Strategy: Use punctuation and phrasing to read with

fluency.

By Patty Rieple

Fluency is the ability to read :

•expressively•smoothly•with appropriate speed•with accuracy

3 Parts of FluencyWe often use the term E-S-P to stand for

3 aspects of fluency:Expression-appropriate voice inflection and pauses that reflect punctuation.

Smoothness-reading in phrases not word-by- word.

Pacing-changes speed to reflect the meaning of the text.

What Do Less FluentReaders Do?Read with no expressionIgnore punctuationRead word-by-word not in phrasesRead at the same speed no matter the meaning.Guess at words they can’t sound out Have difficulty with sight words and vocabulary.Do not think about the meaning of the text.

What Do Fluent Readers Do?

Changes voice at the end of sentence to match punctuation.

Pauses between phrases and for punctuation. Groups words in meaningful phrases.Adjust reading rate Uses spelling patterns to help decode words Instantly recognizes sight words and

vocabulary Attends to meaning as they read

The meaning of what we read is within the phrases and the punctuation, not the isolated words!The way the words are put together, along with the punctuation, create the meaning of the sentence.

Watch how punctuation and phrasing change the meaning of this sentence:

Woman, without her man, is nothing.

Woman, without her, man is nothing.

He broke the glass.He broke the glass.He broke the glass.

He broke the glass.He broke the glass.He broke the glass.

STRESS makes a difference!.

Expression !

What ARE you doing?What are YOU doing?What are you DOING?WHAT are you doing?

EMPHASIS makes a difference.

EXPRESSION !

Punctuation makes a difference!In his book, Yo! Yes?, author Chris Raschka uses punctuation to change the meaning of these one word sentences.

Yo! Yes? Me? You!Me! You?Yo! Yes!

Phrasing !

The frog jumped into the pond.

On Saturday, we went ice skating at the arena.

it provides a bridge between: it provides a bridge between: Fluency is important because

and

Accuracy and Fluency

Word parts

word

Fluent readers recognize these instantly

Common phrases

on top of

around the

go to the

Try these things to practice fluency:

Reader’s Theater

Try these things to practice fluency:

Listen to good readers: Pay attention to their fluency

Try these things to practice fluency:

Reread something familiar to you.

Try these things to practice fluency:

Repeated ReadingsRead to a friend

Cycle of Success

The more youread…….

The more fluent you become…….

The more you enjoy reading!

The Café Book: Engaging all Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, Stenhouse Publisher, 2009Colorado Reading First-Summer 2004

http://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/crf/downloads/resources/presentations/Fluency.pdf