Teaching Reading Fluency
Have you ever listened to a story being read aloud and noticed the reader changing voices for each character? Have you noticed the reader pause, speed up, slow down, and vary their vocal pitch? This is all a part of being a fluent reader.
A hot topic in the education field today is fluency. What is fluency, and why is it important? Fluency is an important aspect of reading. The National Reading Panel states that fluency is, “[t]he ability to recognize words easily, read with greater speed, accuracy, and expression, and better understand what is read.” Historically, fluency has been correlated with how fast someone can read a text: a quest for speed. However, according to Timothy Rasinski, a literacy expert, “Fluency is reading with and for meaning, and any instruction that focuses primarily on speed with minimal regard for meaning is wrong.”
So if fluency is not about reading fast, what is it about? Let’s break it down!
There are three main components to reading fluently:
Accuracy in Word Recognition: The ability to correctly read each word.
Automaticity in Word Recognition: The ability to automatically and effortlessly read each word.
Prosody/Expression: The ability to read with expression, attend to punctuation, and read in fluid, meaningful phrases.
At Havern School, many of our students have dyslexia or other language-based learning disabilities. Improving reading fluency is key in helping our students become confident learners. So how do we support fluent reading in our classrooms? Below are some best practices for teaching effective reading fluency informed by the work of Timothy Rasinski, a literacy expert.
Model fluent reading
Read to students regularly.
Discuss why our reading is fluent and how fluent reading makes it easier for listeners to understand and enjoy reading. (“Did you notice how I emphasized that word so that you’d pay more attention to it?” “Did you notice how I changed my voice when I became a different character?” “What were you thinking when I slowed down here, but sped up here?” “Why did I use that long, dramatic pause?”)
Help students understand that the way they read increases their understanding and enjoyment of the text.
Engage in guided, repeated oral reading
For students who struggle with reading, wide reading (reading a text once, doing activities, and moving on) is not sufficient to develop reading fluency. Struggling readers need to engage in deep/close reading, which includes feedback on errors.
Provide specific feedback. This can come from a student’s own metacognitive observations or from others (a teacher, parent, or classmate).
Focus on reading the text with appropriate expression and phrasing that will increase comprehension.
Authenticity is key. Authentic practice in oral reading will also improve silent reading skills. Daily timed readings lack authenticity. Rehearsal of lyrics, speeches, and poems provide authentic, enjoyable texts for working on fluency.
Research has shown that guided, repeated oral reading has a consistent, positive impact on word recognition, accuracy, automaticity, expression, and comprehension. The gains achieved carry over to new texts.
Provide opportunities for supportive or assisted reading
Engage in echo reading, where the teacher reads and the students echo.
Have students read chorally as part of a group.
Have a student read sitting side-by-side with a more fluent partner (parent, teacher, classmate).
Have students read along while listening to a fluent reader.
Practice expression, rhythm and phrasing
Type out a passage and put large spaces in between phrases. This improves comprehension for both the reader and the listeners by breaking down longer sentences into more meaningful chunks of information.
Use a clear cover and a dry erase marker to mark the boundaries between phrases.
Scoop a finger underneath the phrases while reading.
Have students repeat an example, changing the stress each time it is read. For example, THESE PRETZELS are making me thirsty. These pretzels ARE MAKING me thirsty. These pretzels are making me THIRSTY.
Have students change tone each time they read a passage. “Read it like you’re angry/excited/etc.”
Emphasize, during comprehension questions, the word/keywords that are important: “WHO is the main character?” “WHERE did they go?”
Essential to all of these activities is that they be engaging and even fun. Find quality texts that have good voice and phrasing and are meant to be read orally and with expression. Poetry, scripts, and narratives work very well for developing fluency. Songs, poems, chants, and other rhythmic texts are all motivational because there is an element of playfulness to them. When kids read these fun and engaging texts repeatedly, they become more successful, which is motivation in and of itself.
As you can see, fluency is not all about how quickly you read a text. There are many components that work together to make reading more fluent. Taking time to work on these different aspects of reading fluency will help improve a student’s overall reading skills and confidence, which will support achievement of the ultimate goal of reading: comprehension.
For additional information and research about reading fluency, we recommend The Megabook of Fluency: Strategies and Texts to Engage All Readers by Timothy V. Rasinski and Melissa Cheesman Smith (Scholastic, 2018) and www.timrasinski.com.
Meghan Orchard, M.Ed.
Meghan Orchard is a teacher at Havern School, leading a classroom of 4th and 5th grade students. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education and a Masters of Education in Reading from Black Hills State University. Meghan is beginning her seventh school year at Havern School and is passionate about helping struggling readers find success.
Dana Green, M.A., CCC-SLP
Dana Green is a Speech-Language Pathologist who works with K-8 students at Havern School, providing speech-language intervention services and whole-class social skills instruction. Dana has a Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Wyoming. Dana has been at Havern School since 2013 and loves to meet her students where they are and provide them with the holistic support they need to thrive.
