FLUENCY INSTRUCTION

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FLUENCY INSTRUCTION
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Fluency Instruction

• What is fluency?
• The ability to read a text quickly and accurately
  with expression and sound natural, as if speaking.

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Why is fluency important?

• Bridges the gap between word recognition and
  comprehension
• Reading focus is on what the text means rather
  than decoding
• The reader is able to make connections among the
  ideas in the text
• The reader is able to make connections between
  the text and background knowledge
• Allows for simultaneous word recognition and
  comprehension

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Recent Research by National Assessment for
Educational Progress (NAEP)

• 44 of a representative sample of fourth graders
  were low in fluency
• students scoring lower in fluency also scored
  lower in comprehension.

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Fluent readers are able to focus attention on
comprehension by

• making connections among text ideas
• assimilating the text ideas with their background
  knowledge
• Recognizing words automatically
• Grouping words quickly to help understand the text

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Less Fluent Readers

• Read slowly, word by word
• Are choppy and plodding oral readers
• Must focus attention on decoding individual words
  
• After decoding, have little attention left for
  comprehension of text

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Fluency Development Continued

• Oral reading may still be expressionless, not
  fluent, due to automaticity emphasis only
• Fluent readers must know how to pause
  appropriately and when to change emphasis and
  tone by breaking the text into meaningful chunks
  of phrases and clauses.
• It is important to provide students with fluency
  instruction and practice while reading connected
  text.
• The important component of reading with
  expression is essential to fluency.

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Degree of Fluency Depends on

• What is being read
• Familiarity with vocabulary
• Amount of practice with the text
• Even skilled readers may not read fluently
  when faced with unfamiliar technical words or
  topics

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What does research say about fluency?

• Two major instructional approaches
  investigated
• Repeated and Monitored Oral Reading (Repeated
  Reading)
• Independent Silent Reading

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Repeated and Monitored Oral Reading (Repeated
Reading)

• Substantially improves word recognition, speed,
  and accuracy, as well as fluency.
• Improves reading comprehension to a lesser but
  still considerable extent
• Improves overall reading ability of all
  elementary school students
• Effective techniques related to this approach
  include
• Students read and reread text until a certain
  level of fluency is attained (usually four times
  is enough)
• Use of audiotapes with books, tutors, peer
  guidance, etc.

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How does fluency develop?

• Early readers have slow, labored, oral reading
  because they are just learning to decode.
• Fluency develops gradually over time with ample
  opportunity for practice.
• Automaticity is fast, effortless word recognition
  and is necessary, but not sufficient for fluency.
  
• Automaticity of word recognition in isolation
  does not necessarily transfer to reading
  connected text.

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Independent Silent Reading

• One major difference between good and poor
  readers is the amount of time spent
  readingindependent silent reading increases the
  time spent reading.
• Independent silent reading requires guidance and
  feedback.
• Research has not confirmed or disproved the
  benefits of independent silent reading without
  guidance and feedback.

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How can we encourage students fluency?

• Model fluent reading
• Students learn how oral reading can help make
  sense of written text
• Read aloud effortlessly and with expression daily
  for your students so they know how a fluent
  reader sounds.
• In primary grades read aloud from a big book
• Point to each word as you read to show how and
  where to pause and when to raise and lower your
  voice.

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Have adults or other family members read aloud to
students.

• The more models of fluent reading the children
  hear, the better.
• Also increases childrens knowledge of the world,
  vocabulary, familiarity with written language,
  and reading interest.

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• Have students repeatedly reread
• passages aloud with guidance
• Have students practice the text you modeled first
• Know various repeated reading approaches
• Rereading the text four times is usually
  sufficient to improve fluency
• Know your students reading levels

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Know what your students should be reading
(Continued)

• Students should practice rereading independent
  level text a text they can read with 95
  accuracy or misread only 1 out of 20 words.
• Students should not be reading frustration level
  texts independently, because the focus is on
  decoding and not comprehension.
• Students should be reading relatively short texts
  between 50-200 words depending on the students
  age.
• Students should have access to a variety of
  reading materials-stories, nonfiction, and poetry.

