Fluency means “flowing freely” therefore reading fluency is the art of reading aloud, so that it ‘flows’ naturally for the speaker. It is important to note that reading fluency is one aspect (of many) that contributes to affluent readers.
Reading fluency entails the combination and reciprocation of word reading with accuracy, automaticity and prosody. That is reading the words on a page correctly without reliance on decoding, with the correct intonation, expression, pace, volume etc in order to draw from and convey meaning.
In order for children to begin to understand what they have read, they first need a solid understanding of our language – the printed code of our spoken language. They need to have had enough time learning and practising decoding to map (orthography) words they can then recognise accurately and automatically. This is NOT learning sight words, but rather recognising the words and being able to accurately retrieve and say them.
Once children are able to read at around 90 words per minute, they are no longer working so hard to decode the words on the page, this frees up their working memory to think about how the words fit into the wider text. That is to understand what they have read (comprehension). When children are at this stage, they have the key that unlocks the world to them. They are able to read for pleasure, read for knowledge and read for fluency.
No child should leave school not being able to read
Reading with prosody is an area that also demands focus. If I read a poem in a dull, monotone voice regardless of punctuation – it wouldn’t engage the listener. Reading prosody is the elements that combine to transport listeners back to folklore storytelling by campfires. It is the build up, the excitement, the music in movies where you know something is going to happen. Speeches, debates and poems lend themselves really well to prosody practice because they are designed to be read aloud. It is important to teach children that all texts are not equal and are not read in the same manner. You wouldn’t read Michael Rosen’s Chocolate Cake poem in the same manner as a news broadcaster would read the latest breaking news.
Modelling metacognitive strategies aloud when reading to a class is also vital to support skilled readers. These include modelling ‘drifting off’ and the need to reread a part of a text to ensure that you understand the meaning, summarising each paragraph (more so in non-fiction) to aid memory and understanding and ‘thinking aloud’: I don’t know what that word means, it sounds like, so I wonder….
For a more in-depth, research driven conversation on reading fluency, I highly recommend that you check out the THINKING DEEPLY ABOUT PRIMARY EDUCATION podcast: Reading Fluency?
There are many ways to facilitate fluency in the classroom; modelling and discussing what prosodic reading is comes first and foremost, followed by paired reading, echo reading and repeated reading with a wide variety of texts.
Shanahan suggests that you (flexibly) pair readers up by mixed-ability on a rotational basis. Each pupil reads a paragraph and repeats it at least three times with their partner following and providing feedback and then they swap. The pupils should be able to read the text fluently by the end of the lesson. Read the full blog here.
If kids aren’t reading the text fluently by the end of the lesson, then the lesson itself is ineffective.
Shanahan on Literacy: Teach How To Teach Fluency So That It Takes
Shanahan suggests that selecting a text whereby children make ten mistakes in every hundred words is pitched at the right level. If they can read the text already, it isn’t a fluency lesson.
In my setting, we use a lot of my turn, your turn for a variety of reasons. Chris Such posed an interesting caveat that pupils may ‘seem’ like they are following along, but are actually just repeating what you have said. He suggests, along with Shanahan that paired reading is a more accurate way to assess reading fluency. You can find that conversation here. Shanahan only suggests modelling part of the text or if children are really struggling with it.
The Megabook of Fluency by Rasinski and Smith also has an abundance of activities designed to facilitate reading fluency and is worth a look.
Reading fluency is one of the many key strands that when woven together results in skilled reading. I really like the Scarborough reading rope to depict this. Our active ingredients for reading were born from the key strands, but with some additions. Our active ingredients show what each teacher needs to be doing in order to teach reading well.
There is a wealth of research out there for reading and these are just some of my thoughts on one part that makes for skilled reading.
apageturner.home.blog 