six minute solutions

1. Six Minute Solutions
Erica Boykin and Emily Schussler

2. What does the
research say?
 There is a high correlation between comprehension
and fluency. Comprehension suffers when students
lack fluency.
 If students are not fluent, cognitive energies are
focused on decoding and word recognition and
therefore are not available for comprehension.
 44% of 4th grade readers are not fluent readers
according to NAEP (National Assessment of
Educational Progress)

3. What is
fluency?
Reasonably accurate reading
at an appropriate rate with
suitable prosody that leads
to accurate and deep
comprehension and
motivation to read.
Hasbrouk & Glaser (2012)

4. Why Six Minute Solutions?
The 6 Minute Solution is a researchbased, highly effective instructional
procedure for grades k-8 that builds
reading fluency in only 6 minutes of the
instructional day
It is quick and easy
Benefits good readers
as well as struggling readers

5. Why teach fluency?
 Guided, repeated oral-reading
procedures are appropriate and
valuable avenues for increasing
reading fluency and overall
reading achievement
 Fluency practice supports
comprehension
 As students build fluency through
rereading, they accumulate a larger
reading vocabulary

7.  Minute 1 - Get Ready: Students organize their
materials, records date on their graph, and prepare to get
started
 Minute 2 - Partner 1 Reads: The student has 1 minute to
read the passage while partner two marks any errors partner
1 might have made and the stopping point on (P-2 marks P-1
errors and stopping point on his/her Practice Passage with
marker)
 Minute 3 - Partner 2 Provided Feedback: Partner 2 tells P1 how many words read, number of errors and provided
positive suggestions for next time (P-1 records number on
his/her Fluency Graph and P-2 wipes off markings on his/her
Practice Passage and gives marker to P-1)
 Minute 4 - Partner 2 Reads: same procedure as minute 2
 Minute 5 - Partner 1 Provided Feedback: Same Procedure
as minute 3
 Minute 6 – Students Put Away Materials

9. How do I know if they are
making gains?

10. Materials
 Timer (1 per partner) or Smart Board
Presentation
 One portfolio for each set of partners that
contains:
- 2 copies of the same Practice Passages
laminated or in a plastic sleeve (1 for each
student)
- 2 copies of the Fluency Record or Fluency
Graph (1 for each student)
- One dry erase marker and erasing cloth in a
Ziploc plastic bag

11.  Students read the same passage all week
 Pre-Assess students before starting the
program using the assessment to identify
current level
 Optional: your could have the students
preview the entire passage (whisper read) on
day 1 or have no time limit on day one
 Optional: to incorporate comprehension
strategies or summary writing you could
extend the time on day 5 (ideas can be found
in Chapter 8)

12. How do I determine
where to start my
students?
 Students may be placed at their instructional
or independent level for the purpose of
reading fluency (Students should never
practice fluency with passage in which their
reading is less than 90% accuracy)

13. What is
fluency?
Reasonably accurate reading
at an appropriate rate with
suitable prosody that leads
to accurate and deep
comprehension and
motivation to read.
Hasbrouk & Glaser (2012)