FOCUS ON READING FLUENCY
 1000
Instant Words: The Most Common Words for Teaching Reading, Writing, and
Spelling. Use this as a basic tool for teaching reading and writing. The
author suggests ways to test your students for their level so that you can begin
teaching at the appropriate skill level. At the end of the book the Dr. Fry
shares some methods for teaching the Instant Words: games, flash cards, reading
practice, and spelling lessons. Picture Nouns supplement the instant Words for
use as concrete, easy visualized words to help students in reading and writing
meaningful sentences. For more information on this book and others by the same
author, Dr. Edward Fry, click here.
TMC-2757. $8.09-D
Dr. Fry's Instant Word Practice Book and Flash
Cards help students learn 300 Instant Words presented in the book
above. Click here for details
and pricing.
 Clear and
Simple I Can Read: Grade 1 Sight Words by Nancy Jolson
Leber and Liane B. Onish. Grosset and Dunlap, 2006. Books in this series feature
a simple, but appealing design; repetitive, patterned activities; clear
directions to help your child work independently; and bonus flash cards to
reinforce early reading skills. In this book your child will practice the 31
words that constitute one-third of the written English language by tracing,
reading, and writing. The book includes 32 flashcards on card stock and a poster
to color. For Grade 1. 64 pages. BTH-3427. $4.49-D
Connecting
Reading: Linking Fluency and Reading Skills, a Steck-Vaughn series
edited by Margaret Fetty, 2008. Available now. Books in this series provide
fluency instruction using engaging non-fiction science and social studies
passages. Reading passages are leveled and correlated to social studies and
science standards. Each book in the series has 15 themes with passages at three
different reading levels for each theme. Reading levels are measured on the
Flesch-Kincaid readability scale. Each student reads the most appropriate
passage for his level. The students can discuss the content of their articles.
Each passage contains the word count of each line to make timed readings easier.
To make it easier for teachers, the following components are
included for each unit: A Correlation Chart that shows reading skills, fluency
skills, and science and social studies standards for each lesson; a
Fluency Checklist; T is also a Connecting Background to explain the focus skills
in each lesson; Theme Notes to explain the relationships between articles; the
Fluency Focus to explain the particular fluency skill students will work on; and
a quick teacher-directed Fluency Practice Exercise. Also included are a
Comprehension Focus, a vocabulary list of three words on each level, and a
graphic organizer. There is a fluency tip at the bottom of each page and a
comprehension assessment after each article. Books are 128 pages each and
reproducible for classroom use. An answer key is included.
 Connecting
Reading: Linking Fluency and Reading Skills Grades 3-4. BTH-3830.
$15.29.
 Connecting
Reading: Linking Fluency and Reading Skills Grades 5-6.
BTH-3831. $15.29.
 Connecting
Reading: Linking Fluency and Reading Skills Grades 7-8. BTH-3832.
$15.29.
 Developing Reading
Fluency: Using Modeled Reading, Phrasing, and Repeated Oral Reading by
Trisha Callella. Creative Teaching Press. This series addresses the need to meet
district, state, and national reading standards as you teach children to become
more fluent in their reading. The books in this series feature five sections to
help the teacher model fluency, have children practice reading fluently with
teacher or parent guidance and feedback, and help children apply the strategies
they learn when they are reading independently. Includes intervention activities
to help "robotic" readers.
Each book has Interactive Read-Alouds, Cheers and Chants, Read-Alouds
for Small Groups, Plays for Two, and Reader's Theater scripts for groups of
four. These activities will help students learn to read with expression,
intonation, and a natural flow. 96 pages, each book. Reproducible for classroom
use. Books are available for Grade 1 (BTH-669), Grade 2 (BTH-670), Grade 3
(BTH-671), and Grade 4 (BTH-672). Each book is $12.59-D
 Dolch
Sight Word Activities Volume 1, for grades K-1. Part of the McGraw Hill
Spectrum series. This is an excellent tool for standardized test preparation. It
covers 110 Dolch vocabulary words. This book helps young learners improve and
strengthen their reading and vocabulary skills by tracing letters, matching and
visualization, and completing sentences. This book provides a variety of
activities to build skills and comprehension. It provides practice in skills and
topics that encourage creativity and build confidence by making reading fun. The
directions are easy to understand and the pages are perforated for easy removal.
