Tamra Swindall

Growing Independence and Fleuncy
                                                                                 Speedy Readers


This lesson will teach children how to read faster and increase their comprehension level.


 a copy of the poem "It's Raining Said John Twaining"  By, N.M. Bodecker Athenuem, stopwatches, paper people with the students name on it, a bulletin board with a track on it, and a progress chart for each student that has: starting date, starting time, goal time, and a schedule that will record their time twice a week


1. I will introduce the lesson by explaining to the children that increasing their speed in reading will increase their comprehension ability.  Today we will start working on increasing our reading speed.  By increasing your reading speed you will be able to better understand what you have just read and will be able to read more in a smaller amount of time.
2. Now I am going to read you a poem in some different ways and I want you to tell me which way is easier to understand and why.  I will then read a poem slow and choppy and then read it fast and upbeat.  Next I will ask the students which way was it easier to remember what I had just read.   I will then let them comment on why it was easier to understand the faster and more upbeat reading.
3. Now I am going to let you practice reading faster with a partner.  I will then give the students a copy of the poem I have just read and a stopwatch for each group.  With your partner I want you to read the poem while your partner times you.  You can do this several times with your partner.
4. I will then give the children a progress chart, which will record their progress twice a week.  I will then explain to them that every Monday and Thursday they will get with their partner and time each other while reading their poem.  I will tell them that with more practice their speed will get faster and faster and this will make them better readers.
5. For assessment  I will set four certain goals, which are based one their ability, for each child to accomplish within the five weeks of charting their speed on reading their poem.  Each child will get a paper person with their name on it that will be placed at the starting line of a track on the bulletin board.  Under the track will be the numbers one through four.  When the child accomplishes their first set goal their paper person will move to the number one.  This process will keep going until the child meets the finish line, which is their last set goal under the number four.


J.  Llyoyd, Eldredge (1995).  Teaching Decoding In Holisitic Classrooms.  Englewood Cliffs, NJ.  Page 95.

Click here to return to Inroads.