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Developing Reading Fluency through an iPod Language Lab

Reading Fluency

• What is reading fluency? Fluent reading is comprised of three elements:
  
  • Accuracy - the ability to recognize or decode words correctly.
    
  • Rate - the speed with which a reader moves through text
  • Prosody - intonation, syllable prominence, and anything else that contributes to expressive reading of text
• Why is reading fluency important?
  • Lack of reading fluency often leads to comprehension problems
  • Dysfluency leads to frustration and lack of enjoyment with reading
• Why iPods?
  
• iPods can be used to record and play back fluent reading models
  
• Every kid in the world either has one or wants one and what better way to motivate a struggling reader than to use an iPod

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The iPod Language Lab

• The language lab will consist of:
  
  • • 3 - 5 iPods with accompanying Griffin iTalk Voice Recorders
    • Leveled readers and worksheets to use in practice sessions
      
  • A small group of students will be chosen to come to the lab 2 - 3 times a week to work through fluency assessment and practice - This will be a pilot project with future plans to increase number of students
    
  • The lab will be run by teachers on a volunteer basis outside of school hours or as part of reading instruction during school hours (TBD)
    
  • Assessment - students undergo assessment of reading fluency indicators
    • Accuracy - Teachers listen to oral reading and count number of errors per 100 words. Can be recorded on an iPod for later listening by teacher
      
    • Rate - Teachers conduct timed readings
      • Student reads for 60 seconds - count number of words read correctly and record on a graph - this is the baseline
        
      • Teacher and student set goal for next reading and record it on the graph
      • Teacher conducts instructional strategies (see below)
        
      • Student repeats timed reading of passage and recording on graph
      • Student is timed at least twice per week
      • Students eventually record themselves and conduct the process
    • Prosody - observe student during oral reading to assess prosody
    
    Instructional Strategies (using iPods)
  • • Students record their own reading and then listen on iPod
      
    • Benefit - Allows independent judgement of accuracy, rate, and prosody
    • Students listen to fluent readers read passages on iPod. Typically this will be the audiobook version of a novel we are reading in class.
      
      • Benefit - Students are provided with a model of accuracy, rate, prosody
    • Read-Along Centers combine supported oral reading and independent repeated readings
      
      • Teachers conduct Read Naturally method
        
        • Student reads for one minute to teacher
          
        • Student practices reading same passage while listening to recorded fluent model on iPod
          
        • Student then continues independent practice (2-3 readings) without recording
          
        • Student then reads to teacher
    • Assisted reading methods help improve prosody--phrasing and intonation (with or without iPods)
      
      • Echo reading - teacher (or recording) reads a phrase and student repeats, focusing on prosody
        
      • Unison reading - student reads together with teacher (or recording)
      • Cloze reading - teacher reads the text and stops occasionally for the student to read the next word in the text
    • Check out iPods
      • Students can listen to audiobooks from sixth grade reading list at home. This supplements reading in class.
      • Teachers can listen to students reading any time/any place
    • Security
      Each iPod is engraved with Property of Wyoming Middle School label (see below)
      iPods do not leave classroom during the day - remain locked in a closet
      Students must sign iPod out before leaving school with one
      Students sign an agreement stating that they are responsible for iPod away from school