Quick Reads
QuickReads is a supplemental literacy intervention program that improves students’ fluency, comprehension, and content knowledge. Short, nonfiction texts are read quickly, repeatedly, and meaningfully. Quick Reads passages are short, high interest, non-fiction texts on social studies and science topics designed to be read meaningfully in one minute.
What is fluency? Author Elfrieda “Freddy” Hiebert says it’s “not speed reading.” Hiebert observes: “What we’re talking about is getting kids to read at rates where they’re not thinking about the words they’re decoding.”
The instructional routine takes just 15 minutes a day, 3 to 4 times per week, so it’s easy to fit Quick Reads into your curriculum. Use the program with at-risk students, English language learners, and for tutoring. It’s perfect for an after school or summer school program too.
Grade 2-6 Savvas Education
The Instructional Routine
- Overview of the Instructional Routine: The QuickReads instructional routine is comprised of three parts or three “Reads.” QuickReads is appropriate for either whole class or small group instruction. A QuickReads lesson, which involves completing the instructional routine for one passage, takes approximately 15 minutes. Materials Teachers will need a stopwatch, watch, or clock with a second hand. The laminated instructional routine card is an optional teacher support resource that outlines the three read process. Every student will need a copy of the student book.
- The First Read: The first read begins with activating background knowledge. Ask students to look at the passage illustration, read the caption and think about what they already know about the topic. Ask students to scan the passage looking for new and unfamiliar words and underline these words in their student book. You may ask students what challenging words they found and then you provide a brief definition of these harder words. Now ask students to read the entire passage quietly and then complete the graphic organizer with key words or ideas that will help them remember the passage content. The graphic organizers are located at the end of each topic in the student books.
- The Second Read The Second Read is the modeled read. Read the passage aloud to the class asking them to follow along as you read. Read the passage in one minute, which is the goal rate for the passage. Ask students to reflect on what the author wants them to remember about the passage.
- The Third Read The third read is the timed read. Ask students to begin reading when you tell them to start. Students will read independently and quietly to themselves. This is not a class choral reading of the passage. At one minute, have students circle the last word they read in their student book. Students determine the number of words they read in one minute using the superscript numbers to assist them. Students then chart their score on the Self-Check Graph located at the back of the student book. As a final check of comprehension, students complete the review questions for the passage.
