FLUENCYHow you can use different strategies to increase your students’ fluency

WHAT IS FLUENCY?

Rate---how fast---not too slow; not too fast

Accuracy---how correctly the words are said

Prosody---expression; smoothness

WHY SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT FLUENCY?

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

READ ALOUD

Students need to hear how a good reader reads fluently

Teacher led read alouds using great expression show proper fluency

Students have a role model on how they should read

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BUDDY OR STUDENT-TEACHER READING

Working in guided reading groups, one on one tutoring sessions, or buddy/partner readings also models fluent reading for students

Students can also increase their accuracy by pairing students with higher functioning readers or with a tutor/teacher

Echo reading also allows students to hear the text read by a teacher and then allows them to try it on their own

REPEATED READINGS

Repeated readings of familiar text allows students to become more accurate and more speedy

Younger students can re-read the same story repeatedly

Repeated readings can also be used to graph progress of fluency rate

SIX MINUTE FLUENCY SOLUTION

Minute 1: Students gather materials & go to their assigned location

Minute 2: Partner 1 reads & Partner 2 monitors

Minute 3: Peer conference & graphing

Minute 4: Partner 2 reads & Partner 1 monitors

Minute 5: Peer conference & graphing

Minute 6: Materials are put away

Program from Sopris-West How It Works

SIX MINUTE FLUENCY COMPARISON

Only takes a few minutes Students are self-directed Based on students’

independent reading level—program provides multiple levels

Graphing provides monitoring progress

RTI approved intervention Nonfiction text-exposes

new content information

Students may be inaccurate in peer monitoring & graphing

Teachers must be flexible in grouping due to levels, number of students, absences

Nonfiction—does not lend itself to students practicing reading with expression

Pros Cons

WORD LISTS

Repeated readings of word lists are also helpful with younger students or struggling readers

High Frequency words or Word family lists Chunking—repeated readings of familiar,

common phrases students see in their daily reading

Games & Centers can be created to practice these words or phrases

http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/studentCenterActivities23.shtm

READER’S THEATRE Scripts/plays that allow students to practice

prosody well

Can be as simple or extravagant as the teacher chooses---simply read script from desks to acting out the play with props and costumes

www.readingatoz.com www.edhelper.com http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/index.html http://www.teachingheart.net/

readerstheater.htm http://www.storiestogrowby.com/script.html

UNIQUE SCRIPTED READINGS

Call and Response

Choral Readings

Script for Two Voices

POETRY

Repeated reading of poetry suggested by IRA states that students can read the same poem to different people repeatedly---Poem in Your Pocket

Memorization of Poems for advanced readers can help with students accuracy and expression

Develop Reading Fluency Using Poetry by Teacher Created Resources

FLUENCY IS WORTHWHILE

Fluency activities will make a difference in your students’ daily readings and assessments

Fluency is a key building block to help students achieve good comprehension and to help students enjoy reading