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Some Types of Repeated Reading

• Student-Adult Reading
• Choral Reading
• Tape-Assisted Reading
• Partner Reading
• Readers Theatre
• Echo Reading

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Student-Adult Reading

• One-on-one student/adult reading with a teacher,
  parent, classroom aide, or tutor
• Adult models text first, then student reads with
  adult providing help and encouragement
• Student rereads until fluent, approximately three
  to four rereadings

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Choral Reading

• Students read along as a group with teacher or
• other fluent adult reader
• Students have a copy of the same text or a big
  book can be used
• Text should be relatively short and at student
  independent reading level
• Patterned or predictable books are useful because
  repetition invites participation
• Model fluent reading first then reread it and
  invite students to join in
• Continue rereading and encourage students to
  participate
• Should be read three to five times (not
  necessarily on the same day)

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Tape-Assisted Reading

• Students read along in books as they
• hear a fluent reader read the tape
• a book at childs independent reading level is
  needed
• a tape recording of the book read at about 80-100
  words per minute (with no music or sound effects)
  is needed
• Student reads along with the tape until able to
  read independently without the tape

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Partner Reading

• Paired students take turns reading to each other
• More fluent paired with less fluent reader -
  similar to student/adult reading
• Same level readers paired to reread a story
  already introduced and taught by teacher

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Readers Theatre

• Students rehearse and perform a play for peers or
  
• others
• They read scripts adapted from books rich in
  dialogue
• Students play characters or narrator
• Provides readers with a legitimate reason to
  reread text and practice fluency
• Promotes cooperative interaction with peers
• Makes the reading task appealing

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Echo Reading

• The teacher reads a portion of a text and the
• students immediately repeat the portion that
• the teacher read.
• Material can be read in phrases or sentences, and
  finger pointing can be used.
• Especially effective with content area text
• Should be performed frequently, but should last
  no more than 20 minutes
• Each learners goal should be to replicate the
  teachers performance with precision while
  reading.

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Pros and Cons of Independent Silent Reading

• The greatest increase in reading fluency progress
  happens in direct instruction with the teacher.
• Most instructional reading time should be used
  for direct teaching of reading skills and
  strategies.
• Struggling readers need direct instruction.
• Struggling readers are not likely to make
  efficient and effective use of silent independent
  reading.
• Encourage students to read at home.

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Reggie Routman states

• Independent silent reading is an indispensable
  part of a balanced reading program.
• Students take responsibility for their own
  reading.
• The importance of silent reading can not be
  overstated. In a study of fifth graders
  activities outside school, it was found that
  time spent reading books was the best predictor
  of a childs growth as a reader from the second
  to the fifth grade.
• Reggie Routman Independent Reading.
• Invitations, Portsmith, NH Heineman, 1988, pp.
  41-42

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Sharen Taberski states

• Providing independent reading sessions gives the
  children opportunity to practice reading and use
  strategies that the teacher has demonstrated.
• Independent reading opportunities should include
  just right books books that support their
  growth
• Students need to know it is their responsibility
  to make sense of what the author has written
• Sharon Taberski From Where You Are Thinking, On
  Solid Ground Portsmith, NH Heineman, 2000,
  Chapter 1, pp. 7

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Do we need fluency Instruction?

• Students need fluency instruction when they
• are not automatic in word recognition while
• reading their texts
• Automaticity has not been achieved when
• Students read an unpracticed text with more than
  10 word recognition errors
• Students do not read orally with expression
• Students oral reading comprehension is poor

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Should fluency be assessed?

• Formal and informal measures ensure your students
  are
• making appropriate progress
• Helps determine effectiveness of instruction and
  set instructional goals
• Student motivation is increased when fluency
  growth is graphed and shown to students
• Formal measures include taking timed samples of
  students reading rate and comparing it to
  published fluency norms
• Informal measures include listening to childrens
  oral reading and making a judgment about fluency
  progress

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Fluency Summary

• Fluency is quick and accurate reading of text
  with expression.
• Fluency frees students to understand what they
  read.
• Fluency progress is achieved by modeling fluent
  reading and having students engage in repeated
  oral reading.
• Assessing student progress in fluency helps you
  to evaluate your instruction, plan instructional
  goals, and motivate students.