Fluency

Fluency is often confused with the ability to read fast. There are several components that make up fluency. I often tell students that reading should sound like talking. Fluency is a combination of:

Expression: Voice changes and does not sound monotone or like a robot 

Parents-Try reading a paragraph out loud to your child so that they can hear what it should sound like and then have them read it like you! RAZ kids is a great source for free books on tape!

• Echo reading: You read a brief sentence or passage using good phrasing (no random pauses) and expression. Then your child reads the same passage aloud.

• Books on tape : RAZ kids is a great source for free  books on tape. It is a website students are very familiar with using at school. Please contact your child’s teacher for the teacher login and student password.
• Poetry Reading: poems have rhythm and expression.

• Dialogue: Choose a story with a lot of dialogue.

Phrasing: The sentence flows, does not sound choppy. There are not pauses in between the words. 

Rate: This would be how fast your child reads. They should not be reading extremely slow or speed reading! Reading like this can effect comprehension. Reading should be at the same pace that a person would normally talk. 

Accuracy: Words are said correctly. If your child says a word wrong and   then corrects it, that’s great! That would still be considered reading “accurately.”