Reading Fluency – The Forgotten Skill By Marion Hindes
What is reading fluency? Why is it important, and how
is it taught?
Fluency is the ability to read aloud quickly,
accurately, and with appropriate expression. Fluent readers decode words
easily. Therefore, they are free to understand what the text is saying
and to make connections between the text and their own background
experience. They know how to group words together in phrases and how to
read them with proper tone and emphasis. When they have finished reading
a selection, they can explain what it said.
Less fluent readers, on the other hand, may spend
most of their attention on decoding words. Because of this, their minds
are not free to comprehend what they are reading. Other less fluent
readers may accurately or automatically read individual words, but they
do so without proper expression. This is because they have not yet
learned how to divide the text into meaningful phrases. Their reading is
marked by choppiness and inappropriate pauses. All of this demonstrates,
among other things, a lack of comprehension.
Reading fluency is important because it is the bridge
between word recognition and comprehension. It is a key skill that has
often been overlooked and undertaught. Research shows a clear link
between fluency and comprehension. A large study by the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that 44% of a
representative sample of 4th graders scored poorly in reading fluency.
These same students also scored lower in comprehension. If students are
not fluent readers, their comprehension typically suffers, and much of the world
of literature is lost to them.
Now that we have a clearer understanding of what
fluency is and why it is so important, let us explore ways that fluency
can be taught:
First, the teacher needs to determine each student’s
level of reading fluency:
Begin with an easy book, one that the student is not
familiar with and has not memorized. Have the student read a page to find
out if it is too difficult. (Texts of 50 words for primary
students, and 100 words for older students are sufficient for
testing.)
Keep a running record as the student reads. On your
copy of the student’s text, note the number and kind of mistakes
made. (You will discover error patterns that you can address later
through targeted instruction). Count the number of words read
correctly.
To obtain an accuracy score, divide the number of
correctly read words by the total number of words in the
selection.
If 95% - 98% of the words are read
accurately, the book is at the student's independent level.
If 85% - 94% of the words are read accurately,
the book is at the student's instructional level.
If 84% or less of the words are read accurately, the book
is at the student's frustration level and is too difficult.
Besides accuracy, rate (speed) is another fluency
factor. One reading fluency table suggests the following minimum
oral reading speeds for grades 1-5:
The same table states that, in order to move up to the
next reading level, students must be able to read at the rate (wpm) of
the next level with 98% accuracy.
Once you have chosen selections at the independent
or instructional level of your students, try the following strategies
for developing fluency:
Model fluent reading for your students. Use a
variety of genres - stories, speech excerpts, poetry, and fairy
tales, especially those with rich, musical language.
Discuss rate (speed), phrasing (meaningful grouping
of words), and intonation (emphasis of important words and
phrases).
Have students echo you as you read a selection
aloud, line by line. To teach them more about phrasing, write
phrases of the selection on paper strips and use them as cue cards
for them to read in unison.
Have the entire class read the text together
aloud.
Have each student individually read and reread a
selection. Offer guidance and feedback each time. Four repetitions
are usually sufficient.
Enlist the help of others to provide feedback -
parents, tutors, peers, and audiotapes.
Try a reader’s theater, in which students read
their parts from a script. Start with an echo read, then follow with
a choral read. After the class has had plenty of practice, choose
students for each part. Coach them in reading their parts with
proper phrasing, pausing, and expression. Have them look up once in
awhile as they are reading. Assemble a few simple costumes and
props, and perhaps invite another class to watch.
Research has clearly shown that monitored and
repeated oral reading increases fluency and raises overall reading
achievement. It improves comprehension. This is true for older,
struggling readers as well as elementary students.
The research has not been conclusive as to the
effectiveness of silent, independent reading with minimal feedback in
improving fluency. This suggests that most independent reading might be
better suited as an at-home activity, providing more class time for
guided oral reading.
Remedia Publications has a number of materials
well-suited for teaching fluency. The following are some suggestions:
Comprehension Quickies Story Cards, (REM 1200A and REM 1200B)
40 short, nonfiction stories (65-100 words) featuring controlled vocabulary,
simple sentence structure, double-spaced text, and easy-to-read font help build comprehension skills.
More than 200 follow-up questions included.
Beginning Reader Program (REM 172E)
This program features an activity book, sight word flash cards, and 10
student readers. With lots of rhymes and repetitive vowel sounds, the
readers are ideal for reading aloud.
Keys to Comprehension Game (REM 6006A and REM 6006B)
Students will master the 6 key skills of comprehension with this award-winning game! Reading Levels 1-5
