Tired! (and a freebie!!)

I will need to apologize now... trying to find the balance between... teacher, mom, wife, and blogger has been very hard!  I loved the summer when I had more time to blog every day.  It's killing me though because now I'm back at school with a TON of ideas to share and I don't have the time (or energy) to post! :(  boo!  As soon as I find my groove... I promise to be back on as often as I can ... sharing as much as I can!!!

With that... I just have one quick share...

Today we did a fluency lesson (for you CAFE people... this is a good one!).  We talked in great deal what a good reader sounds like.  I LOVE to use this poster to help me model what it sounds like to read fluently.  It is a GREAT visual:

For #1 I show them that it. can. sound. like. a. robot. if. you. stop. after. every. word.

It's amazing how quick they catch on to this one!

#2 sounds better. but if I. stop after. every few words. I can still. sound choppy.

#3 I am getting better but. I am not confident enough to read it all at once.  I tell my students that if you are here you are doing a great job and are on the right track!

#4 This is when you sound just like you talk.  I make sure to tell the students that not only are you reading smoothly but also with EXPRESSION!

After we talked about what it sounds like, I then send them off to listen to their reading.  I am a HUGE fan of my fluency phones (or whisper phones)

I got these from a retired teacher so I can't even tell you how to make them other than it is PVC piping that just fits together.  They seem really easy to make if you can get it cut to size.  The kids LOVE them and really take it seriously when you ask them to examine their reading....

If you would like a copy of the above poster you can grab it by clicking {here}

I'd love to hear some things you do to teach fluency!  Stop back because I have a lot more! :)

Still getting closer to 4-0-0!  Let me know if you'd like to be a part of my giveaway!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!