This is a consumable workbook, not a reproducible book. McGr-9178. $8.96-D
Dolch Sight Word Activities Volume 2,
for grades K-1. This book covers the other 110 of the 220 Dolch basic sight
words. It uses the same methods as in Volume 1, above. McGr-9186. $8.96-D
Essential Sight Vocabulary by Peter M. Clutterbuck.
Educational Impressions, 2007. It has been demonstrated that an extensive sight
vocabulary is important for fluent reading. The three books in this series
help develop that sight vocabulary. Each book has more complex exercises than
the previous book. Three types of words have been included: words important in
daily classroom activity; easily recognized words students encounter often in
written and oral communication; and words than students encounter primarily in
written material but need to know for fluency. Each book has four sections:
Activity sheets which contain a variety of exercises to help students learn the
words in many ways (three levels, 15 lessons each level); Revision and
Consolidation (reviews materials in the lactivity sheets); Record of Words and
Student Progress where you can check off the words students have mastered; and
an Assessment Page for recording the skills students have demonstated .
Reproducible. Answers are not included.
Essential Sight Vocabulary Book 1: The Basic Words. Levels A and B
have 15 lists of 5 words each. Level C has 15 lists of 10 words each. 62 pages.
BTH-3875. $10.76-D
 Essential
Sight Vocabulary Book 2: Everyday Words. Levels A, B,and C each have 15
lists of 15 words each. 68 pages. BTH-3876. $10.76-D
 Essential
Sight Vocabulary Book 3: Words for Reading Competency. Levels A, B,and C
each have 15 lists of 20 words each. 68 pages. BTH-3877. $10.76-D
 Fluency
Strategies for Struggling Readers: Classroom-Tested Oral Reading Strategies That
Help Build Comprehension by Marcia Delany. Scholastic, 2006.
Justin, a second grader who reads well below his grade level,
struggles to sound out phonetically regular words and sometimes gets stuck on
basic sight of words like there and why. Even when Justin reads simple,
predictable books, he stumbles over the words and delivers the passage in a
labored monotone. Although Angie has mastered many words on the first-grade
sight-word list, she rushes to get to the end of a page when she reads and pays
little attention to whether the words she calls out make sense in the context of
the story. Sammy is embarrassed when it's his turn to read aloud in class.
Unlike his fluent third-grade peers, he ignores punctuation and reads with
choppy phrasing and little expression.
Disfluent readers may exhibit different symptoms, but they all
are impacted in the same way - disfluency interferes with reading
comprehension. In Fluency Strategies for Struggling Readers, reading specialist
Marcia Delany clearly defines and helps you identify disfluency symptoms that
prevent your primary - grade readers from achieving in reading. Then she shares
20 easy-to-implement intervention strategies for either individuals or small
groups that address the disfluency problem. These strategies will show teachers
how to help children build letter-sound recognition; strengthen sight-word
fluency; decode multisyllabic words; increase accuracy and rate of reading;
improve phrasing so reading sounds like spoken language; use typographical cues
to interpret a written text; read with expression; and self-assess oral reading.
For grades 1-3. 128 pages.
BTH-3977. $8.93-B
 Full-Color
Literacy Activities: Sight Words and Sentences by Renee Liles. Teacher
Created Resources, 2005. This book offers a wide range of activities to help
students achieve significant progress in literacy skills. It includes these
types of activities: matching and playing games with picture and word cards;
completing reproducible practice sheets; constructing sentences with full-color
sentence cards; reading themed practice books; and reinforcing sight words
through writing. 176 pages. Contains word and picture cards, sentence cards, and
mini books. For grades 1-2. BTH-3751. $1979-D
 High Frequency
Word Practice by Ruth Foster. Teacher Created Resources, 2004. This book
teaches basic sight words through a series of engaging activities that take
individual strengths and weaknesses into consideration. The exercises reinforce
and teach skills that are needed for deciphering, recognizing, and spelling more
advanced words. For grades K-2. 144 pages. BTH-3747. $14.39-D
 Plays
for Reading Success by Judy Truesdell Mecca. Incentive Publications, 2004.
