Fluency Summary and Links

Fluency is the ability to read text accurately and quickly and bridges word decoding and comprehension. While comprehension is understanding what has been read, fluency is a set of skills that allows readers to rapidly decode text while maintaining high comprehension.

There are a number of instructional activities to strengthen fluency in the classroom including assisted reading, echo reading, paired reading, partner reading, structured repeated reading, choral reading, reader’s theater, and radio reading. As teachers we need to foster a love for reading as the only way to really have students conquer fluency is to continue to enjoy reading at home as ardent readers. The more they read, the more successful they will become. Practice, practice, practice, except they need to see the pleasure “jouissance” in reading.

As a teacher, it is our role to find specific strategies to assist less fluent readers by determining their reading rate and providing ongoing assessment and intervention as needed and described above. These assessments need to be constant, especially at a young age as children will become faster and more confident readers if we guide them while they are young.

We most also remember that reading can be very intimidating, especially for those who have entered Grade K with no schooling and very little prior experience in comparison to their peers. It’s important to remain sensitive and observant to each child’s needs and create confident students that can participate in class activities and learn in a safe environment that encourages everyone to learn and read.

Fluency Links:
http://www.professorgarfield.org/parents_teachers/links/fluency_links.html
http://www.time4learning.com/readingpyramid/fluency.htm
http://www.meadowscenter.org/vgc/3Tier/components/fluency_activities.asp
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6354
http://www.pbs.org/launchingreaders/fluentreading/helpfularticles_1.html