too.
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I also am loving OPGTTR. It saved us. There is another book that we have called Reading Pathways : http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Pathways-Exercises-Improve-Jossey-Bass/dp/0787992895 It's a really cool book and my oldest (who's challenged with reading and retaining stuff) has really been helped by the combo of it (Plus OPGTTR as well as having given him another year to bloom).

 

I like the idea of reading poems. And also reading under their ability level. Great ideas.

Edited by Kirstin
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I also meant to add that my son turned 9 in July and he just in the last month has very suddenly taken off with reading. FINALLY! It scared me to death. I thought he'd never ever really read...and I was getting some negative scrutiny from extended family. But alas....he had his appointed "moment" and I just needed to wait patiently. Whew!

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I had dc read books that were too easy to increase confidence and fluency. I had them read books that were above eir le el to extend them. I had them listen to lots of audiobooks that were too hard or long to read; this extended vocabulary, taught them the joy of being immersed in a story, and to follow the twists and plots in a story.

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Fluency is best created by giving them material well below their reading or instructional level to read. And, yes, repeating the same passages will help, too (just make sure they're not *memorizing* the text, but reading it). Predictable stories, lines that rhyme, and familiar material are all good for this (think Go Dog Go, Fox in Sox, things like that, as well as leveled readers with controlled vocabulary so there are no difficult surprises).

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What worked for my daughter was reading along with books on tape. Just doing that with Little House on the Prairie made a huge difference in her speed. She also reads along with Story of the World. Next was finding a series that she fell in love with. It took a long time, but she loved American Girl. She is now officially a great reader and it is her favorite subject!

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If fluency is the only issue (no issues with phonics, sounding out, etc.), then timed repeated readings work pretty well.

 

My youngest is dyslexic. Once I got her to where speed was her primary issue rather than reading ability, working on fluency made a dramatic difference in her reading.

 

I used the oral reading fluency passages available online for free at DIBELS. You have to register, but registration is free.

 

My dd was in 3rd grade and reading at a solid 2nd grade level when we started working earnestly on fluency. The tutor I was working with recommended that I have her start with the 1st grade passages and a goal speed of 100 correct words per minute (cwpm).

 

The way I did it was to first have my dd read the entire passage while I timed her. If she made her goal speed, then she was done with timed reading for the day and started a new passage the next day. If she didn't make her goal speed, then we did a choral reading of the passage for one minute. Choral reading is when you and your student both read the same text aloud at the same time. I paced myself to read at 100wpm and that forced my dd to really increase her pace. Then my dd had to read the passage again by herself for one minute. If she made her goal speed, then we moved on to the next passage the next day. Otherwise she used the same passage again the next day.

 

It took several months for my dd to make her goal speed on the first reading of a passage. In fact, it didn't happen until she was about halfway through the 2nd grade passages (and DIBELS has 20 at each grade level). Many of the passages took 3 days to get through at first, but by the time she got halfway through the 2nd grade passages, she was always able to reach her goal speed by the 2nd day and often on the first.

 

link to DIBELS:

https://dibels.uoregon.edu/measures/index.php

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Thank you so much for all your advice! All the ideas are so helpful I am going to print them off so I don't forget any of them. The poem reading will be perfect for her as she is actually my dramatic child. :001_smile: Audio books will be a good independant activity and I have plenty of easier readers around here. Now if I only had some younger children around here for her to read to...she would really get into that...life is a stage to her. Unfortunately she is my youngest. Maybe I can borrow the neighbor kids??

 

My daughter has been in a very academic class with a teacher that is less than compassionate and has told her to "just buck up" and work harder. So I sat in the classroom the week before Christmas break and this child has gone from a confident, joyful child to a placid, anxiety-filled child. It has been painful to watch. :angry: She has given it her all and told it isn't enough. They are currently using The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a third grade reader,which may have been fine for my boys, but it has been very discouraging for her. My main job will be to boost her confidence in herself again.

