Reading Fluency

Fluency assessments are important because they can help teachers see which students are improving and

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which students are struggling with reading.  But what is fluency, and what should you observe while students are reading?  According to Deeny (2010) and The Literacy Dictionary (Harris & Hodges, 1995) there are four components of fluency to look at. They are accuracy, rate/speed, prosody, and comprehension.  Deeny suggests using one minute fluency tests, which measure the number of words read correctly in one minute, as a quick way to test for accuracy and speed.  Rasinski (2004) suggests using a rubric that offers a way to test expression/volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pace.  However, both Deeny and Rasinski stress the importance of improving and measuring all four components of fluency through direct and interactive instruction.

I loved Rasinski's idea of having a readers' theater!  I remember doing readers' theater about the story of Thanksgiving when I was in elementary school.  We practiced our lines for a week and even made costumes.  At the time, I didn't realize I was learning while also having fun.  Not only did we practice fluency, but we learned a social studies lesson at the same time.  Readers' theater could be a great way to bridge the gap between reading education and other subjects.  I also love that it can be used across grade levels.  Text level simply needs to be increased or decreased depending on the students' abilities.  For very young emergent readers, having a read aloud could serve the same purpose.  Reading to students is a way for teachers to model fluency even before they can read independently.  Do you think read alouds should even be used with older students and more difficult books?  What other ways can teachers promote fluency in the classroom?

Check out the video below that shows how even a simple book can be used to teach reading fluency.