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Tips and Ideas
Classroom Techniques
Taking Turns for the Final Timing
To prevent potential arguments over whose turn it is to do a final timing, you can create a numbering system with tag-board numbers hung on the wall with pushpins. When a student is ready to get a final timing, he or she gets the next available number and puts it beside his or her red card.
– From Gwen Koehler [Divide, CO]
Using the Graphs
To see whether the readers’ growth in writing is parallel to the growth in reading, students write the number of words read in the hot reading over the number of words read during the cold reading. The students then graph the number of words they wrote in five minutes in the column next to the hot/cold column.
– From Peggy Arms, Paradise Elementary School [city/state NA]
The students graph their hot and cold reading from a story in one line and the number of words they wrote in five minutes about that story in the next line. This allows students to watch their retell progress along with their fluency progress.
– From Carol Townsend, Olson Middle School [Minneapolis, MN]
Individualizing Phonics Instruction
To give students more work on specific sounds, separate the stories in the phonics levels into packets according to the sounds they feature. Give the students the packets in the order you prefer or give them just the particular sounds they need.
Reducing Distractions
Students who feel distracted when they hear other students reading out loud find that keeping their headphones on reduces the amount of noise they can hear during reading practice.
Eye contact can be very distracting to middle school students. Having them face a wall with dividers between them creates enough privacy to reduce their self-consciousness. As a result, they are often more willing to sub-vocalize as they read along with the tape.
– From Christy Henning [CA]
Recording Students as They Read
When students hear themselves read, they can more easily identify which sections need more work. It also allows them to hear how good they sound and how much they have improved.
– From Pat Mergens, Neely O'Brien Elementary [Kent, WA]
Videotape the students’ first cold readings of the first story at the assigned level. Later, tape them reading the last passage. Watching the videotapes help students and parents hear and see improvement.
– From Martha Han, Rigrer Elementary [Portland, OR]
Increasing Parent Involvement
To increase parent involvement, use a custom-made rubber stamp on the passage the student is reading. The stamp requests that parents listen to their child read the story, sign it, and return it. This system provides additional practice, proof of the child's progress, and a record of parent involvement. For those whose parents are less available, students can share their successes with another adult, such as their classroom teacher.
– From Betty B. Simensen [Penn Laird, VA]
Gathering Student Feedback
Create a student survey (see sample below) to gather feedback and insights about Read Naturally. The information can help increase the effectiveness of the program for your students.
| Very Much |
Pretty Much |
Just a Little |
Not at All |
|
| Read Naturally has improved my reading fluency (words per minute). | . | . | . | . |
| When I read other books, I can tell I am improving because they get easier. | . | . | . | . |
| I want to continue Read Naturally. | . | . | . | . |
| I am a better reader than I used to be. | . | . | . | . |
| I am more willing to read out loud than I used to be. | . | . | . | . |
| Read Naturally is easy to do. | . | . | . | . |
| I would recommend Read Naturally to other students. | . | . | . | . |
| Read Naturally uses interesting passages. | . | . | . | . |
| I often learn interesting facts when I read the passages. | . | . | . | . |
| I take finished packets home to read to my family. | . | . | . | . |
| Comments: |
||||
– From Linda Butler and Linda Messer [Littleton, CO]
Motivating Students
Solicit gift certificates from fast food restaurants like McDonald's to use as rewards. When a student completes a reading level, attach the gift certificate to the Super Reader certificate, allowing the student’s parents or guardian to see his or her achievement.
– From Susan Nelson [San Diego, CA]
Based on their participation, comprehension, accuracy, and reading rate, students can earn up to 20 points each day. The total points they accrue determines their grade for that day. (See the chart below for sample categories and standards.)
| Excellent 5 points |
Proficient 4 points |
Acceptable 3 points |
In
Progress 2 points |
Unacceptable 0 points |
|
| Participation* | No prompts from teacher |
Needs one reminder |
Needs more than one reminder |
Removed from privilege for the day |
Removed from privilege permanently |
| Comprehension | Perfect scores without corrections |
Perfect score with corrections |
One error with corrections |
More than one error with correction |
Did not try or cheated |
| Accuracy | Perfect reading of passage and fluent reading with expression |
No more than 3 errors and fluent reading |
No more than 3 errors and somewhat fluent reading |
More than 3 errors and word by word reading |
Wasted
time |
| Rate | Met goal time WCPM |
Met goal time WCPM |
Close to but did not meet goal time WCPM |
Not close to goal time WCPM |
Did not try to meet goal time |
| *Follows process; on task; keeps correct graph; makes progress; treats equipment with care | |||||
– From Linda Messer, Sheridan Middle School [Englewood, CO]