Fluency Matters: Strategies that Support Improvement
"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
In my previous feature article, we learned about the various components that constitute oral reading fluency. Now that you know the specific elements to pay attention to as your child reads aloud, let’s discuss some strategies that can be implemented at home in order to help your child grow and develop into a more fluent reader! Provide a Model of Good Reading Either read aloud short selections of your child’s book or provide an audio accompaniment (i.e. Pre-record yourself reading the text, purchase an audio book version, or see if an audio book version is available for free, either online using Bookshare or at your local library). The more exposure your child has with hearing modeled fluent reading of what they are actually reading, the more your child will understand what fluent reading actually sounds like. Remember if you are reading aloud: be expressive, pause to emphasize a point in the story, and alter your speed and tone to match the meaning of the words. Follow Along in the Text While reading aloud to your child or while they are listening to an audio version of his/her book, have your child follow along with the text as they listen. This helps your child connect the words on the page to the sound of the words. More importantly, this helps your child connect the different tones and inflections in your voice or in the audio book with the written text. As your child builds his/her awareness of fluent reading, encourage him/her to read aloud with you or along with the recording in order to practice their oral reading fluency. Remember, practice makes perfect (or, as I like to say, practice makes progress!) This leads me to my next point… Repeated Readings & Record Before and After Readings Select short (no longer than one-two minute) poems or stories for your child to read. Record your child as he/she reads it for the first time. Let them practice reading it, with the intent to improve on the area of weakness (i.e. pace, accuracy, expression, volume, smoothness, phrasing, punctuation). Provide your child with the opportunity to have repeated readings of the same text passage over the course of several days. Once your child has practiced several times, record his/her reading, and allow your child to listen to the difference between the before and after recordings in order to hear the improvement that resulted from days of practice. Create a Set Reading Time for Fluency Practice Gone are the days where students spend much of their class time reading aloud from a textbook. Even though, peer interactions, class discussions, hands-on activities, and inquiry-based learning are much more meaningful than the old “go-to” of reading aloud to pass time in class, your child may still require time to practice their oral reading fluency. If you child is struggling with fluent reading, it is essential that he/she practices reading aloud at home. Set aside 5 minutes every day or every other day in order to implement one of the strategies mentioned above. Without practice, there can be no improvement, thus it is key to carve out time to read aloud. Click here for additional strategies on how to help your child improve his/her oral reading fluency. Happy Reading! Ms. Meluso
