Practicing Fluency & Comprehension Through Podcasting

DESCRIPTION:
This lesson plan is intended to practice peer-tutoring through the use of podcasting. Students will now have a peer-tutor to help them read difficult text anywhere there is internet access.

OBJECTIVES:
~Students will learn how to create a podcast and correctly upload and share podcasts.

~Students will practice reading fluency and comprehension by (1) creating podcasts and (2) practicing skills through the use of such podcasts.

PROCEDURES:
Students should be familiar or be taught the concepts of fluency and comprehension before lesson begins. A lesson on podcasting and use of equipment should also be completed before beginning this lesson.

1. Teacher will review concepts of fluency, comprehension, and podcasting with the class.

2. At the beginning of each week, students will look at required readings from all textbooks (Social Studies, Science, Reading, etc.). The class will determine which reading assignment may be the most difficult to read. This should be the lesson that the class will podcast (for example, Science book, chapter 3).

3. Students will read chapter as a class with the teacher to decode difficult words.

4. Students will pair up to practice reading selection with fluency. Teacher will monitor students as they read the selction aloud.

5. Teacher will break selection into smaller "chunks", such as by page or paragraph and assign these chunks to select students. Students should be selected on a rotating basis so every student practices podcasting. (No student should be forced to read while being recorded. Teacher should assign a different task to students who are not comfortable being recorded).

6. On Tuesday, students begin recording reading passages, combining the different passages, and creating a complete audio file of the selected text.

7. Teacher/students will upload completed podcast according to school district guidelines. (Check your state, district, and school policies before uploading any content).

8. Students then can practice reading fluency and comprehension by listening to podcast as they reread the selected text. Students can also promote their podcasts to other students in the school who are reading the same passages.


ASSESSMENT:
~ Formative: The teacher will assess through observation and discussion to monitor understanding.
~Summative: Chapter tests, reading comprehension tests, etc.

STANDARDS:
ISTE Standards for Students Addressed in lesson:

1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.

2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

Students:

a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:

a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.

5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.
c. troubleshoot systems and applications.
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.