Our Country and Its People Unit 6, Lesson 5 Open Court 2002 The Butterfly Seeds http://www.opencourtresources.com Phrase-cued Fluency Practice Linda Day Crowville Middle School http://www.opencourtresources.com

To the Teacher: Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. It is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Studies have shown that even when students recognize many words automatically, their oral reading still may be expressionless, not fluent. To read with expression, readers must be able to divide the text into meaningful chunks. These chunks include phrases and clauses. Studies also suggest that there is a close relationship between fluency and reading comprehension. Some readers may recognize words automatically in isolation or on a list, they may not read the same words fluently when the words appear in sentences in connected text. Fluency develops gradually over considerable time and through substantial practice* The following slides are phrases taken from each story in Unit 6, Our Country and Its People. (Open Court 2002) *From Put Reading First—K-3 (Fluency) NIFL www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading-first

in the middle

stared out the window

in the little tin box

trailing over the side

shouted over the ring

played his harmonica

a story made up

through the crowded street

back and forth

and they like America too

kind of seeds

the beautiful butterfly garden

show-and-tell

but everyone agreed

the dark narrow alley

the neighborhood children

The End