Maintaining Fluency

Fluency is maintaining good momentum while reading a text. It is certainly more than
reading with “expression” or “speed.” This is a complicated process and it involves the
strategies needed for comprehension. Fluency has six dimensions.

Rate:

 Recognize words rapidly and take apart unfamiliar words efficiently,

automatically and quickly.

 Read and process not too slow and not too fast (phrasing is lost if the reader is
reading too quickly).

Phrasing:

 Notice phrases and use them as a meaningful unit (Read word groups instead of
single words.).

 Mimics language patterns.

Pausing:

 Notice the punctuation and use it. Varies in length according to punctuation.

 Sounds like talking.

Stress:

 Use appropriate stress on words to convey meaning.

 Use a rising and falling voice to interpret the text (is not monotonous).

Intonation:

 Use expression as an interpretation by the reader of the meaning of the text.

 Reads dialogue in a way that reflects aspects of characters, their ways of

expressing themselves, and oral language.

Integration:

 Anticipate what will logically come next and what will sound correct.

 Demonstrates that the reader understands the text and is even thinking beyond
the text.

Source :
Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell c. 2006