Triple Wing Ding Reading Blast

After I ask a story based off of one of Anne Matava's scripts or my own, I always treat my students to a Triple Wing Ding Reading Blast. What is this?

Story #1 - First I ask the story. This takes anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes. The next class we read the story we created together I often write these while standing up front and students listen to their Song by Week. Simple. Less than, and sometimes much less than, 250 words for novice is my general rule. If I don't finish it in time, I ask them to help me as we discuss the details. When I get to a half page, I ask myself "Can they sustain focus for more? Is it compelling?" If so, we'll finish it in stride. If not, I'll wrap it up.

I prefer to start with read and discuss (dialogic reading). Then they volleyball read it. They should know most if not all the words by now, and so they will build processing speed with this translation activity. Volleyball reading also allows me to "switch it up" from the teacher-and-class routine and to circle around the room listening (a nice break). I recommend telling students at the beginning of this activity, "If you finish the story, start over from the beginning with the other person reading the first sentence."

Story #2 - Next, I pull up an older story based on the same script or a close adaption of it. I've got loads of these archived so that I can pull them up at a moment's notice. I usually don't decide which one I'll read with them (out of 2-5 that I may have for that specific script) until the last moment. Two reasons: I want to choose based on which reading will best mirror their class story (comprehensibility), and because I procrastinate these types of things.

With this second story, there are a plethora of reading approaches one could take advantage of:

-dialogic reading (read and discuss)

-listen and draw

-reader's theatre

-speed read

-listen and act/TPR

-dictation/running dictation

-garageband (audio/visual podcast)

-textivate

-volleyball reading

And I musn't forget about look-and-discuss, which isn't a reading approach but rather a prompt for more verbal interaction. The illustration of the story, which I make sure to acquire for every story I have, guides the conversation and illicits output from students)

(There is no reason why this second story need be limited to one single reading. To be sure, I can draw this out and do the same story with different approaches or a different story with whatever approach.)

Story #3 - With this final story, I prefer to have them do a fluency assessment of some type (more input and also an Interpretive Communication grade if needed):

-speed read (followed by comprehension questions or summary in L1 or L2, or illustration)

-speed translation (written/spoken)

And/or optionally paired with an output activity:

-retell

-rewrite

-parralel story timed write