Scooping Phrases to Build Fluency

I have a question for you? Do you have students who can decode words, but then as soon as you put it into context, they

s-t-r-u-gg-le t-o r-ea-d w-i-th f-l-ue-n-c-y? Yep! Happens all the time. The only way to build fluency is to continue decoding. Eventually, we want our students to read chunks of sentences in meaningful phrases. That's where these scooping phrases come in handy! The best part? They are F-R-EE!

WHY WE LOVE IT

Scooping is a great way to practice fluency. Although there are a few different ways to scoop phrases, scooping generally takes three or four words that “go together” to make a phrase. Students take their fingers and “scoop” the phrase together as they read it.

Reading phrases encourages prosody, helping students develop a good rhythm while reading. Scooping is a particularly good practice for when students are reading too fast or too slow. Scooping also encourages students to read at a good pace because remember - fluency isn’t about reading fast! It’s about reading with accuracy, expression, and at an appropriate pace.

And this is why we love our Fluency Scooping Phrases activity! In this activity, students will practice gathering up appropriate phrases together and reading them fluently. Remember that when we practice fluency, we’re giving them that bridge to comprehension - and that, my reading friends, is the entire essence of reading!

HOW TO USE

• Each student will receive a copy of Fluency Scooping Phrases. If you want to use this repeatedly, consider laminating the pages for future use.

• Students read the first column of the phrases, scooping them with their pointer finger while reading.

• Then, students move on to read the next column.

• Students are encouraged to read the phrases as many times as they need until they read them fluently.

• On the second page, students will read the two phrases together to form a sentence.

This activity is great for morning and independent work as you’re focusing on fluency! To make it fun, consider giving students a fun pencil, wand, or other pointer while scooping!

What’s included:

Phrase and Sentence Scooping for. the following phonics skills

CVC (aeiou)

Ending Ck

Floss

Digraphs (sh, ch th, qu)

Initial blends

Final blends

Soft and Short c/g

CVCe

Vowel Teams

r-controlled

Diphthongs

Nasals

tch/dge