This packet of 41 short selections can be used regularly over the course of a school year to help students build fluency. There are enough passages to work on one per week - to two weeks. This source provides a protocol outlining strategies to engage students in short, daily fluency practice. Teachers can also send passages home for additional practice. To access the packet, select "View File" to download.

This packet is designed to strengthen the components of reading fluency: accuracy, rate, and prosody (expression). Students should understand what they are reading, thus embedded supports, such as student glossaries and ‘right there’ comprehension questions, are included. However, these passages are not intended for close reading or deep comprehension work.

Note for teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs): Regular fluency practice is essential for helping ELLs improve their overall literacy skills. Those acquiring a second language benefit especially from additional support with decoding, pronunciation, word identification, and prosody—all of which are the focus of regular fluency practice. Activities found in the Achieve the Core Fluency Packet reflect several best practices for English Language Learner instruction including:
• Having a text read aloud by a fluent reader prior to the student engaging with the text.
• Giving students multiple opportunities to hear the text read aloud by a fluent reader so that they can mirror the pronunciation and prosody of well-spoken English.
• Providing repeated opportunities for students to practice decoding skills both on their own and with support via active monitoring.
• Providing opportunities for students to learn new vocabulary through the use of student-friendly definitions, and to reinforce newly learned vocabulary through repeated practice with the same text and opportunities to use that vocabulary to respond to comprehension questions.
• Calling out work with “juicy sentences,” a strategy developed by Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore, that allows students to look deeply at word choice, sentence structure, and other text features that build their understanding of how English is used to convey different meanings.
• Providing numbered lines that allow students to quickly focus-in on specific sections of the text.
• Providing space for students to annotate the text with their own notes.

Simple written response from students to evaluate level of understanding and existing questions

Students are introduced to a brief history of animal research through a timeline mapping activity. A discussion abnout significant events and trends helps students understand the impacts of history on today's regulations, governing bodies, and uses of animals in research.