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1. Reading fluency is an individual’s ability to correctly identify words while reading a passage; his/her reading speed, or rate (words per minute) at which that passage is read; and his/her ability to attend to the rhythms and tones of spoken language. A fluent reader is able to automatically recognize words and rapidly apply phonic, morphemic, and contextual analysis to identify unknown words. He/she activates his/her extensive vocabulary, uses his/her knowledge about written text to anticipate words, relies little on contextual information, and mirrors spoken language.
Becoming fluent in reading is an essential skill children must develop in order to read proficiently. According to Samuels, reading fluency gives children a heightened sense of confidence and motivation in their reading. It affects the material students are able and willing to read in a given amount of time, as well as their ability to take on new reading material on their own. Fluency allows children to decode automatically, enabling them to devote attention to comprehending the text and developing higher level thinking skills (p.100-2).
Students become fluent readers by reading. Thus, children need reading practice at their instructional or independent reading level with monitoring and feedback. Texts chosen to develop fluency should contain familiar or easily decodable words to ensure greater reading success and eliminate the struggle of word recognition. Activities that encourage rereading of the same text (plays, choral and partner reading, timed readings, reading aloud to a younger student, and rereading a passage to support answers given during class discussions) are powerful ways to provide repeated practice and improve automaticity of words. Students can also practice fluency by imitating taped readings of text and creating their own taped reading. A final strategy that can be used to develop fluency is phrase-cued text (scooping), in which children practice reading a written passage that has been divided by the teacher according to the natural pauses within sentences and between them. This helps children to understand the voice of written text and become less choppy and monotone, and more fluent in reading.
2. Low achieving readers need direct, daily instruction from their teachers to make significant and lasting growth. It is important to assess each student’s reading ability, including alphabet knowledge, concept-of-word, phonemic awareness, and word recognition to uncover his/her areas of weakness, so that effective instruction is planned. Working with these children in small group settings or one-on-one is most beneficial for them and the teacher. These settings allow for more individualized attention in problem areas, accurate diagnosis of reading problems, efficient planning and pacing, as well as close monitoring of progress.
Teaching children decoding and phonemic awareness skills are important as a basis for developing their reading success. It is also important to guide them in developmental spelling and word study, to ensure several connections will be made “among the visual appearance of the word -its spelling- and its sound, its underlying meaning or meanings, and its syntactic role. (Templeton, p. 324) This can be done through word sorts, in which children sort words by structure (beginning sounds, word families, spelling patterns, etc.) and meaning; or word hunts, in which children can individually, in pairs, or in small groups search the classroom for words that fit the assigned category and share findings. Additional strategies include playing word games, such as card games or board games using previously sorted words; individual writings; or by using selected activities found in a spelling series.
Oral reading strategies are also key in helping lower level readers. These include echo, choral, partner, and expert reading. With echo reading, the teacher effectively models reading a small amount of a passage, and then allows the children to finger-point and echo the same piece. Choral reading involves the class reading aloud together which takes the focus off of an individual and allows them to practice without fear. After choral reading a passage, the children may partner read the same passage, alternating reading page by page and then returning to the beginning of the text and rereading alternate pages. Finally, expert reading allows the child to “show off” his/her reading skills by reading a section of the text previously practiced to his/her teacher.
In addition to these strategies, it is powerful to build a core vocabulary of sight words children can use to support them in reading texts. Teachers need to emerge students in good literature by reading aloud to them and strive to get children excited about reading. Children need to be given concrete ways to monitor progress (charts, graphs, etc.), so they can “see” they are making progress. All of these strategies provide “low-end” readers the skills needed to build their confidence, motivation to read, and comprehension.
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