Dream

Take Turns Reading (Fluency)

The teacher reads one sentence and pauses. The student reads the next sentence. Keep taking turns to the end of the passage.

1. Model. Read each Teacher sentence with clear expression and phrasing, then pause so the student knows it is their turn.
2. Track. The student points under each word with a finger or pointer, left to right and top to bottom, while you read and while they read.
3. Praise. Name what went well in the student's reading, such as expression, smooth phrasing, or a tricky word said with accuracy. Reread any tricky word together.

Feedback on rate, accuracy, and prosody: Fluency Feedback Guide, Grade 4

1. 1.■Teacher readsI held Mama’s hand tightly as we moved through the enormous crowd.
2. 2.●Student readsEverywhere I looked, people stood shoulder to shoulder.
3. 3.■Teacher readsSome carried signs.
4. 4.●Student readsSome sang songs.
5. 5.■Teacher readsOthers talked quietly while we waited near the Lincoln Memorial.
6. 6.●Student readsI was only nine years old, and I had never seen so many people gathered in one place.
7. 7.■Teacher reads“Why did everyone come?” I asked Mama.
8. 8.●Student reads“Because they want America to be fair for everyone,” she said.
9. 9.■Teacher readsThe August sun felt hot on my face.
10. 10.●Student readsMy feet hurt, and I wished I had brought more water.
11. 11.■Teacher readsThen Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stepped forward to speak.
12. 12.●Student readsThe crowd became still.
13. 13.■Teacher readsHis voice was strong and steady.
14. 14.●Student readsHe talked about freedom.
15. 15.■Teacher readsHe talked about justice.
16. 16.●Student readsThen he began speaking about his dream for the future.
17. 17.■Teacher readsI looked up at Mama.
18. 18.●Student readsTears filled her eyes.
19. 19.■Teacher reads“Why are you crying?” I whispered.
20. 20.●Student reads“Because I want that dream for you,” she answered.
21. 21.■Teacher readsSuddenly, the speech felt different.
22. 22.●Student readsIt was not only about grown-ups or laws or things that had happened before I was born.
23. 23.■Teacher readsIt was about children like me.
24. 24.●Student readsI imagined schools where every child was welcomed.
25. 25.■Teacher readsI imagined neighborhoods where people were judged by their kindness instead of the color of their skin.
26. 26.●Student readsI imagined growing up in a country that kept becoming better.
27. 27.■Teacher readsWhen the speech ended, people cheered and hugged one another.
28. 28.●Student readsOn the way home, Mama asked what I would remember most.
29. 29.■Teacher readsI thought for a moment.
30. 30.●Student reads“That a dream can belong to everyone,” I said.
31. 31.■Teacher readsAnd somehow, I knew I would carry that dream with me.