What is Fluency?
Fluency is the capability of reading a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, and group words quickly to gain meaning from what they are reading. They read aloud effortlessly and with expression.
Fluency provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Without a need to concentrate on decoding words, fluent readers can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the different ideas in the text, and between those ideas and their background knowledge.
How is Fluency Developed?
Fluency develops over time through substantial reading practice. At the earliest stage, readers' oral reading is slow and labored as they learn to "break the code" and attach sounds to letters and to blend letter sounds into words. At the next stage, readers learn to recognize words, and their oral reading is smoother but still without expression. Automaticity is a term used for readers that have accurate and fast word recognition, but do not yet read with expression.
When readers become fluent, they are able to divide the text into meaningful chunks, to pause appropriately, and to provide expression by changing emphasis and tone. Although fluency may be attained when reading easier texts, fluency capabilities are dependent upon what readers are reading, their familiarity with the words and the amount of their practice with reading texts. Even skilled readers may read slowly when reading texts with many unfamiliar words or topics.
What is the Best Approach to Learn Fluency?
Researchers have investigated two major instructional approaches to fluency, "Repeated Reading" (monitored oral reading) and "Independent Silent Reading" (reading extensively on their own). The conclusion from the research is that "Repeated Reading" is more effective in developing fluency.
Researchers found that two techniques for "Repeated Reading" were very effective:
- Re-reading Text. Students read and re-read a text a certain number of times until fluency is reached. Four re-readings are sufficient for most readers.
- Oral Reading. Oral reading practice can be increased through the use of audiotapes, tutors, peer guidance, or other means.
Traditionally, many teachers have relied upon round-robin reading, where students take turns reading parts of a text aloud. Unfortunately, round-robin reading does not increase fluency. This is probably due to the fact that students only read small amounts of text and they only read it once. Many teachers also encourage students to read on their own, with programs such as Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) or Drop Everything and Read (DEAR). Research has not been able to confirm that independent silent reading is effective. Research does suggest that there are more beneficial ways to spend reading instructional time than to have students read independently without instruction.
What are the Best Methods to Teach Fluency?
Readers become more fluent by
- Providing a model of fluent reading, and then have the student
- Repeatedly read the same text orally, while receiving guidance.
The purpose of modeling is for the modeler to show the reader how to group words and phrases, where and when to pause, and where and when to raise your voice to show expression. They are to model how it sounds to be fluent when reading a passage of text. Teachers, parents, adult, and more-fluent fellow students can all model fluent reading. Even a tape recording of a passage being read can serve as the model of fluent reading.
Immediately after hearing the model of fluent reading, the reader should read the same passage repeatedly until they demonstrate fluency with the text. This can be done individually with an adult, or individually with a tape recording of the text, or two students as partners, or as "chorale reading" where all students read orally as a group. "Readers' Theatre", where students rehearse and perform a play for fellow students or parents, is an excellent example of repeatedly rereading texts and practicing fluency. Plays can be developed from books that are rich in dialogue.
How Do You Assess Fluency and Measure Progress?
The easiest way to assess a reader's fluency is to calculate the words they read correctly in a minute, and to perform this assessment over time in order to measure progress and to compare the results with published norms/standards.
- Select 2-3 brief passages from grade-level text/materials.
- Have the reader read each passage aloud for exactly one minute.
- Count the total number of words the student read in the minute.
- Count the number of errors the student made.
- Subtract the number of errors from the total number of words read. This is the number Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM).
- Compare the results with published norms.
- 1st grade: 60 WCPM by the end of the year.
- 2nd grade: 90-100 WCPM by the end of the year.
- 3rd grade: 114 WCPM by the end of the year.
Additional Ways to Assess Fluency
Here are three additional ways to assess your child's fluency level:
- Five Finger Test: A common “rule of thumb” test to determine if a book is the appropriate level for your child is the “Five Finger Test”. With this test, an adult sits with a child while the child reads a random page from a book aloud, and holds up five fingers. Each time your child misses a word, or struggles with a word, put one finger down. If all five fingers are put down before the page is finished, it is likely that the book is too difficult for your child. This is a method that you can teach your child to use on their own when they are choosing books for themselves, or if they are a stronger silent reader than reading-aloud reader.
- Schonell Test: This test is a standardized reading test comprised of a series of 100 words that are meant to be representative of vocabulary that is current and regularly used. Reading fluency is determined by the accuracy of words read and how far down the list the words are read. It is a test developed by Dr. Eleanor Schonell and her husband Sir Fred Schonell in the 1940's. This is the Schonell Test.
- Abecedarian Reading Assessment: This assessment was developed by BalancedReading.com and it is a more thorough reading assessment, including letter knowledge, phonological awareness (rhyme and phoneme identity), phoneme awareness, knowledge of the alphabet, vocabulary, and decoding. Their website gives permission to download the test and use it for free.
What Does this Mean for Gifted Readers?
Gifted readers generally read at a younger age, and require less repetitiveness. They will still need to learn fluency, but it is possible that it will happen before they attend school and the parent takes on the role as teacher. Or, if they start reading after they start attending school, they can progress at a phenomenal rate. The techniques for fluency should be used, but it is likely that much less repetitiveness will be required. They will proceed from learning-about-fluency to learning-about-comprehension at a much faster pace. Even if they achieve fluency with easier texts, they should be encouraged to progress to texts that have a much more complex vocabulary and should continue to be encouraged to read orally as they conquer the more advanced texts.
Reading Comprehension is the Next Step
As a reader becomes more fluent, a focus on reading comprehension is the next logical step. In a recent large-scale study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), they found a close relationship between fluency and reading comprehension.
Next Article: Reading Comprehension
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