*Presented by*Jilene Coleman

Kelly CottinghamKimberly Anne Elshazly

Susan GilchristJune Gual

Darice LeAnne SheltonRachael West

Fluency is the instantaneous, automatic recognition of words in reading (Richek, 2002).

Samuels defines fluency as “the ability to read a text orally with speed, accuracy, expression, and comprehension” (2002).

The Role of Fluency• A large sight word vocabulary leads to better fluency.• Fluency and comprehension are closely related.• Students aren’t spending all their energies with

decoding words; therefore, they can spend that energy on understanding what they are reading.

• While reading, fluency problems lead to pauses, repetitions, and little expression.

• In order to become more fluent, readers need practice; however, struggling readers often do not want to read.

• This leads to little development of sight word vocabulary which leads to more struggles with reading….and the cycle continues.

National Reading Panel (NRP) Report

• Identified fluency as one of the six dimensions of reading

• Described as the “most neglected” reading skill

• Found a close relationship between fluency and comprehension

NRP Report (cont.)

Looked at two research strandsGuided oral reading procedures,

such as repeated readingThe effect of procedures that

encourage students to read more, such as DEAR, SSR, Book It, and Accelerated Reader

Strategies for developing Sight words in isolation

Choosing Focus Words• High-frequency

Words/Function Words• Words that are important to

your students

Teaching Sight Words• Associate Words and Meaning• Practice Them Often• Record Student Progress

Sight Word Focus• Word Cards• Word Collection File• Word Sorting• Word Games• Word Walls

Function Word Mastery• Cloze Strategy• Highlight Function Word in Text• Star Word Approach

Reversals• Concentrate on one letter at a time• Letter Tracing• Flash Cards• Highlight/Underline first letter of a

confusing word• Let students physically manipulate

letters on board

Strategies for Developing Fluency

Encourage students to read, read, read!!! Especially easy

texts!

Read with pattern books (repeated refrains)

Examples of Pattern Books

• Hutchins, Pat. Good Night Owl• Carle, Eric. The Grouchy Lady Bug• Westcott, N.B. I Know an Old Lady

who Swallowed a Fly• Zolotow, Charlotte. But Not Billy• Martin Jr., Bill. Brown Bear, Brown

Bear, What Do You See?

Examples of Pattern Books (cont.)

• Lobel, Arnold. The Rose in my Garden• Lionni, Leo. A Color of His Own• Kent, Jack. The Fat Cat• Keats, E.J. Over in the Meadow• Allen, Pamela. Bertie and the Bear • Most, B. If the Dinosaurs Came Back

Assisted Reading

• Assisted reading is a strategy in which the student and a fluent reader read the material together. It helps develop fluency because:

Assisted Reading (cont.)

The support of the fluent reader makes reading non-threatening.

Supports word recognition so that students can concentrate on meaning.

Gives students a model for what reading should look like.

Gives students practice with reading in context.

Assisted reading versions

• Simultaneous assisted reading—the teacher reads along with the students.

• Echo reading—the teacher models oral reading and has students imitate.

• Choral reading—A group of students practice orally reading a selection.

• Partner reading—Students read in pairs, alternation the text.

Versions of assisted reading (cont.)

• Simultaneous listening reading—Students listen to tape recordings of the material while following along with the book.

• Neurological Impress Method—The student and teacher read together orally. The teacher reads loudly at first, then softens as the student gains confidence.

Repeated Reading

• Repeated reading is a strategy in which a student rereads a selection. As they read, their speed and accuracy increases.

Benefits of Repeated Reading

• It is flexible.• It can be adapted for use with

groups.

• Of the two strategies, Stahl and Kuhn (2002) found that repeated reading did not make an impact on children’s oral reading or comprehension because teachers did not monitor children’s repeated reading accurately.

The National Reading Panel found that guided repeated oral reading has a consistent and positive impact on fluency, word recognition, and comprehension.

Guided is the key!

LEA= Language Experience Approach

• Students compose personal stories, and the stories are used for reading instruction.

• “Talk written down”• Can create captions for wordless

picture books

Steps to a Language Experience Story

• Brainstorm ideas for a story: Shared experiences make good topics—field trips, science experiments, stories read aloud, etc.

• Take dictation from students• Read each word as you write it• Reread each sentence, pointing to each word as you say

it: Have students reread each sentence with you.• Reread the entire story with students• Follow up with language activities: Such as drawing

pictures to go with the story, writing captions to go with the story written.

