Fluency
Fluency is a student's ability to read with rate, accuracy, and prosody, or expression. The student should understand that different texts need to be read at different speeds. In addition, the student should be able to read a text with 95% accuracy and with correct expression throughout. As Sharon Taberski explains in Comprehension from the Ground Up, fluency allows students to further comprehend what they are reading because they are able to chunk text into phrases and pull more meaning from this, rather than individual words. Fluency acts as a bridge to comprehension because students combine their skills of identifying words with constructing meaning. The University of Oregon further explains this by stating that fluency, "is having mastered word recognition skills to the point of overlearning. Fundamental skills are so 'automatic' that they do not require conscious attention." This gives students the opportunity to really look at what the text is saying rather than trying to figure out what each word is. Fluency is a literacy skill that can be used throughout life, from reading informational texts to making speeches to having a conversation.
http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/flu/flu_what.php
http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/flu/flu_what.php
Activity 1In this activity, students will practice their accuracy and rate with a board game. Materials needed include high frequency word cards, game boards, time record student sheets, timers for pairs of students, game pieces, and pencils. The following steps will occur:
(Grade Level: 2-3) http://www.fcrr.org/documents/sca/GK-1/F_Final_High_Frequency_Words.pdf |
Activity 2In this activity, students will practice proper phrasing, intonation, and expression by reading scripts as a group. All that is needed is Readers Theater scripts. The following steps will be followed:
(Grade Level: 2-3) http://www.fcrr.org/documents/sca/G2-3/2-3Fluency_4_Connected_Text.pdf |