Reasons for Teaching & Assessing Reading FluencyReading
FluencyDefinitionA good analogy for understanding reading fluency
comes from public speaking. Fluent public speakers embed in their
voices those same elements that are associated with reading fluency
accuracy in speech, appropriate speed, and phrasing and expression.
The speakers use of these aspects of fluency facilitates the
listeners comprehension. Speaking in appropriate phrases,
emphasizing certain words, raising and lowering volume, and varying
intonation help the listener understand what the speaker is trying
to communicate (Timothy Rasinski)Elements to Good FluencyAccurate
reading of connected text at a conversational rateAppropriate
prosody or expressionRequires automaticityReviewing the Working
Memory & Long Term MemoryRead/listen to the following passages
and say what they mean.Read the following passage:Did you find that
you needed only a minimum of visual cues from the printed text to
understand it?What prior knowledge did you call on to make sense of
the selection?To what extent did your knowledge of stories
influence your understanding and reduce the certainly of the
task?
The Role of AutomaticityLimited capacity of attention and
working memory in cognitive processingAttentional capacity is
limited, so more resources are available for word
comprehensionComprehension requires higher order processes that
cannot become automatic, word identification must become the
automatic processLink between Reading Accuracy & Reading
ProficiencyWord-reading accuracy refers to the ability to recognize
words correctly.Poor word-reading accuracy has obvious negative
influences on reading comprehension and fluencyApproximately 95%
word recognition accuracy is considered adequate for instructional
level readingAutomaticity is most often assessed by determining a
readers reading rate on a grade level passage in words per minute
(Timothy Rasinski)
Assessing Reading AccuracyObserving a students reading and
counting the number of errors per 100 words can provide invaluable
informationRunning Records (Marie Clay, 1984, 1993)
Assessing Rate
Measuring reading rate should encompass consideration of both
word-reading automaticity and reading speed in connected
text.Assessing ProsodyProsody can only be measured through
observation of an oral reading of a connected text. A teacher can
listen to the students inflection, expression, and use of vocal
tone to represent characters mental states, such as excitement,
sadness, fear or confidence.
Evidence-based Instructional Methods to Develop FluencyModel
fluent oral reading (Rasinski, 2003)Provide students with plenty of
materials at their independent reading level to read on their own
(Allington, 2000)Offer many opportunities for practice using
repeated readings of difficult text (Rasinski, 2003)Readers Theater
Radio ReadingSelf-Recordings
