All About Teaching Fluency

Fluency:

Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Reading fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. 

When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read. Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking. 

Readers who have not yet developed fluency read slowly, word by word. Their oral reading is choppy. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the ideas in the text and their background knowledge. In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. 

Less fluent readers, however, must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the meaning of text. 

Strategies for Developing Reading Fluency:

1. Record students reading aloud on their own. If certain sound-letter combinations or words are causing problems, teachers will benefit from listening to the child read out loud. However, this activity can be extremely stressful in front of a classroom of kids, particularly for a student who struggles with fluency. It is best to avoid calling on struggling readers during group reading and instead have them work through a paragraph on their own. Make a recording that can be analyzed later on by a teacher or tutor in order to provide targeted help. 
2. Ask kids to use a ruler or finger to follow along. Decoding is easier when students do not lose their place as they move across a page. It is up to the individual student how they go about this. Some may want to use a pen or pencil, others a piece of paper that they move down to cover the bottom of the page and stay focused on the sentence in front of them. This is also a good strategy for readers with ADHD because it involves a kinesthetic element. 
3. Have them read the same thing several times. When you are trying to improve fluency, it helps to see the same text multiple times. Each reading becomes easier and motivation goes up as students experience enhanced fluency thanks to repeat exposure to words and phrases. It can also help when it comes to developing comprehension skills as readers have more opportunities to notice contextual cues. 
4. Pre-teach vocabulary. Prime the words a student is going to see in a text and practice reading them in isolation or in phrases. You might do this via an interactive classroom-based activity. Get students to use the words and then practice reading them from the board or on a piece of paper. Crossword puzzles can be an effective teaching tool or playing a spelling game. It is much easier to read a word if it is fresh in memory. 
5. Drill sight words. Some words are more common than others and students who have a hard time with fluency will find it is much easier to read when they are familiar with 90% of the vocabulary in a text. Around 50% of all books and classroom-based materials for young readers are composed of words from the Dolch List. Learn more in our post on teaching sight words. 
6. Make use of a variety of books and materials. If a student has difficulty with reading it can be even more of a struggle to practice with material that is not of interest to them. Sometimes all it takes is getting readers excited about a topic to help them lose themselves in the activity. Try chapter books, comics, and poems. Even picture books can work as long as the student does not perceive the material as being below their level. Experiment with texts of different lengths starting with shorter material and gradually working up to longer pieces. TOP TIP: Where fluency is concerned the emphasis is on the quality of the student’s reading, not the quantity of pages or speed at which they read them. 
7. Try different font and text sizes. If there is a visual impairment that is causing some of the difficulty, reading larger text or text printed on colour tinted paper can sometimes make things easier. If you’re accessing this article on your computer check the top right corner of the screen for an “Accessibility Me” button which will allow you to experiment with different colour, font and size combinations while you finish reading this list. There are specific fonts which are more appropriate for anyone with learning difficulties, including dyslexia, because they help with discerning letters and decoding language. 
8. Create a stress-free environment. When students are enjoying a book, anxiety and stress are reduced and fluency is enhanced. It is also possible to foster a relaxing environment by removing any deadlines, time-limits or assessment related goals and just focusing on classroom reading for reading’s sake. 
9. Guide students to help them establish a steady pace. One of the hallmarks of fluent reading is establishing a consistent rhythm and pace that guides students through a text. This does not need to be fast and, in the beginning, new readers should have the option to start slowing and increase their pace as they become more comfortable. Some students will want to have a guide, such as a metronome, which gives them a rhythm they can match. Others will find this strategy stressful. Playing music in the background might also work – or not.
10. Introduce a typing course. If a student continues to struggle with fluency, teachers, tutors, and parents may consider introducing an extra-curricular program designed to enhance literacy skills. A multi-sensory course like Touchtype Read and Spell can be used at home and in school to learn keyboarding and enhance spelling and sight reading at the same time. An audio component accompanies letters on the screen while students types the corresponding keys. Automated feedback and coursework are divided into discrete modules and independent lessons foster self-directed learning and enhance motivation and self-efficacy in new readers. 

Some more strategies:

• Audio-Assisted Reading. 

• Choral Reading. 

• Paired (or Partner) Reading. 

• Reader's Theater. 

• Shared Reading. 

• Timed Repeated Readings.