Strategies for Developing Reading Fluency

Fluency is defined as “the ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly, and
automatically with little conscious attention to the mechanics of reading, such as decoding”.
The interventions that we use with our pupils with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties
need to be systematic and intense. Intensity will provide the pupil with more exposure to
print and therefore, increased opportunities to practice reading words. While listening to
books is critical for our students who have difficulties reading; to build vocabulary,
comprehension, grammar and syntax, it is important that our pupils can read every day.
Even if they are 10 years old and reading at a first class level, they must read what they
can every day. Practice and repetition have been shown to increase fluency, even for very
short periods every day. Remember to practice at a level that the student is already able to
decode easily. The student should feel confident and comfortable with the text selected.

Sight Vocabulary: Sight word reading strategies are described elsewhere in the booklet.

Fluency Instruction: Practice with phonetically controlled, decodable word lists, sentence
and passage. Use Guided Practice with Decodable texts and at the initial stage of reading
development, it is important that text is limited to word structure that has been taught.
• Provide text that is limited to the letter sound relationships, syllable patterns and
words that have been mastered for accurate decoding or recognition on sight
• As students’ progress they also need to have substantial guided practice transferring
emerging skills to authentic text
• Provide significant opportunity to apply skills with interest-driven, non-controlled
text as students acquire decoding skills (Fink, 1998)
•
Teacher Modelling: If students are to become fluent readers, they must have an idea of
what is meant by fluency. The best way to experience fluency is to hear it produced by
another more fluent reader. This means that we need to read aloud to our students, using
our voice to reflect and add to the meaning of the passage. Modelling can help students to
understand that meaning is not just carried in the words in the passage but also in the way
that the words are expressed. When students have an opportunity to hear you (or another
skilled reader) model fluent reading, they get a sense of what they should sound like when
reading. This is especially important for students whose reading is choppy and lacking in
expression. (Doherty, p.8)

Guided Oral Reading: Guided repeated oral reading is an instructional strategy that can help
students improve a variety of reading skills, including fluency. There are a number of
effective procedures that can be used in providing guided oral reading.
In general, a teacher, parent, or peer reads a passage aloud, modelling fluent reading. Then
students reread the text quietly to themselves, sometimes several times. The text should be

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at the student's independent reading level. Next, the students read aloud and then reread
the same passage. Usually, reading the same text four times is sufficient.
Some examples of more specific techniques that involve rereading with feedback include
these:
 An adult or peer reads with the student by modelling fluent reading and then asking
the student to read the same passage aloud with encouragement and feedback by
the adult or peer.
 A student listens to a tape of a fluent reader reading text at the student's
independent level at a pace of about 80-100 words a minute. The student listens to
the tape the first time and then practices reading along with the tape, until the
student is able to read fluently.
 The student reads with a peer partner. Each partner takes a turn reading to the other.
A more fluent reader can be paired with a less fluent reader to model fluent reading.
The more fluent reader can provide feedback and encouragement to the less fluent
reader. Students of similar reading skills can also be paired, particularly if the teacher
has modelled fluent reading and the partner reading involves practice.
 Readers' theatre can be a motivating way to improve fluency. Students read scripts
and rehearse a play to prepare for a performance or just for enjoyment. The practice
in reading and rereading the scripts provides an excellent opportunity to improve
fluency skills.

Audio Assisted Reading

Audio-assisted reading is an individual or group reading activity where students read along
in their books as they hear a fluent reader read the book on an audio recording (audiotape,
audio book, or iPod). As confidence and reading skills develop, students read the same
passage or text without the assistance of the audio recording (from
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/audio_assisted_reading )
Why use Audio Assisted Reading?
It helps to build fluency skills including proper phrasing and expression.
It helps students improve sight word recognition.
It helps build comprehension.
It allows students to hear the tone and pace of a skilful reader.
It's a flexible strategy that can be used across content areas.
How to use audio-assisted reading
Choose a reading passage and audio recording of the reading that is slightly above students'
independent reading levels.
Ask students to listen to the audio while following along on the paper copy of the passage.
Have students read out loud along out loud with the audio recording.
Ask students to read the passage without the audio.

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Have students read and re-read along with the audio until they feel comfortable reading the
text unassisted.
Notes on Audio Assisted reading
Observe students as they are listening and reading to ensure that they're able to follow
along accurately. Most researchers recommend that teachers (or other models of fluent
reading) create the audiotapes or recordings. The recording should not include distractions
such as sound effects or music. Digital recording devices such as iPads and iPods are easy-to-
use tools for audio recordings. If limited recording devices are available, rotate students
through using a timer or as one of your stations during station teaching time. Source of free
eBooks - http://www.storynory.com/

FLUENCY PASSAGES:

Using timed passages can be helpful for students to have a structure to build all their new
skills into. While the speed is not the ultimate goal, it can be useful as a structure. The use of
timed passages could be a helpful addition when the student has started to build some skill
in the area, as a means to help them measure their own practice. While measuring the time
(quantitatively) it may be useful to use video or audio recording here to also measure how
the expression/phrasing is going (qualitatively). As improvement with fluency levels is the
goal here, it could also be useful to allow the student to prepare the passage: pre read it,
ensure they understand all new words, mark out some phrases etc. This may help the
student feel more in control, and see the value of preparing pieces of text.

