Five Ways to Ensure Fluency
Keith Pruitt, Ed.S.Words of Wisdom Educational
Consultingwww.woweducationalconsulting.com
How We Understand Fluency Determines How
We Instruct It—
How Do You DefineFluency?
Turn and Talk
“Fluency is one of several critical factors necessary for reading comprehension. Despite its importance as a component of skilled reading, fluency is often neglected in the classroom.”
Report of the National Reading Panel – Teaching Children to Read, 2000.
Wh
at
Does A
Flu
en
t R
ead
er
Do?
•Fluent readers read with automaticity•Fluent readers read with prosody•Fluent readers read naturally as though speaking (phrasing)•Fluent readers read accurately and with natural flow or pace
Is It Necessary to Teach Fluency?
The teacher said the principal is the best in the district.
“The teacher,” said the principal, “is the best in the district.”
Defining Terms•Automaticity- By “automatic” we simply mean that the words in the text can be decoded with ease, speed, and accuracy. -- S. Jay Samuels, Reading Fluency: It’s Past, Present, and Future. (2006). Fluency
Instruction: Research-based Best Practices. Guildford.
The author goes on to use the comparison of a person driving a car.
From www.buzzle.com
Defining Terms• Prosody- “Expression (the technical term is prosody) includes pausing, phrasing, rhythm, pitch, smoothness, and stress, all working together in an integrated was to reflect the reader’s interpretation of the text.” --p.71, Fountas & Pinnell, Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency(2006). Heinemann.
Defining Terms• Phrasing- “refers to the way readers put words together in groups to represent the meaningful units of language.”—Fountas and Pinnell (2006). Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency. Heinemann
Ensuring Fluency1.Students need to hear language. Reading TO
students.
Students should be able to read with fluency, expression, and correct phrasing—all indicators of effective, meaningful reading. Research has shown that oral reading is one of the best ways to help children develop these skills… p.4
Ensuring Fluency1.Students need to hear language. Reading TO
students.2.Students should read to each other. INTERACTIVE
READING.
Isn’t as threatening.Allows for familiarity with difficult text and vocabularyProvides opportunity for active listening activitiesBuilds confidence as a reader From Reading Partnerships
website
Ensuring Fluency1.Students need to hear language. Reading TO
students.2.Students should read to each other. INTERACTIVE
READING.3.Students should use technology. Books on
electronic file.Hearing a book read on tape helps her see how the words on the page can come alive in a fluid, expressive way. It helps her focus on the sounds of words read without interruption and provides a model of fluent reading. Audio books also give her an important introduction to listening — a skill that she must master in order to learn to read. --Susan Neuman, The Literacy Benefits of Listening, from Scholastic website
Ensuring Fluency1.Students need to hear language. Reading TO
students.2.Students should read to each other. INTERACTIVE
READING.3.Students should use technology. Books on
electronic file.4.Students should read to themselves.
INDEPENDENT READING
Ensuring Fluency1.Students need to hear language. Reading TO
students.2.Students should read to each other. INTERACTIVE
READING.3.Students should use technology. Books on
electronic file.4.Students should read to themselves. INDEPENDENT
READING5.Students should read to their teachers. GUIDED
READING.
Unless you are listening to your students read, how are you going to know their abilities and deficits?
Ensuring Fluency1.Students need to hear language. Reading TO
students.2.Students should read to each other. INTERACTIVE
READING.3.Students should use technology. Books on
electronic file.4.Students should read to themselves.
INDEPENDENT READING5.Students should read to their teachers. GUIDED
READING.
Fluency involves many aspects of literacy. It isn’t just reading fast!
But so much rests on the student’s ability to read as a fluent reader. It has impact on comprehension and in the end shows in the assessment.
Thank You
Keith PruittWords of Wisdom
www.woweducationalconsulting.com