Looking back at the beginning of the year...

This year I really emphasized to my kids..."you must be fluent readers! We will practice, practice, practice."
 "It will happen," I kept telling myself. These are 5th graders that have struggled with reading since they were little. Many are just on the verge of a break through...moving from a reader who uses all their energy to decode to a student who reads for meaning. I spent hours of research in books and online.
I needed a plan! Putting together all the ideas I found, I came up with a focus for my reading groups. Finally--A plan! It was surprisingly simple and it wasn't even "new". It was just focused and it worked!
Here it is...http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Group-Design-Focus-Fluency
We followed this cycle using a variety of text. Repeatedly reading aloud boosted fluency and words per minute. I was pleasantly surprised when I finished mid-year reading assessments!