Phrase Text Strategies: Practicing phrasing/Reading phrases

Accurate and automatic word recognition play a central role in the development of fluency,
as does speed. However, there is more to fluency than just reading words accurately and
quickly. Developing prosody through explicit teaching with reading phrases can augment the
development of fluency as a skill. Adding an emphasis on prosody and expression while
shortening the reading ‘load’ can help students get a better sense of how to tie all these
skills together.. It can be useful for students to then physically ‘mark out’ a phrase within a
sentence to train their eye to know where there is a natural break between phrases. Using
audio or video for students to review their own skill could be useful here too.

Practice Using Appropriate Texts: High Interest/Variety of appropriate texts

The selection of texts is so important from a motivation perspective for the student.
However, the tricky aspect is ensuring the text is at the correct level, motivating and
providing choice is important also. The organisation of resources/having books to choose

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from is an important aspect for teachers to plan – alongside understanding the difference
between the instructional and fluent level). Where fluent reading is concerned, accuracy is a
cornerstone. This will necessitate the selection of texts at the right level:
Frustration level: below 90% accuracy
Instructional level: between 90% and 95% accuracy
Fluent/independent level: at or above 95% accuracy
(Adapted from

Developing Anticipatory Set

Research also indicates that fluency also involves anticipation of what will come next in the
text and that speeded practice alone is not sufficient. Anticipation facilities reaction time
and is particularly important for comprehension. The ability to read fluently develops fully
when the child is at the at the final stage reading acquisition where the shift is made from
‘learning to read’ ‘to reading to learn’. Helping children anticipate what will happen next
also builds fluency. Setting the stage through activation of prior knowledge and reviewing
what will be happening in the story can be instrumental in helping predict text content.
Summarising the content/story and discussing the characters or previewing the
pictures/visuals to get ideas as to what the content may be about may serve the purpose of
improving anticipatory set and thus enhance fluency. Other commonly used strategies such
as reviewing the vocabulary/key words and comprehension questions before reading may
also be helpful in this regard.
Paired Reading Strategies: Paired Reading (Dyslexia Association of Ireland, 2017)
Paired (Shared) Reading is a very good way for teachers and parents to help with their
children’s reading.  It works really well with most children, and their reading gets a lot better.
Also, paired reading fits in very well with the teaching at school, so children do not get mixed
up. Most children really like it as it helps them enjoy reading and want to read more. It can
be a good homework activity.
Books: Have a wide range of books to choose from; use books from home, school or the
library. Your child should choose the books.  Children learn to read better from books they
like. Books should be at the instructional level.
Time: Paired reading is really effective if there is daily practice for about 10 mins.
New Ways of Helping
It’s often harder for parents to learn new things than it is for children! With paired reading,
the hardest things for parents to get used to are:
When your child gets a word wrong, you just tell them what the word says. Then your child
says it after you. You don’t make the child struggle and struggle, or ‘break it up’ or ‘sound it
out’.
When your child gets words right, you smile, show that you are pleased and say “good”. You
don’t nag and fuss about the words your child gets wrong. Give praise for: good reading of

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hard words, getting all the words in a sentence right, putting words right before you do and
even making a good guess at a new word.
Talking Is Good: Show interest in the book your child has chosen. Talk about the pictures.
Talk about what’s in the story as your child reads through it. It is best if you talk at the end of
a page or section, or your child might lose track of the story. Ask your child what they think
will happen next. Listen to your child – don’t do all the talking yourself!
Keeping Notes: It is a good idea to keep a note of what you have read and how long you
have read for. You can also make a note of when your child has read well. The diary could be
taken into school, if your child wants to show to their teacher. This will get them more praise
and keep them keen.

Paired reading has two steps:

1. Reading Together
You and your child read the words our loud together. You must not go too fast. Make your
speed as fast or as slow as your child’s. Your child must read every word. If your child
struggles with a word and then gets it right, show that you are pleased. Never let your child
struggle for more than 5 seconds.
If your child struggles for too long or gets a word wrong, then:
Just say the right word yourself, and
Make sure that your child repeats it properly.
Make sure that your child looks at the words. It can help if one of you points to the word you
are reading with a finger. It’s best if the child does the pointing.
2. Reading Alone
When you are reading together and your child feels good enough, your child may want to
read a bit alone. You should agree on a way for your child to tell you to be quiet. This could
be a knock on the book, a wave of the hand or a nudge. You don’t want your child to have to
say “Be quiet” or they could lose track of the reading. You stop reading our loud the moment
your child signals, and praise them for making the sign.
When your child struggles for more than 5 seconds, or struggles and gets it wrong, you say
the right word for your child. Make sure that your child says it right as well.
Then you both go on reading together, until your child feels good enough to read on alone
again, and asks you to be quiet. You must always remember to go back to reading together
when your child has had problems with a word.
A Cross-Age, Peer Tutoring Approach: The Reading Partner Scheme (NEPS, 2012)
The programme is set out in set out in detail on line at:
http://www.education.ie/en/Education-Staff/Information/NEPS-Literacy-
Resource/neps_literacy_good_practice_guide.pdf . It is a cross-aged peer tutoring approach,
in that the tutor would normally be at least two years older than the tutee. It is possible to
run such a programme in mainstream primary or secondary schools, or indeed in a special
school setting. Schools are encouraged to select children with literacy difficulties to

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participate in the scheme both as tutors and tutees. The emphasis is on the importance of
the partnership being egalitarian. Participation in a Reading Partners Scheme should have a
number of benefits;
 increased reading skill of learners and of helpers
 increasing confidence and self-esteem of helpers
 creating a positive attitude to reading for both parties

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