The plays in this book are short enough to be incorporated into the school day
and contain plenty of suggestions for the teacher or director on
imaginative costumes, scenery and props that are quick and easy. Each play also
includes topics for class discussion, vocabulary worksheets, and suggestions for
art projects, writing projects, and games. As students have the fun of
performing in the plays, they will also acquire vocabulary, grammar, and
comprehension skills. Included plays are "The Vocabulary Man and the Menace of
Worthless Words;" "The Alphabet Talent Show;" "Read This!;" "Reading is Dreamy,"
"Great Moments in History the Didn't Ever Happen;" and "Lunch with Letters." the
book is for elementary students, and I'd judge it's about right for grades four
and up. 175 pages. BTH-3021. $16.16-D.
Literature-Based Reader's Theater Scripts from
Edupress.
These are the only reader's theater products as of May, 2008,
based on actual children's books. You don't have to reproduce them for students,
since they are ready to use as individual scripts, each one highlighted for one
of the the parts. The scripts feature parts for readers of all abilities and
also support challenged and English language learners. The books the scripts are
based on are not included in the package.
Each set of scripts is based on a best-selling children's book
chosen by a library media specialist for their interest and reading level. Books
include new favorites and old classics. Each package consists of one highlighted
script for each character and comes shrink-wrapped. Also included is a
teacher's activity guide. Scripts are available for grades 2-5. Click link above
for available titles and order links.
 Readers' Theater: A Steck-Vaughn publication.
For grades 3-6. Contains four plays. Each contains 8-10 student parts per play. There are
multiple reading levels in each play so that all students can participate. There is both a
teacher's guide and a list of extension activities for each play. Here are the plays:
"Joey's Private War": Joey becomes a spy to
get valuable information to American forces.
"The Tomorrow Radio": A radio begins picking
up reports from the next day's events.
"The Disappearing Change": Being invisible
can be a problem.
"The Field Trip": A class field trip becomes
a lesson in Native American History.
Cat. # SV-61753. $10.79-D
 Readers'
Theater II, by Steck Vaughn, for upper elementary and middle grades.
These seven plays (four serious and three humorous) allow students of varying
reading levels to participate together. The plays have parts for eight to
thirteen characters, with reading levels from grades 2-6. No costumes or props
are needed. These plays give students a reason to reread text and practice
fluency.
The first of the serious plays included is By the Book, which centers on
a truck driver who is handicapped by his inability to read and the play
shows how he solved his problem. The second is The Last Job, about a
reformed safecracker, adapted from an O. Henry story. The third play is A
Star to Guide You, which shows how hurting feelings can by healed. The
fourth serious play, Juan's Story, focuses on handling disabilities.
The first humorous play is Backstage, which features
some teen fans who sneak backstage at a concert given by one of their idols only
to discover he's very different than they thought he was. The second is
Confusion in Clone City, a comedy of errors in which everyone is cloned by a
mad scientist -- even a private eye who figures it out and faces off with his
own clone. Last is Showdown at the Not-So-OK Corral, in which many famous
folktale and tale tale characters gather for a showdown to prove who is the
biggest folk hero of all.
There are also five poems included for choral reading: "Changed" by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Lamplighter" by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Eldorado"
by Edgar Allan Poe, "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley, and "Three Wise
Women" by Elizabeth T. Corbett.
Before each play is a two-page guide for the teacher. It
includes a cast of characters with the reading level for each specified. It also
has a play summary, a vocabulary list with pages indicated where words are used,
and discussion questions for use before the play is performed. A "Thinking it
Over" section offers questions to discuss on the content of the play. There are
hints for minor props and sound effects to be used in two types of presentations
-- radio play and classroom play. There are also extension activities for use
with each play. The book has limited reproduction rights for classroom use.
These plays will help students improve fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
BTH-2410. $15.29-D
Readers' Theater Featuring Science and Social Studies Topics:
The books in this series provide fluency instruction and practice for all your
readers. Each book features four to six character roles at different reading
levels; prereading instruction that includes strategies for vocabulary, fluency,
and comprehension; an introduction for the teacher to read aloud so as to model
good fluency while introducing the themes and topics; and extension
activities and exercises for vocabulary and comprehension. Books are available
for grades 3,4,5,6.7, and 8. Books are $13.46 each. Answer keys are included.
