Routine · Fluency
Timed reading with a graph
Time a one-minute reading of the same passage over several days and graph the words read correctly.
- Time
- 5 to 8 minutes
- Skill
- Fluency
- In a session plan
- Reading connected text
When to use it
For students who are accurate but slow and who like to see their own progress.
Materials
- A passage with running word totals in the margin
- A timer
- A simple bar graph sheet
Steps
Get ready
Show the graph. Explain that the student will read for one minute and color in how many words they read right.
I do
Read the first few lines to show a good pace: not racing, with pauses at full stops.
You do
Start the timer. The student reads for one minute while you mark errors on your copy.
Student: Reads aloud for one minute.
We do
Go over any missed words together. Read the tricky sentence together.
You do
The student reads for one minute again. Count words read correctly.
Check
The student colors the bar for their best reading and compares it to last time.
If the student...
Misreads a word during the timed minute.
Mark it but do not stop the timer. After the minute, point to the word, blend it together, and have the student read the whole sentence again.
Speeds up and loses expression.
Model the sentence with natural phrasing, have the student echo you, and remind them that smooth beats fast.
Tips
- Keep the graph about the student against themselves, never against classmates.
- One to one, let the student start and stop the timer. It gives them ownership.
- Use the same passage until the student reaches a goal you set together, then move to a new one.
Original routines written by Literacy Trail. In the app, every routine is filled with your student's lesson.
Related routines
- Repeated readingRead the same short decodable passage three or four times, a little smoother each time.5 to 8 minutes · Reading connected text
- Reading in phrasesRead a text marked with slashes at phrase breaks, so the student groups words the way speech does.4 to 7 minutes · Reading connected text
- First read of decodable textRead sentences or a short passage made of words the student can decode, using today's pattern.4 to 8 minutes · Reading connected text
- Partner readingTwo students take turns reading the same text aloud, with the listener following and helping.5 to 10 minutes · Reading connected text
Have this routine filled in for every lesson
In Literacy Trail, the session plan picks a routine for each block and fills it with the words, sounds and sentence from your student's lesson. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.