Fluency

Class Wide

• Have students listen to multiple readings of a portion of text and compare and contrast the readings. Encourage discussion. Some suggested ways to read the selection are listed below.
  • Read the selection in a word-by-word manner.
  • Read the selection very slowly.
  • Read the selection very fast
• Fluency Rate
• Have students prepare written “conversations” between two classmates. Tell students that some oral reading including characters should sound a lot like conversations they have. Then invite student to choose a partner and practice reading the “conversations” using appropriate expression, phrasing, emphasis, and rate. Students should be encouraged to extend the conversation by predicting what would likely be said next.
• Provide plenty of opportunities for meaningful oral reading in audience situations where students can practice communicating the intended message to listeners.

Small Group

• Fluency Rate
• Use reader’s theater scripts to help students practice appropriate rate and expression to convey meaning to the audience. Model as needed and then have students echo the lines using the same emphasis, tone, and expression.

Class Wide

• Read pattern books with the students. Each time the pattern is repeated, ask the students to read it. Stress that the pattern should sound like speech (talking). Appropriate expression should also be used.  Model as necessary.
• Enlarge a portion of text that you read to students. Have students follow along as your model appropriate phrasing. Highlight text cues that assist with appropriate phrasing.
• Use phrase markers. On a page of enlarged text, place a slash mark at each natural break. Have the student try to read fluently to each slash mark before pausing. Model phrasing as needed.
  • My friend and I / decided to / ride our bikes / to school today.//
  • Tomorrow / our class / will go / on a field trip.//
  • We had pens, / pencils, /  and markers for creating a large, / informative poster.//
• Take time to teach the various elements of prosody within the ongoing instructional program. Many of these elements can be modeled and discussed when you read orally to students. Comment on relevant elements before or after you read a particular sentence or passage. It is often helpful for students to see the passage when you are using it instructionally. (Think-Alouds)
• Use sentences or short passages from students’ reading materials to teach, model, and practice other aspects of prosody.

Small Group

• Write experience stories with the students. Ask the student to read the story back to you and pay close attention to the natural phrasing of the words.
• List common phrases on cards and place them in a pocket chart. Ask the student to read the phrases so they sound natural. Some possible phrases are listed below:

• Promote expressive reading by using plays, poems, songs, or readers’ theater scripts.
• Have students listen to recorded texts that model good expression. Students should have a copy of the text so they can follow along.  Later, after listening several times, provide opportunities for students to read the texts to model the recording.
• Encourage students to read poems in an expressive manner with partners (partner struggling students with a more capable reader). The more capable reader can model fluent reading for the struggling reader.

Class Wide

• Fluency Development Lesson (Rasinski)
• Oral Recitation Lesson (Hoffman)
• Text Bits (Yopp and Yopp)
• Wide FORI Lesson (Rasinski)

Small Group

• Fluency Development Lesson (Rasinski)
• Neurological Impress Method (Heckelman)
• Phrased Text Lesson (Rasinski)
• Structured Repeated Reading (Samuels)