English Language Arts/Reading Domain 1 Competency 6 Reading Fluency

What’s the Goal of this Competency?  The teacher understands the importance of fluency to reading and provides many opportunities for students to improve their reading fluency.

Key Definitions  Fluency- The ability to decode words quickly and accurately in order to read text with the appropriate word stress, pitch, and intonation pattern (or prosody). Automaticity- The quick and accurate recognition of letters, words, and language conventions.

How does Reading Fluency relate to Reading Comprehension?  Reading fluency requires automaticity of word recognition and reading with prosody to facilitate comprehension. Reading Fluency Reading Comprehension AutomaticityProsody

The Components of Reading Fluency 1.Read orally a text source by using accuracy in pronouncing words. 2.Comprehend effectively because attention is given to textual meaning and not just to word identification. 3.Provide expression that includes attention to punctuation. 4.Read with a rate that is appropriate for the purpose identified for reading the text source.

Fluency and Comprehension  Fluency is a prerequisite for language comprehension.  For students struggling with fluency, teachers should separate reading silently for comprehension and reading aloud to promote fluency.

Grade Level Expectations  Chapter TEKS  1 st Grade - 60 wpm.  2 nd Grade- 70 wpm.  3 rd Grade- 80 wpm.  4 th Grade - 90 wpm.  The rate should increase by 10 words per grade level.  Children in the 1 st -4 th grade will able to read independently with minimum difficulty.

Examples of Reading Fluency

Common Reading Difficulties that Influence Reading Fluency 1.Word-by-Word Reading - Ex: a student pausing after each word in printed text. 2.Insufficient knowledge of word recognition skills. -A student’s limited use of sight word knowledge, context clues, structural analysis, and other skills used in pronouncing an unknown word.

Reading Difficulties cont’d 3. Ineffective Comprehension -Recognized when a student is not able to tell what has been read or is unable to respond to statements and questions posed about text that has been read.

Strategies to Promote Fluency  Guided Oral Repeated Reading -Teacher uses text at the reading level of the child. This allows the child to read the same story repeatedly to develop fluency. Choral Reading -Students reading “in group”. Struggling readers can use the model provided by fluent readers. This works well with ELLs.  Pairing Students -Pairing proficient readers with struggling readers is beneficial for both groups.

Strategies Continued  Interactive Computer Programs -These types of programs provide individualized reading support for children.  Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) -The primary goal of SSR is to boost reading comprehension. Students read silently for 20 min. a day and improve their reading fluency.  Readers’ Theater -A story is modified so that various characters have to read portions of the text. Students rehearse their reading part and then create a theater format to present the reading.  Developing Reading Fluency -Pointing to words while reading helps students to see the letter-sound correspondence. Students in 2 nd grade should be guided away from this practice, as it can affect the development of reading fluency.

One More Strategy! Assessing Reading Fluency -A running record is an assessment strategy to assess students’ word identification skills and fluency in oral reading. The teacher listens to the student read a page, The teacher uses a copy of the page to mark each the child mispronounces. The teacher writes the incorrect word over the printed word, draws a line through each word the child skips, and draws an arrow under repeated words. The activity allows the teacher to the type of error made and provide support.

References Rosado, L.A.(2011).The Best Teachers’ Test Preparation for the TExES: Texas Examinations of Educator Standards 191 Generalist EC-6. Arlington,Tx: Research & Education Association. Nath, J. & Ramsey, J.(2011).Preparing to Teach Texas Content Areas: The TExES EC-6 Generalist and the ESL Supplement 2 nd.Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Pearson