Fluency

Virginia Standards of Learning for Fluency 1.8 The student will read familiar stories, poems, and passages with fluency and expression. First Grade: Volume 2, Page 11

…Fluency… Why is fluency important? How does fluent reading sound? How does disfluent reading sound? What are some possible causes of disfluent reading? How do you promote fluency?

“Because the ability to obtain meaning from print depends so strongly on the development of word recognition accuracy and reading fluency, both of the latter should be regularly assessed in the classroom, permitting timely and effective instructional response when difficulty or delay is apparent.” National Reading Panel, p. 7

So, what is it? The Literacy Dictionary defines fluency as “freedom from word identification problems that might hinder comprehension.” pg. 85 –Linking word recognition to comprehension Fluent reading is the ability to perform two tasks simultaneously –Identify words –Comprehend text Accuracy, speed, prosody Accuracy Speed Prosody

Basic Processes Decoding Comprehension: assessing word meaning, deciding on the correct meaning, grouping words into grammatical units, generating inferences, using knowledge to construct a coherent & understandable model of the text, etc. –Slow, disfluent reading is associated with poor comprehension Attention: limited quantity so processing demands may exceed the amount of attention that is available –The beginning reader: divide and conquer –The fluent reader: able to handle dual tasks

Slow, Disfluent Reading May be associated with decoding May be associated with a lack of sensitivity to meaningful phrasing and syntax Therefore… Improving word recognition efficiency and helping students develop greater sensitivity to syntactic structures will result in improved fluency Rasinski, 2000

Reading Rates Calculate words per minute –Total # of words read correctly X 60 Total # of seconds PALS desired reading rates –Primer (1.1) 45 wpm –First (1.2) 60 wpm –Second (2.2) 110 wpm –Third (3.2) 135 wpm –Fourth (4.2) 150 wpm First Grade Notebook Volume 2, page 17

Instructional Support: Fluency Course Online Lesson 1: Fluency Assessment Lesson 2: Activities to Increase Reading Rate Lesson 3: Activities to Improve Expression

Instructional Implications Time spent reading Repeated reading Supported reading (paired, echo, choral, taped-reading) Modeling

Instructional Implications Focus on phrase boundaries –The principal said the teacher was very helpful. Choose texts carefully –Independent and instructional level Read with meaning not just for meaning

Fluency at Different Stages Emergent Beginning Instructional

How is fluency addressed in your literacy block?

Copyright by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.