Here are the individual books:
| Grade Level |
Catalog # |
Description |
Cover Art |
Price |
| Grade 3 |
BTH-3210 |
Science plays are "The No-Sleep Sleepover," "A Day at the
Weather Center," "Plant and Gator Soup," and "The Fourth Rock From the Sun."
Social Studies plays are "The Worst Thanksgiving Ever," "The Tallest Tale
Ever," "Don't Be Afraid" (about a girl getting ready to talk to her class
about her epilepsy), and "Dolley Madison Saves George." |
 |
$13.46-D |
| Grade 4 |
BTH-3211 |
Science plays are about a family that has to take shelter
from a tornado; coral reef creatures and their interactions with humans;
animal coloration; and students competing in a game show to win a new
science lab for their school. Social Studies plays are about the Lewis and
Clark expedition; The Trail of Tears; an Italian family's journey to the
United States in 1900; and Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the
Montgomery bus boycott. |
 |
$13.46-D |
| Grade 5 |
BTH-3212 |
Science plays are about a family that survives the Asian
tsunami; kids who find a science book in their attic whose characters come
alive; and friends who build a wacky machine for a science project. Social
Studies plays are about The Boston Tea Party; the role of immigrants in
building the transcontinental railroad; the presidents who decide to leave
their place on Mt. Rushmore to learn about modern life; a group of students
who tour the nation's capital; and three mushers in the Iditarod and the
reporters who cover the race. |
 |
$13.46-D |
| Grade 6 |
BTH-3213 |
Science plays are about four young people who deal with the
aftermath of an earthquake; family members who compare what they learned
about animals at the zoo and in Africa; and a boy who has a strange daydream
because he worries too much about how short he is. Social Studies plays are
about an amazing discovery made by a family visiting an Egyptian tomb; a
class field trip to the Museum of Archaeology; and students who are working
on a project about Sojourner Truth. |
 |
$13.46-D |
| Grade 7 |
BTH-3214 |
Science plays are about a girl in the future who has an
unusual idea for replenishing the earth's water supply; a battle between
germs and antibodies; "You Are What You Eat;" and information about eyes.
Social studies plays are about experiences of five young people on the
Mayflower; and three friends who start an after-school care business for
younger students. |
 |
$13.46-D |
| Grade 8 |
BTH-3215 |
Science plays are about members of a science club and their
experiments; students who are dissecting frogs; a boy and his mom who teach
their neighbors about environmental issues; and teens who give up using
their electronic devices for a week. Social Studies plays are about a girl
who attends a Spanish language camp in Costa Rica; and about a girls who
spends time living with an Amish family. |
 |
$13.46-D |
 Reader's
Theater: Develop Reading Fluency and Comprehension Skills: Fables by
Dr. Margaret Allen. Creative Teaching Press. 96 pages. For grades 1-2. Provides high interest scripts, reproducible for classroom use. Each script
comes with explicit instructions for fluency, a list of key vocabulary words,
and interesting comprehension activities. There are simple instructions for
teachers, as well, on how to direct the scripts and coach students as they
practice their lines. Each unit can stand alone or be tied into a related
content-area unit. BTH-668. $12.59-D
 Reader's
Theater: Develop Reading Fluency and Comprehension Skills: American History
by Alaska Hults. Creative Teaching Press. 96 pages. For grades 3-4. Provides
high interest scripts, reproducible for classroom use. Each script comes with
explicit instructions for fluency, a list of key vocabulary words, and
interesting comprehension activities. There are simple instructions for
teachers, as well, on how to direct the scripts and coach students as they
practice their lines. Each unit can stand alone or be tied into a related
content-area unit. BTH-666. $12.59-D
 Readers'
Theater for Primary Grades, a Steck-Vaughn publication, 2005. For grades
1-3. These 12 plays allow students of varying reading levels to participate
together. Reading levels for parts vary from grades 1.1 to 3.9. These plays give
students a reason to reread text and practice fluency. The themes of the plays
include well-known folktales, realistic stories, and nonfiction selections.
