Fluency Fluency refers to the ability to read accurately, effortlessly, and with expression. Teachers often tell students to make their reading "sound like talking" when they describe fluency. When schools measure reading fluency, they often use 1-minute timed reading sessions. Students are given leveled reading passages they have not seen before and are then allowed 1 minute to read it aloud. A fluency score consists of the number of words read correctly during that minute. However, teachers are not trying to create speed readers. Students need to understand the difference between fluent reading and speed reading. Teachers use many strategies in the classroom to work on fluency that can also be used at home. In order to read more fluently, students must know what fluent reading sounds like. The best way to accomplish this is to read aloud to children often and with great expression. Read from a wide variety of genres, including poetry and fairy tales with rich descriptive language. Make sure to choose books that will spark the listener's interest and draw them into reading experiences. Another way to practice fluent reading at home is with repeated readings. Having students practice reading using short passages that they read aloud can strengthen their ease of reading. This, like the sight word practice done in earlier grades, helps readers recognize high-frequency words quickly and more easily and allows the reading to flow more effortlessly. You can have your child "echo read" with you, in which you read a line and then they repeat it back to you. You can also "choral read" the passage, during which you read aloud together and you pay special attention to your own pace and inflection so your child can model you. Reading poetry together is a great way to promote fluency. Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein have written numerous books of poetry for children that are funny and fun to read. Take turns choosing poems to read chorally or to each other. Teachers often use Reader's Theater in class to practice fluency. You can download free Reader's Theater scripts on the internet or purchase books of scripts relatively inexpensively. This is a way to involve the whole family in a fluency exercise that won't even seem like work. The plays are often funny and give directions for how things should be said so that readers can work on their inflection. The scripts are meant to be read, not memorized, so the emphasis really is on the reader's ability to interpret the script. Poetry Books for Repeated and Phrased Readings The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, selected by Jack Prelutsky (Random House, 2000). A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein (HarperCollinsPublisher, 1996). Treasure Chest of Poetry, by Bill Martin, Jr., with John Archambault and Peggy Brogan (DLM Teaching Resources, 1986). The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury, selected by Jack Prelutsky (Knopf, 1999). Books for Reader's Theater A Reader's Theatre Treasury of Stories, by Win Braun (Braun & Braun, 2000). Presenting Reader's Theatre, by Caroline Feller Bauer (H.W. Wilson, 1991). Reader's Theatre for Beginning Readers, by Suzanne I. Barchers (Teachers Ideas Press, 1993). The Best of Reader's Theatre, Vols. I and II, by Lisa Blau (One From the Heart Publications, 2000). Try these links: www.readingresource.net Gives steps for using paired reading, repeated readings, and echo reading. Links to fun poems and reader's theatre scripts. www.readingrockets.org Videos demonstrate shared reading and ways to develop fluency. Gives research based information for teachers and parents. www.starfall.com Systematic phonics approach in conjunction with phonemic awareness practice. www.storylineonline.net An online streaming video program featuring celebrities reading children's books aloud. Each book includes activities and lesson ideas. www.aaronshep.com Fun reader's theatre scripts and stories.
www.thereadinglady.com More reader's theatre scripts and stories.
www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/fl/pcto/read.html Stories can be read aloud to your child through this site.
Additional activities to try at home: vHave your child read game directions, recipes, mail, newspaper, TV show descriptions, etc. vYour child could read to younger children or pets. vRead aloud with your child, either while they follow along or take turns: paragraph by paragraph, page by page, or chapter by chapter each night. vIf there is a younger sibling at home, encourage your child to read aloud to them. This is a great way for an older child to practice their fluency and may be less threatening for them if the listener is not an accomplished reader. |
