(next slide- What is Reading Fluency)

Reading fluency is made up of at least three key elements: (Read the three bullets)

-Fluency is the ability to read “like you speak.” It can be performed without conscious action.

- When your student suffers in at least one of these three aspects of reading- They are considered as non- fluent
readers: Why? Because most of the time non- fluent readers- they make many mistakes, they read slowly, or
they don't read with appropriate expression and phrasing.

(Next Slide “Automaticity and Prosody)

-Automaticity- It can only be achieved through continued reading practice- (Adlib)

In the early stages of learning to read, readers may be accurate but slow and inefficient at recognizing words.
Continued reading practice helps word recognition become more automatic, rapid, and effortless.

-Prosody- In reading, prosody refers to the expressiveness with which a student reads. It is the intonation,
rhythm, and emphasis given to words and sentences when reading out loud. Prosody is a key component in
reading fluency.

(NEXT SLIDE: Dimensions of Reading Fluency)

- Fluency is not the end in itself, but it is the critical gate way going to comprehension there are three
important dimensions of fluency that build connection to comprehension. Fluency is bridging the gap
from word recognition to comprehension. The first dimension is…

- First Dimension- Our readers must be able to sound out the words in text correctly. Decoding is a key skill
for learning to read that involves taking apart the sounds in words (segmenting) and blending sounds together. It
requires both knowledge of letter-sound relationships, as well as an ability to apply that knowledge to
successfully identify written words and make meaning.

- Second Dimension- Skilled readers not only are able to identify words accurately but also recognize them
instantly. This is important because readers who need to spend significant portion of their time identifying
individual words rarely have enough attention left over to focus on text meaning.

For example, as you read this presentation, you probably aren’t consciously thinking about how to decode every
word. You’ve reached automaticity in reading, which helps you pay attention to the content.

It’s like riding a bike.

When you jump on your bike, you don’t stop to think about every move you make–like adjusting the handlebars
to make a turn or pushing the brakes to come to a stop. Because you’ve reached the point of automaticity, you
can wave to your neighbor or carry on a conversation with your child as he rides along beside you.

It’s really no wonder that many children make mistakes as they are learning to read. They are novices / they are
beginners who need lots of encouragement, patience, and practice. Remember, you didn’t always know how to
ride a bike or drive a car! With time and practice, your student will achieve automaticity in reading.

- Third Dimension- Children can be capable of reading a passage out loud, but unless they understand what
they're saying as they read it, they may not have good prosody, since their expressiveness makes all the
difference. Good prosody adds an almost musical quality to what they are reading.

Young readers with good prosody use the elements of prosody—voice pitch, sound length, and stress on certain
words and syllables—to convey meaning beyond the plain words alone.

Think of it this way: if you read an emotional passage from a book or a poem out loud in a monotone, you'll
miss much of the emotion, and your listeners likely will, too. It's the reader's prosody that makes all the
difference.

1. Agree - Studies have shown that gains in fluency appear to lead to improved comprehension. (NAEP)
2. Disagree - While automatic word recognition ensures fluent readers and can accurately and effortlessly
decode text, it does not account for the ability to make oral reading sound like oral language. It is implicit that
fluency involve reading with expression or prosody. Fluency is composed of three elements (accuracy, rate,
expression) Affluent reader does all three.

3. Disagree - Skilled readers instantly and accurately read on sight. Thus they are able to focus their attention
on understanding the text.

4. Disagree - Automaticity refers only to accurate speedy word recognition, not with expression therefore,
automaticity is necessary but not sufficient for fluency.(NIFL, 2001, p 24)

5. Agree - Research indicates that the best strategy for developing reading fluency is monitored oral reading.

On silent reading – research has not yet confirmed whether silent reading with minimal guidance or feedback
improve reading achievement and fluency.

6. Agree - Round robin in itself does not increase fluency. This maybe because students only read small amount
of texts and they usually read this small portion only once.

Round Robin- We teachers, let our pupils read aloud a small portion of a text to the class and then a new reader
is chosen. So, it does not really increase fluency.