Screen Shot from Wonderopolis When we have used Wonderopolis, we have intended to use it as a basis for our comprehension. Wonderopolis is an informational article that is published on the web daily. Its title is usually a question: Who Invented Pizza?, How Are Pickles Made?, and the like. Our class uses this site to explore and respond to nonfiction text. Throughout the year, we work on finding evidence to support understanding, compare and contrast two sources of information, draw conclusions (make inferences and predictions), and summarize.
Now we can use Wonderopolis in an all new way. Last week, I thought of a new way to use this tool to assist students in increasing their reading fluency. When we mention fluency in reading, we refer to the rate at which a person reads aloud, with a goal of reaching a conversational speed. After finding the Wonderopolis website, students may choose to allow the site to read the article of the day out loud. As the passage is read - in a semi-robotic voice - the words are highlighted on the screen. Instead of listening to listening to the computer, the student may mute the sound and read the article aloud, trying to stay ahead of the moving highlights. In this way, a fourth grader may read more conversationally, with a goal of reaching more than 140 words per minute by the end of our school year.
Now we can use Wonderopolis in an all new way. Last week, I thought of a new way to use this tool to assist students in increasing their reading fluency. When we mention fluency in reading, we refer to the rate at which a person reads aloud, with a goal of reaching a conversational speed. After finding the Wonderopolis website, students may choose to allow the site to read the article of the day out loud. As the passage is read - in a semi-robotic voice - the words are highlighted on the screen. Instead of listening to listening to the computer, the student may mute the sound and read the article aloud, trying to stay ahead of the moving highlights. In this way, a fourth grader may read more conversationally, with a goal of reaching more than 140 words per minute by the end of our school year.
Working on this will give students more exposure to words and more practice identifying words. Our hope is that our fourth graders will move beyond sounding out letter combinations. By reading more conversationally, comprehension should naturally follow. I plan to use the Wonderopolis more often, but will do so with different emphasis and differing standards in mind. Feel free to visit the site on the weekends, as well.