 

I am going to purchase AAS as she needs the phonics. I have OPGTR which I used with my boys but she is a very tactile and mildly ADD child so I am hoping AAS will be a better fit.

 

Thanks again for all the ideas! If there are any other books/websites/etc. I should check out let me know. Otherwise, I am off to check out DIBELS and One Minute Reader...:auto:

 

(I love these little smiles)

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Angie,

 

You always have such great, practical ideas for implementing homeschool ideas. Thanks for sharing this one!

 

QUOTE=AngieW in Texas;2296595]If fluency is the only issue (no issues with phonics, sounding out, etc.), then timed repeated readings work pretty well.

 

My youngest is dyslexic. Once I got her to where speed was her primary issue rather than reading ability, working on fluency made a dramatic difference in her reading.

 

I used the oral reading fluency passages available online for free at DIBELS. You have to register, but registration is free.

 

My dd was in 3rd grade and reading at a solid 2nd grade level when we started working earnestly on fluency. The tutor I was working with recommended that I have her start with the 1st grade passages and a goal speed of 100 correct words per minute (cwpm).

 

The way I did it was to first have my dd read the entire passage while I timed her. If she made her goal speed, then she was done with timed reading for the day and started a new passage the next day. If she didn't make her goal speed, then we did a choral reading of the passage for one minute. Choral reading is when you and your student both read the same text aloud at the same time. I paced myself to read at 100wpm and that forced my dd to really increase her pace. Then my dd had to read the passage again by herself for one minute. If she made her goal speed, then we moved on to the next passage the next day. Otherwise she used the same passage again the next day.

 

It took several months for my dd to make her goal speed on the first reading of a passage. In fact, it didn't happen until she was about halfway through the 2nd grade passages (and DIBELS has 20 at each grade level). Many of the passages took 3 days to get through at first, but by the time she got halfway through the 2nd grade passages, she was always able to reach her goal speed by the 2nd day and often on the first.

 

link to DIBELS:

https://dibels.uoregon.edu/measures/index.php

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All the pps have posted great ideas I'll third the rec of OPGTR...phenomenal book!)

 

One option, since she has no younger siblings to read to, would be to see if your local library has a 'Read to Dogs' program (some areas call it Paws for Kids, I believe). It basically involves signing up for a designated time when a volunteer owner and their trained dog will come to the library and sit for listening sessions as a child reads. I think it's fantastic b/c there is no judgement at all with regards to an animal listening in, rather than an adult volunteer who may have preconceived notions of where a child's reading ability should be. I've told my dd that when she finishes OPGTR, we can sign her up for one of the reading sessions. She's very excited to read to 'Ralph.' :D

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Thank you so much for all your advice! All the ideas are so helpful I am going to print them off so I don't forget any of them. The poem reading will be perfect for her as she is actually my dramatic child. :001_smile: Audio books will be a good independant activity and I have plenty of easier readers around here. Now if I only had some younger children around here for her to read to...she would really get into that...life is a stage to her. Unfortunately she is my youngest. Maybe I can borrow the neighbor kids??

 

My daughter has been in a very academic class with a teacher that is less than compassionate and has told her to "just buck up" and work harder. So I sat in the classroom the week before Christmas break and this child has gone from a confident, joyful child to a placid, anxiety-filled child. It has been painful to watch. :angry: She has given it her all and told it isn't enough. They are currently using The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a third grade reader,which may have been fine for my boys, but it has been very discouraging for her. My main job will be to boost her confidence in herself again.

 

I am going to purchase AAS as she needs the phonics. I have OPGTR which I used with my boys but she is a very tactile and mildly ADD child so I am hoping AAS will be a better fit.

 

Thanks again for all the ideas! If there are any other books/websites/etc. I should check out let me know. Otherwise, I am off to check out DIBELS and One Minute Reader...:auto:

 

(I love these little smiles)

 

Oh my goodness! Witch of Blackbird Pond is not a 3rd grade reader! (We used it as a read-aloud at that age, but I personally found the font to be small and difficult to read, not sure if it's that way on all editions--just another added difficulty to this book besides being above 3rd grade level!). I'm sorry your dd has been treated this way.

