Jennings Chapter 9 Improving Word Knowledge: Fluency

1. Role of Fluency

1.1. Fluency is reading with accuracy, speed, and prosody.

1.2. Students who read fluently read accurately, quickly, and expressively.

1.3. Fluency is an important part of reading successfully.

1.4. Students who can read fluently can pay attention to the meaning of the text they are reading.

1.5. Fluency can depend on the type of text a student is reading.

1.6. Some teachers put too much emphasis on the importance of fluency.

2. Assessing Fluency

2.1. Listen to students read orally. Listen for stumbling, repeating, pauses, choppiness, hesitation, disconnected words, no indication of punctuation, or racing through text.

2.2. Determine student reading rate. WPM or CWPM are both useful

2.3. Administer timed word lists to judge automatic sight word recognition.

3. General Guidelines for Fluency Development

3.1. Provide good models of fluent reading.

3.2. Fluency instruction should be linked to comprehending what is read. If this isn't done, students may think that good reading means reading quickly.

3.3. Encourage reading of a wide variety of text and text that is enjoyable to the student.

3.4. Avoid having students read unknown or unpracticed texts orally. This can result in anxious and painful reading experiences.

4. Strategies for Developing Fluency in Context

4.1. Promote a wide variety of text. Making reading enjoyable.

4.2. Use patterned books, which are easy to read and have repeated refrains. Older students can read these books to younger children.

4.3. Teacher (or a stronger reader) supports student with assisted oral reading, for example: simultaneous assisted reading, echo reading, partner reading, paired reading, or the NIM technique.

4.4. Performance reading like choral reading, reader's theater, and radio reading can be effective strategies.

4.5. Oral reading should be as comfortable as possible for students.

5. Strategies for Developing Sight Words in Isolation

5.1. Students collect word cards

5.2. Develop word walls as a resourse

5.3. Students complete word sorts

5.4. Read the words in context / associate the words with meaning.