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Literacy Lights
FALL FLUENCY for Parents
by Lesley Mandel Morrow, Rutgers University
Fall marks the beginning of a new season and a new school year. It is a time when we are ready and eager to try new ideas. Research has found that an important element for reading success is the ability to read fluently. Fluent reading is automatic and is accurate. A fluent reader reads at an appropriate pace, with expression, and good phrasing. Fluency demonstrates that children can figure out words using phonics and other word study skills, and understands or comprehends what they read. Activities to practice fluency are fun and easy to do. Here are some fluency activities to try at home throughout the school year.
Echo Reading involves you reading one line of a poem or story and your child repeating the same line after you have read. Increase the number of lines read at one time as the child's reading improves. Ask your child to follow the story with their finger to be sure he/she is looking at the words. Let your child read first with easy materials. Try to echo read once a week.
Choral Reading involves a story that your child has read before or that is easy for him/her to read. Read the text together. Lead the reading by using expression and appropriate pacing. Choral read once a week.
Reader's Theater is a read-aloud activity. Roles are distributed and each person reads when his/her character speaks. This should be done with easy reading materials for your child that includes conversation. Fables are often good pieces of literature for Reader's Theatre since they are short and have well defined characters. Try this when you find a good selection for the activity.
Partner Reading involves sharing reading. You read a sentence or half the page, and ask your child to read one sentence or half the page. As reading improves each partner can read an entire page or section. Try partner reading once a week.
Taped Stories provide good samples for listening to fluent reading. When using a taped story have the child follow the text with his/her finger or read along to help with fluency. Have children tape their own stories and evaluate their reading for fluency.
Repeated Reading involves your child in reading books or stories more than once in the same week. Tape record your child reading orally, before you begin the fluency activities and tape record again after you have read and recorded for about two months. Then do another oral reading taping. Evaluate if the reading flows smoothly at a good pace, with expression and all words are decoded.
Go to school events your child's teacher may have related to fluency. Fill out the monthly checklist you create for recording the different fluency activities you do or one sent home from the teacher. Come to school and lead children in group fluency activities.
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