As end of year reading assessments roll around, I am amazed at the growth our second graders have accomplished over the course of the year in reading. One learning activity we use from time to time during our reading block is Reader's Theatre. This is a partner or small-group, student-led activity that develops fluency. We need students to leave second grade deeply understanding and consistently exhibiting fluent reading.
Fluent reading is multifaceted and supports comprehension:
- Rate: Maintain a fast (but not too fast) pace
- Phrasing: Read "like you talk." Read in ~four word chunks and use punctuation to guide phrasing (commas, elipsis, colons, semi-colons, etc.).
- Expression: Show expression in tone and voice level, applying appropriate stress and pausing, "reading with feeling"
- Accuracy: decode words in text with ease, integrating cuing systems
Thought you might enjoy these tidbits of paired reading performances! They come from a great series called You Read to Me, I'll Read to You! These books are a series of short partner reads. They would be awesome choices for summer reading with your student before bed or whenever!
