The+Great+Poetry+Race

Our class has begun **__The Great Poetry Race__**. A poem will be given to the students for them to practice reading aloud. Your child needs to read the poem to as many different people as possible throughout the given amount of time... usually about three weeks. After your child reads the poem, the person who was read to signs the back of the poem.

Please return the poems to school on the due date. If you need more room than is on the back of the poem, attach a sheet of notebook paper! The students that read the poem to at least 15 different people will have the opportunity to join me for lunch in the classroom for **lunch bunch**!

The purpose of The Great Poetry Race is to build **reading fluency**. Reading fluency is when children are able to read accurately with expression. Research shows that when students read texts multiple times, their fluency increases. This in turn improves comprehension.

Students are not required to read the poem a certain number of times. I hope that The Great Poetry Race will be an enjoyable way for your child to practice reading for an audience while improving both fluency and comprehension.

Students may read a poem to a person more than once, **__but the person can only sign the paper one time.__** Read to adult siblings, aunts, grandparents, people at church, sporting events…the possibilities are endless! If your friends and family live out of town, your child may read to them on the phone. Please sign the person’s name for them and please be honest about who your child has read to. Please let me know if you have any questions! I believe this will be a fun way for your child to boost their confidence and reading fluency at the same time. Mr. DeLauder