Key Vocab and Concepts:
Reading Fluency- the ablitiy to read quickly, accurately and with expression. In order to read fluently, students must recognize most words automatically and be able to identify unfamiliar words easily.
automaticity- the ability to quickly recognize words. This is done through repeated reading and writing experiences.
speed- how many words a student can read per minute. fluent readers should be able to read at least 100 words per minute although their speed may vary depending on topic, genre and text complexity.
prosody- a concept that fluent readers read sentences expressively with appropriate phrasing and intonation. There are five components of prosody that include; expression, phrasing, volume, smoothness and pacing.
high frequency words- common words used over and over again by readers.
word identification strategies- strategies used to decode unfamiliar words: phonic analysis- students notice all letters in a word and analyze the letter sequence. decoding by analogy- students identify words by associating them with words they already know. syllabic analysis- more experienced readers use this to divide longer words. morphemic analysis- used to identify mulitsyllabic words.
assessing reading fluency- teachers will informally monitor students by listening to them read aloud. they also check students knowledge of hig-frequency words and how they use word-identification strategies to decode words, while checking for speed. Teachers may use rubrics or running records to help make instructional decisions.
writers voice- distinctive voices that reflect individuality. voice is the tone or emotional feeling of a piece of writing. writers develop their voice by the words they choose and how they are used within a sentence.
dysfluent readers and writers- can not recognize high frequency words, guess words by beginning sound, they point to words as they read, they read to slowly or quickly, they misspell many words even the high frequency ones, they write slowly and illegibly, they do not use punctuation marks and they write very little.
obstacles to fluency- obstacle 1: lack of automaticity- explicit instruction to read and write high-frequency words. obstacle 2: unfamiliarity with word-identification strategies- teachers introduce new vocab wordes before reading, teach identification strategies and give more time for reading/writing practice. This is to help dysfluent readers and writers develop automaticity. obstactle 3: slow reading speed- teachers provide daily practice to develop reading speed and stamina through repeated readings. obstacle 4: slow writing speed- quickwriting, reading logs, simulated journals and learning logs will help to improve a students writing speed. obstacle 5: lack of prosody- teachers emphasize prosody by modeling expressive reading every time they read a book. obstacle 6: voiceless writing- when students do lots of reading and writing then their writers voice develops.
Application to the classroom: Teachers ensure students are fluent readers and writers by developing three components of reading fluency: auomaticity, speed and prosody. Teachers work with dysfluent students to overcome obstacles by providing explicit instruction, increasing time for reading, modeling what fluent reading and writing looks like, and clarifying connections between reading fluency and comprehension.
Amanda Jachthuber 