Before each play is a two-page guide for the teacher. It includes a cast of
characters with the reading level for each specified. It also has a play
summary, a vocabulary list with pages indicated where words are used, and
discussion questions for use before the play is performed. There are directions
for minor props. Each play targets a specific verbal skill. There are also
extension activities for use with each play. Three comprehension activities also
follow each play. The book has limited reproduction rights for classroom use.
These plays will help students improve fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
176 pages. BTH-2567. $15.29-D
 Reading
First by Alaska Hults. Creative Teaching Press. Reproducible, 176 pages.
Workbook size. Contains over 100 activities that reinforce the five key areas of
reading instruction; Phonemic Awareness; Phonics; Fluency; Vocabulary; and
Comprehension. Designed to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind
Act. For Grades K-3. This book summarizes the key elements of an effective
reading program. This book helps teachers plan such a program and gives them the
tools they need to help implement the plans they make. The book's contents
are based on the research report, Put Reading First, which was a joint effort of
the National Institute for Literacy, the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development, and the U.S. Department of Education. This is the all-in-one
resource that helps you take up the challenge of helping all children become
successful readers. BTH-125. $17.99
 Reproducible
Little Books for Sight Words by Patricia Tilton, Teacher Created
Resources, 2006. For grades K-2. There are several different activities in this
book designed to reinforce the recognition of the sight words it teaches. The
various activities are based on flash cards, homework stories, story books,
library boxes, cut-up sentences, and running records. 176 pages. BTH-3749.
$16.19-D
 Sight
Word Puzzles and Activities: Building a Strong Foundation for Reading Fluency
and Comprehension by Sue Lewis and Suzanne Abrams. Creative Teaching
Press, 2004. Includes 165 Dolch sight words. In order to learn sight words,
beginning readers need lots of repetition and practice that includes reading,
writing, and saying the words. This book provides the following puzzle formats
to give them this repetition; flash cards, word matches, word searches, codes,
scrambled sentences, mazes, and crossword puzzles. A word list, instructions,
and an answer key are provided to help the parent or teacher. 96 pages.
BTH-1385. $12.59-D
 Success
with Sight Words: Multisensory Ways to Teach High-Frequency Words by
Sara Throop. Creative Teaching Press, 1999. This book includes a wide selection
of hands-on activities that use kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning
learning styles. There are plenty of games, chants, art projects, recipes
for tasting, many more activities that will make it easy to learn and
remember sight words. There are also suggestions for using word walls. Teacher
helps include reproducible pages for student assessment, management, and
parent involvement. This book will help children to learn their sight words no
matter what their learning styles. 80 pages. BTH-667. $10.79-D
Two
Can Read Series by Edupress
This innovative series is designed to give older
children practice reading to younger children, while letting the younger children share in
the reading at their own level.
Each full-color book features two reading levels (target grades 1 and 3+) on
alternating pages. Lower level readers are exposed to higher level vocabulary and more
complex sentences, while higher level readers have the opportunity to practice and model
their reading skills. This series is ideal for home school families, for
peer tutoring, or for any other situation where readers have two different ability levels.
The left-hand page, which consists of a simple sentence or two, is in
slightly larger print for lower level readers. The right hand side is a paragraph (or two
or three smaller ones) in regular print.
Attractive full-color illustrations on both sides integrate the story and keep readers of
all levels interested.
The stories themselves are interesting enough to motivate readers to continue.
The last page contains activities related to the theme of the book so that older reader,
teacher or parent
can involved the younger reader in talking about the book.
There are also hands-on activities suitable for both levels (all primaries).
See the books.
My price is $2.69-D each
 Word
Chunks: Activities for Learning Word Families by Carol K, Martin.
Teacher Created Materials. 96 pages. For grades K-2. This book helps children
learn word families with visual clues and hands-on manipulative activities. It
helps them improve reading, spelling, and comprehension as they become better at
recognizing familiar parts of words. It helps teachers get started in teaching
word chunks, provides daily plans, an assessment record, and reproducible
activity pages. 96 pages. TCM-3287. $10.79-D
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