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Building Fluency: Lessons and Strategies for Reading Building Fluency: Lessons and Strategies for Reading SuccessSuccess

By Wiley BlevinsBy Wiley Blevins

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A Definition• Fluency is the ability to read

smoothly, easily, and readily with freedom from word recognition problems

• A lack of fluency is characterized by a slow, halting pace; frequent mistakes; poor phrasing; and inadequate intonation.

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Fluent reading is a major goal of reading

instruction because decoding print accurately and effortlessly enables

students to read for meaning.

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A fluent reader can:1. Read at a rapid rate

(pace—the speed at which oral or silent reading occurs)

2. Automatically recognize words(smoothness/accuracy—efficient decoding

skills)

3. Phrase correctly(prosody—the ability to read a text orally using appropriate pitch, stress, and phrasing)

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AutomaticityRefers to knowing how to do something

so well you don’t have to think about it.For reading, refers to the ability to

accurately and quickly recognize many words as whole units.

Advantage—recognizing a word as a whole unit is that words have meaning.

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ExposureTo recognize a word automatically:• The average child

– 4-14 exposures

• Struggling reader– 40 or more exposures

Students need a great deal of practice reading stories at their independent reading level to develop automaticity.

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Why do children fail to read fluently?

1. Lack of exposure2. The good-reader syndrome3. Lack of practice time4. Frustration5. Missing the “why” of reading

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Ways to teach fluency

1. Model fluent reading

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2. Provide direct instruction and feedback

Teach sight words and phonicsPractice reading prior to reading a text

scan a text, preteach vocabularyTime students’ reading Include oral recitation lessonsTeach “smooshing” words togetherExplain return-sweep eye movement

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Teach about the eye-voice spaneyes are 1 to 3 words ahead of oral reading

Find alternatives to round-robin readingTeach phrasing and intonation

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ActivityRecite the alphabet/numbers as a

conversation.

ABCD? EFG! HI? JKL. MN?

OPQ. RST! UVWX. YZ!

123. 4! 567? 89. 10!

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Recite the same sentence using different punctuation.

Dogs bark? Cows moo.

Dogs bark! Cows moo?

Dogs bark. Cows moo!

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Practice placing the stress on different words in the same sentence.

I am tired. We are happy.

I am tired. We are happy.

I am tired. We are happy.

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3. Provide reader support• Reading aloud simultaneously with

a partner or small group• Echo reading• Reader’s theater• Choral reading• Paired repeated readings• Books on tape

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Activity• Book

– You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman

– ISBN 0-316-01316-1(Also, fairy tales and mother goose

rhymes)

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4. Use repeated readings of one text.

• Child reads at his instructional level

• Teacher times the reading• Feedback is given on word

recognition errors and the number of words per minute

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6. Provide easy reading materials.• Enormous amounts of

individualized reading material• At least 30 minutes per day• Must be independent or

instructional level