1. Teaching Students to Read Fluently
Read Naturally

2. Simple View of Reading Fluency Decoding Comprehension
Fluency is the bridge that links decoding or word reading to comprehension.

3. Key elements of fluency…
Accurate reading of connected text
At a conversational rate
With appropriate prosody or expression

4. Fluent reading…
Is the ability to read text accurately, quickly and effortlessly with expression
Is the ability to read like you speak
Students in the fall of sixth grade should be reading grade level text at a rate of 127 correct words per minute (cwpm)

5. Research on fluency…
National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) found 44% of nation’s 4th graders were low in fluency
Less fluent readers must focus attention primarily on decoding individual words. They have little attention left for comprehending the text.
More fluent readers focus their attention on making connections among the ideas in text and between those ideas and their background knowledge
More fluent readers are able to focus their attention on comprehension

6. What is fluency?

7. Using Read Naturally Teacher Modeling Repeated Reading
Teach word recognition
Teach meaningful context
Teach correct phrasing
Repeated Reading
Read same passage over and over
Better understanding
Able to read subsequent passages faster
Progress Monitoring
Provide immediate feedback toward specific goal

8. Implementing Read Naturally
Select a story
Read along to learn key words
Write a prediction using key words
Timed cold score – graph in blue
Read along to learn the story
Timed practice readings
Timed hot score – graph in red
Answer questions
Write a retell, summary or practice word lists

9. The Read Naturally Strategy

10. Comprehension strategies
Students underline text to support responses
Students restate open-ended question and support with evidence from text
Write summary using summary frame
Focus – demonstrate understanding of text

11. Questions

12. Sources
Ambruster, B.B., Lehr, F., Osborn, J. (2003). Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read. Jessup, MD: National Institute for Literacy.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching Children to Read. Retrieved from website:
Read Naturally. (2011, November 6). How-To Videos: Read Naturally Basics. Retrieved from
Read Naturally, Inc. (2006).