 

AAS really helped both of my kids with reading. After 3-4 months of it, both came to me and said that reading was easier. I wasn't even thinking about that when I got it as the phonics portion was easier than the level they were reading at the time--but that's exactly what they needed. I wrote more on my blog. I hope it's helpful to your dd as well, hang in there!

 

Merry :-)

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There is another book that we have called Reading Pathways : http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Pathways-Exercises-Improve-Jossey-Bass/dp/0787992895 I

 

This was good for us. I also did Victory Drill, which doesn't rely on content for "guesses". Now we are reading a little every day. He likes reading me the Wizard of Oz books and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, currently.

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Fluency is best created by giving them material well below their reading or instructional level to read. And, yes, repeating the same passages will help, too (just make sure they're not *memorizing* the text, but reading it). Predictable stories, lines that rhyme, and familiar material are all good for this (think Go Dog Go, Fox in Sox, things like that, as well as leveled readers with controlled vocabulary so there are no difficult surprises).

:iagree: with getting lower level books for practice. Choose 5 and practice reading the same books again and again, only make sure you mix up the order, i.e. not the same book for too many days in a row. This will avoid memorization.

 

The rhyming Suess books made all the difference here.

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or what are ways/ideas I can work on this with her? I would prefer something laid out for me, of course, but I will do whatever it takes.

 

Would short reading passages that we would time then repeat until a certain time is reached be of any help?

 

TIA!

 

PS...if it helps... My DD is 9 (just turned this month) and she is struggling with reading. I am pulling her out of a sm. christian school to hs full-time.

 

I have an advanced reader but I am constantly looking for better ways/ approaches. A few weeks ago I read The Book Whisperer, an excellent book :)! Since my son started reading well about a year ago I switched to using real books with him and since I was concerned seeing others using readers still, I snatched this book when I saw that it spoke about letting the kids read books based on their own interests. I am comfortable with the approach I have been taking and will be enhancing on it with some tips I got from this book. It is geared to a classroom setting (the author is a teacher) but I found it really useful for a homeschool setting also. If you are interested check and see if your library has it. Mine (I am in Canada) didn't, so I bought it instead. Anyway, my son's reading has totally taken off since I have let him select his own books or I select based on his interests. I don't know if this will help you any but I thought I would throw it out there.

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My daughter has been in a very academic class with a teacher that is less than compassionate and has told her to "just buck up" and work harder. So I sat in the classroom the week before Christmas break and this child has gone from a confident, joyful child to a placid, anxiety-filled child. It has been painful to watch. :angry: She has given it her all and told it isn't enough. They are currently using The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a third grade reader,which may have been fine for my boys, but it has been very discouraging for her. My main job will be to boost her confidence in herself again.

 

 

It is situations like this that Donalyn Miller, the writer of the book I posted previously, addresses in her book. I'm so sorry your child has to go through this :(!

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:hurray::hurray: My library has both of those books! Yea! I look forward to reading them.

 

Thanks for the newer ideas ladies! Copy and pasting away here.:)

 

:iagree: The Witch of Blackbird Pond is not for the "typical" 3rd grader. It actually says right on it 6.1 reading level!! I just hope I can repair the damage that is done. :glare:

 

Thanks again!

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With my students, I've found that fluency comes as the phonics gets learned well--so well that's it's over-learned to automaticity. And, this means complete phonics--including all possible sound spelling combinations and syllable division rules. When you can sound out anything to a 12th grade level, reading anything fluently is easy! (Webster's Speller teaches phonics to a 12th grade level. My how to tutor page has syllable division rules.)

 

Nonsense words are also helpful for gaining phonics fluency, my free game makes both real and nonsense words and is a fun way to get in the practice sounding out words that leads to automaticity.

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