Fluency instruction

EDU 5100

Dr. Peter Olson

Fluency

• Literacy definition of fluency
• Ability to read (pronounce) printed text with appropriate speed, accuracy, phrasing, and expression.
• Either silently or orally.
• The ability to read words effortlessly allows children to focus their attention on figuring out the meaning of the text (cognitive load).

​

Automaticity: Swift, accurate and

effortless word recognition

Common core standards

English Language Arts (Reading: Foundational Skills)

• Fluency: (Grades 1-5)
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4
• Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4a
• Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4b
• Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4c

Components of fluency

Accuracy:

The proportion of words read correctly

Prosody:

Proper phrasing and expression

Rate:

Words read correctly per minute

Fluency rate averages �(words correct per minute)

Fluency accuracy: Reading levels�

A child’s independent skill level

A child’s independent skill level

Independent

Level

Scaffolding within a child’s Zone of Proximal Development

Scaffolding within a child’s Zone of Proximal Development

Independent

Level

Zone of

Proximal

Development

Eventually, the level at the child’s ZPD will become the child’s independent level

Eventually, the level at the child’s ZPD will become the child’s independent level

Independent

Level

Zone of

Proximal

Development

Assisted reading techniques

• Assisted reading techniques
• Choral reading
• Paired reading (helper reading)
• Relay reading
• Echo reading

​

​

Choral reading

• Choral reading: Students read aloud in unison.
• Teacher can rotate between:
• Entire class reads.
• Groups of students read.

​

• Note: Asking individual students to read during whole class activities can be problematic. This limits the number of students who participate.

Paired reading (helper reading)

• Paired reading (helper reading)
• Student reads a passage or book
• Teacher (or tutor) provides as much assistance as the student needs to successfully read the passage.
• This method is awkward if students struggle with too many words per page. With struggling or beginning readers, it is best to start with echo reading or choral reading.

​

Relay reading

• Relay reading
• Students get into pairs
• Students take turns reading a portion of the text.

Echo reading

• Echo reading
• Teacher (or tutor) reads aloud a portion of text (sentence or phrase), and then the student repeats aloud the same portion of text.
• Do this routine for an entire paragraph or page.
• Very effective for struggling readers.
• Echo reading can help students learn prosody (proper phrasing and expression).
• The length of the segment of text should be based on the reading ability of the student for that text.
• For struggling readers, use shorter phrases.
• Students should be successfully echoing whatever length of phrase you are choosing.

​

Proper phrasing for echo reading

• Activity: Divide this paragraph into phrases.

​

Officer Buckle was thumbtacking Claire’s letter

to his bulletin board when the phones started

ringing. Grade schools, high schools, and day-care

centers were calling about the safety speech.

​

[From Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann]

​

Short phrases

Officer Buckle

was thumbtacking

Claire’s letter

to his bulletin board

when the phones

started ringing.

Grade schools,

high schools,

and day-care centers

were calling

about the safety speech.

Long phrases

Officer Buckle

was thumbtacking Claire’s letter

to his bulletin board

when the phones started ringing.

Grade schools, high schools,

and day-care centers

were calling about the safety speech.

​

Repeated readings

• Reading a passage several times is very helpful for students’ fluency.
• You can do repeated readings by using one kind of assisted reading technique multiple times
• Or you can do repeated readings by using several techniques
• Example: echo reading, then choral reading

Activity: Assisted reading practice

• Get into pairs or small groups.
• Perform echo reading
• One person acts as the tutor.
• The other person acts as the student.
• You many use this passage:

​

Hace mucho tiempo, en una granja de Kansas, vivía una niñita llamada Dorothy con su tía, su tío y su perro, Toto. La familia era pobre y la vida en la granja era difícil.

—Todo es tan grís aqui—dijo Dorothy un día. Me gustaría que occuriera algo emocionante.

—Bueno—dijo su tío, quizás se cumpla tu deseo. Se aproxima una tormenta muy fuerte.

Syntax and fluency

• Syntax: Rules that govern the sequencing of words within phrases, sentences and paragraphs

​

• Refer to pp. 67-71 in the CA Dyslexia Guidelines.
• In groups, discuss how students’ understanding of syntax can help them improve their reading fluency.
• What are some aspects of quality syntax instruction.

​

​

Semantics and fluency

• Semantics: Word meanings and the meaning of groups of words (phrases, clauses, etc.)

​

• Refer to pp. 67-71 in the CA Dyslexia Guidelines.
• In groups, discuss how students’ knowledge of semantics can help them improve their reading fluency.
• What are some aspects of quality semantics instruction.

​

​

Decodable books

• Decodable words use letters and letter combinations that follow phonics rules and patterns.
• Students can use their phonics knowledge to figure out decodable words.
• Decodable books contain many decodable words.
• Some words in decodable books may be irregularly spelled words (i.e., they break the phonics rules). Students need to memorize the irregular words as sight words.

Decodable books

• The following passage is from a decodable book. Before reading this book, students will have learned the consonant sounds and the short vowel sounds.
• Since these students only know the short vowel and consonant sounds, which words will they need to memorize as sight words?

​

Decodable passage:

• Liz, Bud and Mom go on the bus to the Gum Hut.

​

Create your own decodable story

• In groups, create your own short story using mostly decodable words.
• Imagine your students have only learned the consonant sounds and short vowels.
• You can include a few irregular words in your story.

​

​

End