Fluency is one of the most critical components required for an efficient reading. It not only refers to the ability to read quickly, but also accurately and with the right expression. A fluent reader can easily comprehend the content being read and remember it for a longer period of time. Therefore, reading fluency is important for a child’s academic success.
Here are some fluency intervention tips to help teachers develop reading skills in children:
- Model Fluent Reading: Teachers must read aloud to the students to make them familiar with the concept of fluent reading. Choose a small and easy paragraph, read at a normal pace, with the right tone to match the words in the content. Read a wide range of genres, including poetry, fiction, fairy tales etc. so that they can identify the difference in speech. You can also make them read a book while listening to its audio version at the same time.
- Do Repeated Readings: Allow students to practice the skill by reading the same paragraph again and again. If they are taking longer than usual or are not able to pronounce any word correctly, read it aloud and let them repeat after you. Encourage them to do repeated readings till they attain the desired level of fluency. You can also organize group readings to boost participation and reduce students’ apprehension about making a mistake.
- Echo Read: It includes reading to the students and making them read back to you simultaneously. This technique will help them recognize the sound and expression of words in the context. By having the printed version of the text you are reading, they will identify the words and add them to their vocabulary. Start by making them echo a small phrase repeatedly before moving to a sentence or a paragraph
- Promote Phrased Reading: Fluency involves reading information in phrases, rather than word by word. Hence, students must be taught to segregate the content into small but meaningful phrases so that they can understand it easily. They must also be made familiar with the usage and importance of punctuation marks at relevant places throughout the text.
See-N-Read Reading Tools can help to improve reading fluency in students of different ages. The fluency intervention tools help to improve concentration and filter on-page distractions to avoid skipping words/lines while reading. For more information about the reading tools, you can call at (630) 236 – 5592.