Maximize Reading Achievement for Struggling Readers Through Rhythm and Rhyme

Wow!  Raise your hand if you think Tim Rasinski rocks! 

Were you aware that students who are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade will likely experience reading difficulties and problems in all other school subjects.....forever.....forever.....forever.....

I attended a very informative training with Tim Rasinski that definitely opened my eyes to see just how important fluency really is for our students!!!!  In this training he introduced a fluency intervention model that he refers to as the Synergistic Fluency Instruction.  

Mr. Rasinski says that it really only takes about 15-25 minutes per day.  It has many of the same components as a guided reading lesson. 

  

Synergistic Fluency Intervention

1. The teacher introduces a new short text to the class and reads it aloud two or three times, while the students follow along silently. The text can be a poem, segment from a basal passage or trade book, etc.

2. The teacher and students discuss the nature and content of the passage as well as the quality of the teacher’s reading of the passage.

3. The teacher and students read the passage chorally several times. Antiphonal reading and other variations are used to create variety and maintain engagement.

4. The teacher organizes students into pairs or trios. Each student practices the passage three times while his or her partner listens and provides support and encouragement.

5. Individuals and groups of students perform their reading for the class or other audience (such as another class, a parent visitor, the school principal, or another teacher).

6. The students and their teacher then choose four or five interesting words from the text to add to students’ word banks or to the classroom word wall.

7. Students engage in 5 to 10 minutes of word study activities (e.g., word sorts with word bank words, word walls, flash card practice, defining words, word games, etc.).

8. The students take a copy of the passage home to practice with parents and other family members.

9. The following day students read the passage from the previous day to the teacher or a fellow student for accuracy and fluency. Words from the previous day are also read, reread, grouped, and sorted by students and groups of students. The instructional routine then begins again with step 1, using a new passage.

References:

Rasinski, T.V. (2003). The fluent reader: Oral reading strategies for building word recognition, fluency, and comprehension.