Fluency is necessary for good comprehension. When a reader is struggling to
decode words, little mental energy is left for comprehension.
A Fluent Reader
Has automatic word recognition
Is able to figure out unknown quickly using context and word patterns
Reads with appropriate phrasing and expression
***Don't be fooled, however. Just because a child is a fluent reader, does
not mean that the child is comprehending. However, a child who struggles
with fluency will also have difficulty comprehending.
Ways to Build Fluency
Provide many opportunities to practice when children are starting to read.
Allow children to use a finger, marker, or a transparent ruler as they read.
Read, read, read. Like participating in individual or team sports or playing
a musical instrument, it takes daily practice to be good. Automaticity comes
with hours of reading practice.
Read material at an easier level so that decoding is not an issue. Practice
at independent levels of text difficulty is important. A suggested ratio of
easier to difficult text is 80/20, 80 percent easy and 20 percent at the
instructional level.
Encourage children to read silently before reading orally. To be good at
anything requires practice.
Provide opportunities for reading aloud by scheduling practices for choral
reading, reading dialogue from stories, and booktalks that include reading
aloud excerpts of favorite, exciting, or humorous parts.
Reread text. Fluency will develop when children reread text with a high rate
of success.
Model fluent reading. Children need to hear good models of text reading to
understand how reading should sound.
