1. Handout 1: Word and Phrase Recognition Exercises
Directions: Look at the keyword on the left. Read the other four words on the same line as
quickly as you can. When you see the same word, cross it out and continue to the next line.
Work as quickly as you can.
direct
distinct
donate
direct
detect
When you are finished, record your time. Then correct your work and write the number of
correct answers at the end of the exercise.
The goal, over time, is to increase your speed (go faster) and accuracy (get more correct
answers). Remember! It is okay to make mistakes when you are trying to improve your speed!
Good luck!
Keyword
1. fluency
fluent
fluency
flood
flower
2. assisted
associated
associate
asserted
assisted
3. reading
rioting
rotating
reading
weeding
4. recorded
resorted
resealed
recoiled
recorded
5. explanatory
explanation
expletive
explanatory
exploratory
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. to find a cure
to find a treasure
to find a cure
to find a solution
2. catch the bus
catch the bus
catch the ball
catch the flu
3. on the table
on the shelf
in the box
on the table
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In each exercise, students would complete 12-15 items and record the time and the number of
correct answers at the bottom of their page.
The task can also be completed a second time, but with the items rearranged on the page.
Time: _________ seconds
Number correct: ___________ / number of items

2. Handout 2: Semantic-Connection and Lexical Access Exercises
Directions: Look at the key word on the left. Then read the four other words on the same line as
quickly as you can. When you see the word that does not belong in the same group as the
keyword, cross it out and continue to the next line.
1. bus
train
fish
car
boat
2. blue
green
purple
soft
yellow
3. squirrel
monkey
cat
tree
dolphin
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Text Sample for oral reading exercises
Cell phones are everywhere: in cars, in restaurants, at concerts, and even on the subway. I
worry a lot about drivers who use cell phones. They pay more attention to the telephone
conversations that they are having than to the drivers around them. When they are on the
phone, they are not concentrating on other cars, making turns, or stopping at red lights. They
are really dangerous.
Talking on a cell phone in a public place may not be as dangerous, but it is annoying. I don’t
understand why, but when people are on the phone, they are loud, much louder than they are
in face-to-face conversations. Even worse, people discuss very personal subjects that I don’t
want to know about. For example, the other day, I was going home on the bus and I heard a
phone ringing. The passenger in the seat behind me took out her cell phone and answered.
“Yes, they had a good time at the party last night.” “Of course, Ricky was there.” “Oh, no, he
was there with Susan.” “Oh, didn’t you hear? He broke up with Marlene.”
I had to listen to these personal details about people that I don’t know and don’t care about. I
finally got tired of this conversation that I got up, got off the bus, and walked the rest of the
way home. I wanted to have a little peace and quiet.

3. Select References (Reading Fluency)
Blevins, W. (2001). Building fluency: Lessons and strategies for reading success. New York, NY:
Scholastic.
Cohen, J. (2011). Building fluency through the repeated reading method. English Teaching
Forum 49(3), 20-27.
Grabe, W. (2010). Fluency in reading—thirty-five years on. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22,
71-83.
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F.L. (2011). Teaching and researching reading (2nd ed.). New York: Pearson
Longman.
Kuhn, M., & Schwanenflugel, P. (Eds.). (2008). Fluency in the classroom. New York, NY: Guilford
Press.
Moskal, M., & Blachowicz, C. (2006). Partnering for fluency. New York, NY: Guildford Press.
Opitz, M. F. (2007). Don’t speed. Read! 12 steps to smart and sensible fluency instruction. NY:
Scholastic.
Rasinski, T. (Ed.). (2009). Essential readings on fluency. Newark, DE: International Reading
Association.
Rasinski, T. (2010). The fluent reader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Scholastic.
Rasinski, T., Blachowicz, C., & Lems, K. (Eds.). (2006). Fluency instruction: Research-based best
practices. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Samuels, S. J., & Farstrup, A. E. (Eds.). (2006). What research has to say about fluency
instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Using Corpora with L2 Students
Liu, D., & Jiang, P. (2009). Using a Corpus-Based Lexicogrammatical Approach to Grammar
Instruction in EFL and ESL Contexts. The Modern Language Journal, 93(i), 61-78.