Reader’s Workshop

• Purpose: To promote fluency and to provide an occasion to promote the love of reading and to learn about texts in various ways

• One way of organizing a balanced literacy program

Structure of Reader’s Workshop

• Mini-lesson (5-10 minutes)• Independent reading (20-25

minutes)• Sharing (10-15 minutes)

The Mini-lesson• The teacher reads a book or part of a

book that illustrates the topic• Encourage students to consider that

topic during reading• Ex. of mini-lessons: Reading strategies,

choosing books, noticing interesting words, comparing characters, finding the point of view, and how the setting affects the story

Independent Reading• Purpose of reading is set during

mini-lesson• Students select leveled books• During this time, students may be

responding in journals or having a conference with the teacher

Sharing• An opportunity for students to share

how they applied a concept introduced during a mini-lesson

• Students may share response journal entries

• Can share with a partner or in groups

Readers Theatre • An excellent way to bring repeated reading

into the classroom in a fun and engaging way.• Increases fluency • Fluency has a profound effect on

comprehension.• Gives a purpose for rereading • Very motivational• Increases students’ self-confidence

• Since the main reason for reading is to gain meaning, which is comprehension, Readers Theatre seems like a great choice for the classroom.

Example of Readers Theatre

“Clever Lucy”

Disabilities and Reading

Visually-impaired students learn to read just like their sighted peers.

Generally visually impaired students are slower readers.

Fluency is greatly stressed and practiced.

Fluency strategies are implemented as much as they can be, unless it is not possible. Then, strategies are memorized or accommodations are made.

Ex. Bookmarks cannot be used because the Braille takes up too much room. The strategy is taught and memorized or a strategy chart is made.

Strategies used in a visually-impaired

classroom

Guided readingRepeated readingTactual hints

Other strategies for students with disabilities

• Colored-overlays (Autism, Dyslexia and LD)

• Phonics phones (ADHD and Autism)

Assessing fluency

Listening to students read.Does the student read in a choppy

manner?Does the student read in a monotone

voice?Does the student read too fast?

Example of Choppy reading

Example of monotone reading

Example of reading too fast

Example of fluent reading

Determine the rate at which a student reads.Time a student reading a passage. After the

student finishes, multiply the number of words read by 60 and divide by the number of seconds the student took to read. This will give the number of words per minute (WPM) the student is reading.

Remember that different materials will be read at different rates.

Give a timed word list assessment test.This test is used to determine

automaticity of sight word recognition.

Usually used in combination with an informal reading inventory.

Additional Assessments

(suggested by the NRP)

Informal Reading InventoryMiscue AnalysisRunning Records

Related Websites• (Developing Reading Fluency)http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/fluency.html• (Reading Fluency Norms)http://www.readnaturally.com/rationale-fluencynorms.htm• (Child Reading Directory)http://child-reading-tips.com/Reading-Fluency-Instruction-Research.htm

Related Websites (cont.)

http://loiswalker.com/catalog/guidesamples.htmlhttp://www.ciera.org/library/reports/inquiry-2/

www.balancedreading.com/fluency.html

ReferencesHitchcock, C.H., Prater, M.A., & Dowrick, P.W. (2004). Reading

comprehension and fluency: Examining the effects of tutoring and video self-modeling on first-grade students with reading difficulties. Learning Disability Quarterly, 27, 89-103.

Taylor, B., Pearson, D., Peterson, D., & Rodriquez, M. (2003). Reading growth in high poverty classrooms: The influence of teacher practices that encourage cognitive engagement in literacy learning. The Elementary School Journal, 104 (1).

Worthy, J., & Broaddus, K. (2001/2002). Fluency beyond the primary grades: From group performance to silent, independent reading. The Reading Teacher, 55 (4).

References (cont.)Worthy, J., & Prater, K. (2002). I thought about it all night:

Readers theater for reading fluency and motivation. The Reading Teacher, 56 (3), 294-297.

Stahl, S., & Kuhn, M. (2002). Making it sound like language: Developing fluency. The Reading Teacher, 55 (6), 582-586.

Martinez, M., Roser, N., & Strecker, S. (1999). “I never thought I could be a star”: A Readers Theatre ticket to fluency. The Reading Teacher, 52 (4), 326-334.

National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the national reading panel: Teaching children to read. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development