BLM 1
BLM 2 Fluency Self-Assessment Master Checklist Speed/Pacing Did my speed and pacing match the kind of text I was reading? Did my speed and pacing match what the character was saying? Did I read with a natural talking voice? Did I slow my reading down when appropriate? Did I pay attention to punctuation? Pausing Did I pause to keep from running all my words together? Did I pause in the correct locations? Did I pause for the appropriate length of time? Did I pause to help my reading make sense? Did I use punctuation to help me figure out when to pause? Inflection/Intonation Did I make my voice rise at a question mark? Did I make my voice fall at a period? Did I think about what the author was saying so I would know when to read louder or softer? Did I think about what the author was saying so I would know when to stress or emphasize words? Phrasing Did I notice the phrases? Did I read all the words in each phrase together? Did I think about what the words in the phrase mean when they are together? Expression Did I look for clues so I could anticipate the mood of the passage? Did I use my tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language to express what the author or characters were thinking or feeling? Did I change my reading when something new was about to happen? Integration Did I read the words right? (accuracy) Did I read the words at the right speed? (rate) Did I read with expression? (prosody) Did my reading sound like talking? Did I understand what I read? Yes No
BLM 3 READER S THEATER Amanda: Dad, are you still there? What did it feel like during liftoff? We were three miles away, and we felt the ground shake. Mike Collins: It squashed us in our seats until we could barely breathe. It added Gs, or gravitational forces. Right now, Amanda, you feel one G. On liftoff we felt three Gs. It was like being at the bottom curve of a roller coaster. Todd: Cool! Mission Control Expert 2: You need all that thrust at liftoff because the rocket is so heavy. Amanda: But it weighs almost nothing in space, right? Mission Control Expert 1: If your dad wanted to, he could push the ship with his hands. Emma: That s pretty amazing, isn t it, Amanda? Amanda: Mom, didn t you say Buzz and Neil won t weigh much on the Moon? Emma: Yes, I did, Amanda. 8 One Giant Leap Mission Control Expert 2: Your mom s right. Another one of Newton s laws says that gravity attracts all masses to one another. And the greater the mass, the greater the gravity. The Moon s mass is about 1 /80 the mass of Earth. Its gravity is about one-sixth the gravity of Earth. On Earth, the two astronauts who will walk on the Moon each weigh 360 pounds with their space suits on. On the Moon they weigh only 60 Mission Control Expert 1: I m sorry, but I have to interrupt you now. We have the lunar module on the line. Neil, what is your status? Neil Armstrong: We re approaching the landing site. It looks pretty rocky. I ll keep moving to see if I can find a smoother spot. 9
BLM 4 Superlatives Directions: Write the superlative of each adjective. As you find new superlatives, add them to the chart. Adjective Superlative Form great big intelligent good short terrible light difficult near bad
BLM 5 READER S THEATER Emma: Todd, the most powerful telescope in the world couldn t see something as small as the Columbia. It s too far away. Mission Control Expert 1: Your mom s right. Think of how far away your father is. His rocket goes 24,000 miles per hour, and it still took him two days to get to the Moon. Todd: My dad went 24,000 miles per hour? Mission Control Expert 2: That s right. And do you know why? There s no air and very little gravity in space, so you can travel very fast. Newton s first law of motion states that once you are moving, you won t stop or change direction unless a force acts on you. In a car, friction with the ground constantly slows you down. In an airplane, air resistance works against forward motion. But in space there s nothing to stop you! Todd: But because there s air and gravity on Earth, it took tons of fuel to lift off, right? 6 One Giant Leap Mission Control Expert 1: Right. Remember, the rocket that launched this mission had three stages. The first stage had seven and one-half million pounds of thrust. That s a lot of power. The rocket pushed off the ground on a jet of super-heated gas. The second stage needed less than half the power, because the rocket was lighter after all that fuel burned off. The third stage was the smallest, even though it carried the astronauts the farthest. Todd: But if there s no air to push against in space, how does the rocket move forward? Mission Control Expert 2: Good question. That s Newton s second law of motion every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When the exhaust gases leave the rocket, they push back and the rocket moves forward. On liftoff, the force of the exhaust gases moving down propels the rocket in the opposite direction up with the same force. 7
BLM 6 Reader s Theater Self-Assessment Directions: Complete the rubric below. Tell how you plan to improve your reading fluency in the areas where you answered no. Skill Behavior Yes No Fluency and Phrasing Intonation Pacing Accuracy Character Analysis I read in longer, meaningful phrases. I paid attention to the author s language patterns. I made the reading sound like dialogue. I stressed certain words to emphasize their importance. I used my voice to make the reading reflect feeling, anticipation, tension, mood, and the personality of my character. I paid attention to punctuation. I raised or lowered my voice to interpret the punctuation of sentences. I used an appropriate speed of reading. I read the lines with the same speed and flow that I use when I talk. I read with very few hesitations or unnecessary pauses and repetitions. I recognized words quickly and read them correctly. I really thought about the meaning of the story and known words and word parts to help me figure out unknown words. I corrected myself when I made an error. I made the words sound meaningful. I made inferences about my character. I used my voice (tone) to sound like the character. I used my voice to express a particular feeling of the character. I used body language (gestures) to better express the feelings of the character. I used appropriate facial expressions to represent my character. Plan of Action: Describe how you will improve your reading fluency during the repeated readings of your character s lines.