What is Fluency?
Automaticity is a reader’s ability to recognize words without conscious decoding. When they see a word that recognize it without having to sound out letters or break into syllables. Having automaticity with many high frequency and sight words leads to reading fluency.
Fluency is the ability to read smoothly and easily at a good rate with phrasing and expression (read like you talk). It is important to remember that rate alone is not fluency! A reader must also pay attention to phrasing, use punctuation, and intonation in order to read fluently. Fluent readers do not keep their reading rate the same. Instead, fluent readers adjust their rate based on the text level of difficulty.
Fluency is the ability to read smoothly and easily at a good rate with phrasing and expression (read like you talk). It is important to remember that rate alone is not fluency! A reader must also pay attention to phrasing, use punctuation, and intonation in order to read fluently. Fluent readers do not keep their reading rate the same. Instead, fluent readers adjust their rate based on the text level of difficulty.
Why is it critical to Literacy?
Fluency is a critical area of literacy because disfluent readers have much more difficulty comprehending text and the act of reading becomes a laborious task instead of an enjoyable activity. Particularly as readers get older, lack of fluency becomes a greater and greater barrier to accessing grade level texts. A slow reading rate may mean that it takes a high school student four times as long to do their assigned homework reading each night than it would a fluent reader. Fluency impacts comprehension because, “fluent readers know the words automatically, spending their cognitive energy on constructing meaning” (Beers, 2003, p.205). Fluency is also related to accuracy and vocabulary development because the more words a student knows and can read accurately and automatically, the better their fluency will become.
Assessment ideas
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
During an ORF a student reads aloud from a selected passage of text while the teachers times the student and records any errors (or miscues) as well as any self-corrections that the student makes. At the end of the reading the teacher can determine the student’s reading rate in words per minute, their percent accuracy, and take notes on the student’s phrasing and expression.
https://dibels.uoregon.edu/measures/orf.php?iframe=true&width=100%&height=100%
The 6 Dimensions of Fluency Rubric
A great tool for assessing all areas of fluency. It includes pausing, phrasing, stress, intonation, rate, and then an overall integration score. This rubric is particularly helpful in determine fluency strengths and areas of growth because of the detail with which it breaks down the components of fluency.
http://lakeharriet.mpls.k12.mn.us/uploads/dimensions_fluency.pdf
CORE: MASI-R Oral Reading Fluency Measures (grades 1–6)
AIMSweb Standard Reading Passages
Reading A-Z Fluency Passage Assessments
There are two types of fluency assessments. The first type has a child perform a timed reading of a series of sentences and then answer true/false statements about the sentences. There are three of these assessments, each with more difficult sentences than the preceding one. The second type of fluency assessment is a one-minute timed reading of a passage to measure the number and accuracy of words read. There is a fluency passage for each level, F through Z.
http://www.readinga-z.com/assess/fluency-passage.html
Oral Fluency Assessment Calculator
Oral Reading Rubric
During an ORF a student reads aloud from a selected passage of text while the teachers times the student and records any errors (or miscues) as well as any self-corrections that the student makes. At the end of the reading the teacher can determine the student’s reading rate in words per minute, their percent accuracy, and take notes on the student’s phrasing and expression.
https://dibels.uoregon.edu/measures/orf.php?iframe=true&width=100%&height=100%
The 6 Dimensions of Fluency Rubric
A great tool for assessing all areas of fluency. It includes pausing, phrasing, stress, intonation, rate, and then an overall integration score. This rubric is particularly helpful in determine fluency strengths and areas of growth because of the detail with which it breaks down the components of fluency.
http://lakeharriet.mpls.k12.mn.us/uploads/dimensions_fluency.pdf
CORE: MASI-R Oral Reading Fluency Measures (grades 1–6)
AIMSweb Standard Reading Passages
Reading A-Z Fluency Passage Assessments
There are two types of fluency assessments. The first type has a child perform a timed reading of a series of sentences and then answer true/false statements about the sentences. There are three of these assessments, each with more difficult sentences than the preceding one. The second type of fluency assessment is a one-minute timed reading of a passage to measure the number and accuracy of words read. There is a fluency passage for each level, F through Z.
http://www.readinga-z.com/assess/fluency-passage.html
Oral Fluency Assessment Calculator
Oral Reading Rubric
Instructional strategies
Non-fluent readers are most often non-fluent because of a lack of practice with reading” (Beers, 2003, p.218). We must make sure that we are giving readers plenty of time to read at their independent level every day. Beyond giving students lots of time with texts there are many strategies to use to help increase fluency.
Strategies for increasing fluency:
* Choral Readings
* Shared Readings
* Paired or Partner Readings
* Listen to the teacher read aloud
* Listen to books on tape (MP3 player)
o Can you divide the word into syllables and sound it out that way?
o Do you see a part of the word you recognize?
o Can you get your mouth ready to say the first few letters?
o What word would make sense at this point?
o Can you try sounding it out slowly to see if that helps?
Five Sure Fire Strategies to Develop Reading Fluency (Scholastic.com)
Whisper Phones: A great way for students to hear themselves reading without disrupting the rest of the class...and easy to make too!
Busy Teacher's Cafe: Great section on fluency with resources and more ideas!
Strategies for increasing fluency:
- Improve students’ knowledge of high frequency words and sight words through the use of word walls and personal word banks.
- Give students varied opportunities for hearing texts. Students need to hear fluent reading in order to become fluent readers.
* Choral Readings
* Shared Readings
* Paired or Partner Readings
* Listen to the teacher read aloud
* Listen to books on tape (MP3 player)
- Teach phrasing and intonation explicitly.
- Have students reread selected texts. Repeated readings are one of the best ways to improve fluency.
- Prompt, Don't Correct! Telling the reader the word encourages more dependence, and letting the student stare at the sentence doesn't help either. So try the following prompts to give the student the opportunity to decode successfully:
o Can you divide the word into syllables and sound it out that way?
o Do you see a part of the word you recognize?
o Can you get your mouth ready to say the first few letters?
o What word would make sense at this point?
o Can you try sounding it out slowly to see if that helps?
Five Sure Fire Strategies to Develop Reading Fluency (Scholastic.com)
Whisper Phones: A great way for students to hear themselves reading without disrupting the rest of the class...and easy to make too!
Busy Teacher's Cafe: Great section on fluency with resources and more ideas!
resources
Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2006). The daily five: Fostering literacy independence in the elementary grades. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The café book: Engaging all students in daily literacy assessment and instruction. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Fountas, I.C., & Pinnell, G.S. (2008). Benchmark assessment system. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
-this is where the six dimensions of fluency rubric can be found
Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2006). The daily five: Fostering literacy independence in the elementary grades. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The café book: Engaging all students in daily literacy assessment and instruction. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Fountas, I.C., & Pinnell, G.S. (2008). Benchmark assessment system. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
-this is where the six dimensions of fluency rubric can be found