Fluency
Fluency is the rate, accuracy, phrasing, and expression that a reader uses when reading text. The percentage of words they fluently and correctly read directly relates to their ability to understand the text. In the same breath, I must also share that while at times readers can fluently read text this does not always mean that they are comprehending what they just read. (We call this "fake reading". I consider this to be what I do when reading a legal document. I could certainly pronounce the words in a legal document, but might be completely clueless about what I just read.)
Some ways you can support your child in improving his/her fluency:
Read to your child. Simply modeling how a text should be read (fiction or nonfiction) will allow your child to hear the way text sounds.
Talk about Fluency. Take time to analyze the way you or your child reads text. What did each of you notice about the rate at which the text was read? After the book was read, talk about some of the parts read accurately and those that my have been read in accurately (if they impacted meaning). Consider discussing the phrasing used when reading. Did you know that strong, fluent readers chunk 3-4 words together when reading? Unless, of course, the author inserts punctuation to tell a reader to read it otherwise.Compliment each other on using good expression for characters, or even in nonfiction text when appropriate. You could even use the rubric below to ground your dialogue in goal setting. Shoot for a 4!
"See-Saw" read. (a personal favorite!) Divide the text so that you both have parts. This could be by paragraph, page, chapter, etc. The great thing about this method is that you can model for one another and you're spending quality time with your child.
Try a comic book.These texts are excellent for working on fluency. They offer great opportunities for expression and cause one to consider accuracy , too, as the vocabulary is often quite high. Plus, the inferring skills of the reader are in full force as you read and think about the text to figure out the funny parts.
Some ways you can support your child in improving his/her fluency:
Read to your child. Simply modeling how a text should be read (fiction or nonfiction) will allow your child to hear the way text sounds.
Talk about Fluency. Take time to analyze the way you or your child reads text. What did each of you notice about the rate at which the text was read? After the book was read, talk about some of the parts read accurately and those that my have been read in accurately (if they impacted meaning). Consider discussing the phrasing used when reading. Did you know that strong, fluent readers chunk 3-4 words together when reading? Unless, of course, the author inserts punctuation to tell a reader to read it otherwise.Compliment each other on using good expression for characters, or even in nonfiction text when appropriate. You could even use the rubric below to ground your dialogue in goal setting. Shoot for a 4!
"See-Saw" read. (a personal favorite!) Divide the text so that you both have parts. This could be by paragraph, page, chapter, etc. The great thing about this method is that you can model for one another and you're spending quality time with your child.
Try a comic book.These texts are excellent for working on fluency. They offer great opportunities for expression and cause one to consider accuracy , too, as the vocabulary is often quite high. Plus, the inferring skills of the reader are in full force as you read and think about the text to figure out the funny parts.