18

What is reading fluency? Why is it critical? What is the best way to teach your student to read fluently?

Fluency, one of the five pillars of the Science of Reading framework on which our program is based, is a learned skill that is essential to achieving the ultimate goal of reading—comprehension.

To understand the role of fluency in your child’s reading journey, think of fluency as a bridge. Before students can begin to cross the bridge, they must learn to read—that is, learn the letters of our alphabet and the different sounds (phonemes) they make or combine to make. Then they gradually learn phonetic rules, patterns, and predictable relationships between written and spoken sounds.

Fluent readers recognize words and comprehend their meaning at the same time, reading quickly, accurately, and effortlessly.

As students develop their automatic decoding skills, learn phrasing, and expand their vocabulary through consistent reading practice, they acquire the skills needed to progress from learning to read to reading to learn.

How is reading fluency defined?

In the context of the Science of Reading, fluency is defined as the ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with appropriate expression when reading aloud.

Fluency has three key components:

1. Accuracy: reading words correctly
2. Speed: reading at an appropriate pace
3. Prosody: using appropriate expression and intonation

As your child practices reading and spelling, he will recognize more and more words faster, which increases his reading speed. When readers achieve automaticity, which is the ability to decode or recognize words quickly, effortlessly, and accurately, they can read words without having to consciously think about them, just as you can read these words without having to decode or sound them out one by one.

As automaticity increases, your student’s mind becomes more free to focus on understanding the text rather than decoding it.

Watch this short video for a brief overview of reading fluency and why it matters.

Why is reading fluency important?

Fluency is a crucial literacy skill for students to develop because it frees up cognitive resources that allow students to connect ideas, interpret meanings, and become immersed in the texts they are reading.

When readers achieve fluency, they also gain the following:

Comprehension: Because decoding words becomes increasingly automatic with reading practice, readers can concentrate on understanding the text. Fluent readers recognize words effortlessly, allowing them to focus on meaning, complex sentence structures, relationships, and the connections between ideas. They understand the main points and key ideas, as well as the subtleties, and fully comprehend the content.

Self-confidence: Fluent readers often feel a sense of pride, accomplishment, and motivation about their reading skills. This creates a positive feedback loop. As their confidence increases, they will likely read more and a wider variety of material, which further improves their skills.

Vocabulary: Fluency contributes significantly to vocabulary growth and language development. Fluent readers tend to explore a broader range of materials and come across a wider variety of words in context. This exposure enhances their language and communication skills across different academic subjects and life experiences.

Academic success: Fluency is necessary for students to be able to read for learning. As they advance through their education, fluency becomes increasingly vital for comprehending and analyzing more advanced and content-rich texts.

Emotional engagement: Fluency enables readers to form deep connections with a text’s characters, emotions, experiences, and repercussions. This connection transforms reading into an immersive, personal, and more enjoyable experience, both in the moment and throughout their lives.

How is reading fluency learned or acquired?

Reading fluency doesn’t just happen automatically when a student begins to read. Fluency develops gradually as students become more familiar with words, groups of words, and whole texts.

When students start out reading, their first attempts will be slow and laborious as they work to “crack the code”—attaching sounds to letters and then blending those letter sounds into words. Words are read one at a time, even if they are in a sentence.

The next step is learning to break sentences into meaningful chunks, called phrases, so they know when to pause appropriately and how to add emphasis and tone to what they are reading.

Our Level 1 readers are designed with intentional line breaks to help your child learn and understand phrasing.

Reading aloud to your child is key to demonstrating what fluency sounds like. He needs to hear you read to him so he becomes familiar with what a reader’s voice, cadence, and expression should sound like once he becomes a fluent reader.

We believe so strongly in the benefits of learning by listening that we encourage you to spend 20 minutes a day reading aloud to your child, in addition to 20 minutes of guided oral reading while he practices reading aloud.

What is the best way to teach fluency?

Teaching reading fluency effectively involves using a variety of strategies that meet the learning style and needs of your unique student. Here are a few of the best approaches:

• Model fluent reading: Read aloud to your child frequently, demonstrating proper pronunciation, pacing, expression, and intonation. We recommend reading to your child 20 minutes every day.
• Oral reading: Have your child read aloud with guidance and feedback from you, a sibling, or another experienced reader.
• Read it again: Practice re-reading the same text multiple times to improve speed and accuracy.
• Broaden reading topics: Read a variety of texts on topics that expand your child’s experience and to build familiarity with different words and sentence structures.
• Act it out: Write scripts for your student to act out. Emphasize expressive reading and invite an audience–even a dog or a stuffed animal–to make this fun activity even more memorable.
• Echo reading: Read a sentence or passage first, and then have your child repeat it. This helps him practice correct phrasing and expression.
• Listen to audiobooks: Audiobooks are a great way for students to hear what fluency sounds like with different readers.
• Follow along with audiobooks: Have your child follow along with the printed text while listening to a fluent reader. This helps him make the connection between spoken and written words.
• Make spelling and reading practice fun: Use hands-on multisensory activities and games to make reading and spelling practice engaging and enjoyable.

The bottom line on why and how to develop reading fluency

Reading fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with appropriate expression, and it serves as a critical link between word recognition (automatic decoding) and comprehension. It is essential because it not only increases comprehension and enjoyment of reading but also supports overall academic success.

Our beautifully illustrated readers are filled with original stories written specifically to promote reading fluency. Not only are they 100 percent decodable based on the lesson your child is learning, but they will give him plenty of practice with phrasing and comprehension.

To teach students to become fluent readers, we use a multisensory strategy based on the Orton-Gillingham model we use in our All About Reading and All About Spelling programs. Our structured and sequential phonics-focused approach to teaching will give your student the knowledge and confidence he needs as he sets his sights to reach the other side of the bridge.

Fluency is the next step in achieving reading proficiency and unlocking the joy and real-life benefits of reading with comprehension. Practice makes perfect, so encourage and model expressive fluent reading during this new and ongoing learning process and remember—make learning fun.

Interested in becoming more fluent about fluency? Learn more with these related articles:

• How to Develop Reading Fluency
• How to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary
• 4 Tips for Developing Automaticity in Reading and Spelling
• Is “The Matthew Effect” Affecting Your Child’s Desire to Read?
• How to Teach Reading Comprehension

What strategies have worked for you in teaching your students to become fluent readers? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments section below.