Moving With Nonsense Word Fluency
One of the primary components of differentiated instruction is the need for constant and continual progress monitoring and assessment. ย Without knowing where our students are ‘at,’ we can not possible know how to instruction them. It’s a cycle.ย
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But let’s face it: progress monitoring and assessment can be so boring, especially for 5โand 6-year-olds. So my job is to make it fun. When it comes to nonsense word fluency, here’s how I do it.
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My classroom is boy-heavy (I think it’s been boy-heavy for the last 5 yearsย but being a mom of three boys, I’m ok with that.) and, because of that, I am always looking for ways to get my little guys (and gals) moving. ย These little foamies that can be purchased at most dollar stores fits the ticket perfectly.ย
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First of all, they are available for nearly every holiday and theme. ย These flower ones work perfectly for spring, but I also have eggs and pumpkins and gingerbread men. ย It’s amazing what ย little change in theme does for a student’s interest andย engagement. ย
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I simply write a number of different nonsense words on as many as 35 of theseย foamies and line them up in my classroom or down the hall. ย
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My students LOVE saying the word (or the sounds if they haven’t quite mastered reading the word yet) and getting to hop to the next foamie. ย I always explain that this is a ‘beat our best score’ game. ย Students aren’t playing againstย each other. ย They play against their last number of words (or sounds) read in minute. ย We talkย a lot about setting goals and making improvements to ourselvesย throughout the year, and I really believe that setting that standard of expectation from the beginning of the year helps.
I don’t hearย a lot of banter about who got what back and forth, but I do hear ‘I improved by 2,’ or ‘I am going to get three more next time.’ ย Most importantly, they beg to ‘race the clock.’ ย They love it, and I get the best results you can imagine. I know where they are ‘at,’ who ย is improving but needs more practice, and who has mastered this skill and can move on.ย
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Marsha Moffit McGuire
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