Increasing Reading Stamina and

Comprehension
Second Grade Reading

This lesson provides teachers with an opportunity to teach students about reading stamina and assess student
comprehension during independent reading.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to read and comprehend a text at their independent reading level.

Materials and preparation Key terms

Class set of the Reading Stamina Chart fiction

worksheet retell
Class set of the Paragraph Frame Worksheet for reading stamina
Fictional Text Retell
Class set of the Finding Just-Right Books
worksheet
A variety of grade level fictional texts
Familiar fictional text or book
Reading logs or journals
Glue or tape
Coloring materials (optional)

Attachments

Reading Stamina Chart (PDF)

Paragraph Frame Worksheet for Fictional Text Retell (PDF)
Finding Just-Right Books (PDF)

Introduction (10 minutes)

Project the Reading Stamina Chart on the whiteboard.

Circle the words reading stamina and ask the students if they know what reading stamina means. Allow
a few students to offer responses. Say, "Reading stamina means being able to stick with something for
long periods of time. This stamina, or endurance, builds strength. Stamina can also be used when playing
a sport or creating an art project. We can build our reading stamina by choosing 'just right books,' or
books that we can read independently, without really struggling to read the words, for at least 15–20
minutes!"
Project the Finding Just-Right Books worksheet on the whiteboard and briefly explain how to use the five
finger rule to figure out if a book is at their independent reading level.
Explain to students that today they will be working on their reading stamina as they read a "just right"
fictional text independently. Write and read the following learning objectives in student-friendly terms
and have the students choral chant the learning objectives back to you:
I can increase my reading stamina by reading a "just right" book independently.
I can retell a story after reading a "just right" fictional text.
EL

Beginning:

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 Practice finding "just right" fictional texts with students prior to the lesson.
Define reading stamina in English and student's home language (L1) if the student is literate.

Intermediate: Allow students to practice finding a "just right" book using the Finding Just-Right Books
worksheet.

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (5 minutes)

Choose a short fictional text that you and your students are very familiar with. Briefly discuss that a
fictional text or book is a story that is imaginary, or pretend.
Show the students the cover and explain that you are going to pretend that you have just read the book
independently for 20 minutes.
Keep the Reading Stamina Chart projected on the whiteboard and explicitly model how to fill in the date
and shade in the bar graph up to the number 20.
EL

Beginning: Allow students to work in a small, teacher-led group to practice filling out the Reading Stamina
Chart.

Intermediate: Allow students to sit near the front of the classroom during the teacher modeling.

Guided Practice (10 minutes)

Project the Paragraph Frame Worksheet for Fictional Text Retell on the whiteboard. Read through the
paragraph frame aloud and model filling it out, searching in the fictional text for answers. Allow students
to help you fill out the chart when appropriate.
Ask a student to read the completed paragraph aloud when you are finished.
Say, "Increasing our reading stamina can make us better readers! We can also become better readers by
retelling the stories that we read!"
EL

Beginning: Allow students to continue working in a small, teacher-led group during this activity.

Intermediate: Encourage students to help you fill out the Paragraph Frame Worksheet for Fictional Text Retell.

Independent working time (30 minutes)

Pass out copies of the Reading Stamina Chart to students and tell them to glue the chart in their reading
log or journal. Next, pass out a copy of the Paragraph Frame Worksheet for Fictional Text Retell. Guide
them to glue the worksheet in their reading logs or journals, too. Provide copies of the Finding Just-Right
Books worksheet for students to use as a tool to figure out if a book is at their independent reading level.
Give students a few minutes to choose a short fictional text at their reading level from the classroom
library. Emphasize that during independent reading time, they should have eyes looking at their story,
read to understand, and have quiet mouths and quiet hands.
Write the following directions on the board:
1. Use the Finding Just-Right Books worksheet to choose a book.
2. Fill out your Reading Stamina Chart.
3. Complete the Paragraph Frame Worksheet for Fictional Text Retell.
Rotate around the room and help students as needed.
EL

Beginning:

Allow students to work in a small, teacher-led group, and listen to a simplified text in English or (L1) or
read a simplified text aloud to a teacher.
Allow students to listen to a recording of a simple fictional story online.
Allow students to orally retell the story.
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Intermediate:

Allow students to work with a partner.

Encourage students to paraphrase each page in their own words to support comprehension.

Related books and/or media

Find interactive books for each child’s level.

Differentiation

Support: Allow students to read their text aloud to a teacher or partner. Guide students as they fill out the
Reading Stamina Chart and Paragraph Frame Worksheet for Fictional Text Retell.

Enrichment: Allow students to illustrate their favorite part of the story in their reading log or journal.
Encourage the students to write a few sentences on why this was their favorite part of the story.

Assessment (5 minutes)

Have students read their completed Paragraph Frame aloud to a partner.

Rotate around the room and listen to the students, paying attention to how comfortable the students
seem during retell, body language, and whether or not the students included important characters and
events from the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Collect the Paragraph Frames as a formative assessment.
EL

Beginning: Allow the students to retell the story to a teacher.

Intermediate: Encourage the students to read through the completed paragraph frame twice, focusing on oral
fluency.

Review and closing (4 minutes)

Provide students with the following questions and instruct them to share their answers with a partner:
How does increasing your reading stamina and retelling a story make you a better reader?
Can you retell the story you read using the words beginning, middle, and end?
EL

Beginning:

Allow the student to explain reading stamina in their own words.

Provide a word bank of key terms related to reading stamina for students to refer to as they explain
reading stamina.

Intermediate: Allow students to share the answer to one of the questions.

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Name: _______________________________ Date: ______________________

I Can Increase My Reading Stamina!

Student Directions:
Paste this chart in your reading journal or log to keep track of your reading stamina!
20
18
16
14
Minutes

12
10
8
6
4
2

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

Date

Name: _______________________________ Date: ______________________

I Can Increase My Reading Stamina!

Student Directions:
Paste this chart in your reading journal or log to keep track of your reading stamina!
20
18
16
14
Minutes

12
10
8
6
4
2

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

Date
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 Name: Date:

Paragraph Frame Worksheet for Fictional Text Retell

Teacher Directions: Cut out the paragraph frame and distribute to each child in your class.
Have students paste the paragraph frame in their reading journals. Responses will vary.

Title of Story: Title of Story:

This story is about a This story is about a

. .

First, First,

. .

Then, Then,

. .

Finally, Finally,

. .

The learned The learned

. .

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Name: Date:

Finding Just-Right Books

Teacher instructions: After introducing the classroom library to students, have them complete this exercise
with a book they choose on their own..

Directions: As you read, put a finger up every time you cannot figure out a word’s meaning using context
clues. Write down each word below.

Book Title:

Author:

Word # 3:

Word # 2:
Word # 4:

Word # 1: Word # 5:

Now circle whether the book is too easy, too hard, or just right:

0-1 words 2-4 words 5 or more words

Too easy Just right Too hard
Find a more challenging book! Give this book a try! Try again later!
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