The Power of Video for Fluency Practice!

 

Trying to work with students 6 feet apart on fluency skills while in mask is a challenge. I have been modeling fluency skills but was trying to wrap my head around how to best support students with their growth in oral reading. I had an idea and decided to test it out on a Wednesday since the entire class is remote.

There is a lot of power in video as a tool, so I decided to see if I could create a learning experience for students to build their fluency skills. I created an assignment in Google Classroom using Flipgrid for those students with parent permission and Screencastify Submit for those students who did not have permission to use Flipgrid. This was a great way to push the assignment out, as every child had the same assignment even if the tool was different.

 

I spent some time watching the first two minutes of each video. Laughter escaped my lips as students greeted me and shared which book they were reading. Some students found picture books and made time to share the pictures and others did the same with graphic novels. I was not expecting any of that, so it warmed my teacher heart that students felt the video was an extension of a conversation between us. Using Flipgrid I was able to give students direct feedback in the app. This is a great feature of Flipgrid! Students who used Screencastify Submit I was able to email directly.

I commented on student successes and then gave some constructive feedback about what to work on for the next time. Students read in longer phrases but needed to pause at punctuation. Others read with intonation while some read at the same speed and voice. This was an opportunity to discuss voice when we read aloud! I modeled different ways to read out loud. The first time I read I was told I sounded like a boring robot. The second time students identified how I changed my voice and how engaging I was as a reader.

Tomorrow students are tasked with responding to my feedback. I have asked them to share a goal they have to improve their fluency. Discussions with students can happen over video and email. After all, it is about building relationships with our students!