Reading fluency refers to the ability to read fast, accurately and with proper expression. Also, it is important to read at a balanced speed.

Fluent reading helps in improving the understanding of the subject. Let’s take a look at some tips for improving reading fluency:

• Read Aloud To Children: By reading aloud to children, one models how to read fluently. For students to read fluently, they must first understand the meaning of fluency by listening to a good reader. While reading aloud, students should be exposed to a variety of genres such as speech excerpts, poetry, fairy-tales and so on.
• Use Audio Recordings: Create a listening center where students can listen to a collection of audio books or stories recorded by teachers. Encourage students to listen carefully while paying attention to the reader’s tone, voice expressions and other elements of fluent reading.
• Repeated Reading: Repeated readings help students recognize high frequency words and read easily. One way of promoting fluency is to encourage students to read short passages several times. As students read, point out reading behaviors like phrasing, reading rate and intonation.
• “Scooping” Phrases: Phrased reading is a better strategy to improve fluency as compared to reading word by word. Poems are a great choice for practicing phrased reading. Teach students to read portions of text till they can easily read a whole passage fluently.
• Participation in Reader’s Theatres: A reader’s theatre refers to an oral performance of a script in which the student is required to read a copy of the script aloud. Reading theatres work on conveying meaning via expression and intonation as interpreting the script becomes more important than memorizing it. Props, costumes and invitees from other classes for the oral performance add to the effectiveness of the practice.
• Paired Reading: Also known as “buddy reading”, paired reading is an effective way of improving reading fluency. The activity requires students to be grouped into pairs and read out aloud to each other. To make it more effective, fluent and non-fluent readers should be paired with each other. They can take turns reading whole pages, paragraphs or one sentence at a time.
• Echo Reading: Echo reading refers to reading a line aloud and asking students to repeat the same loudly. This form of choral reading keeps students actively engaged while promoting fluency.
• Encourage Independent Reading: To become fluent readers, students should be encouraged to read independently for at least 20 minutes every day as per their individual reading level.

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