Teaching Tips and File Stuff by Prof. Rosa A.

Ledesma
To The Memory of Nilce Sturla

What is fluency skills

What are fluency skills?
 
Introduction
 
Fluency should be the aim of every reading and writing lesson. It should increase as learners
progress from beginning to advanced readers and writers. Fluency enables learners to read and
write with more understanding. They gain this skill through practice and observation.
(Gudschinsky 1973)
Definition
 
Fluency skills are the ability to see larger segment and phrases as wholes as an aid to reading
and writing more quickly.
Examples
 
Here are some examples of fluency skills:
 
 Immediately recognizing letters and frequent clusters of letters.
 Learning frequent words by sight
 Seeing phrases as wholes
 Using prediction skills within the phrase or clause

Examples:
Being able to supply the correct words in phrases or clauses such as the following:
o “At the d...“
o “Under the b...“
o “Black and w...“
o “The book that I r...”

What is a fluent reader?

 
Definition
 
A fluent reader is one who reads and understands what he or she is reading quickly and with a
minimum of effort.
Characteristics
 
Here are some characteristics of a fluent reader. A fluent reader
 
 has automatic decoding skills
 has built up a vocabulary of sight words
 has good comprehension skills
 has good word attack skills
 reads smoothly and with expression, and
 self-corrects (recognizes when something doesn't sound right).

What is a developing reader?

 
Definition
 
A developing reader is one who cannot yet read and understand quickly and easily what he or
she is reading.
Characteristics
 

Language & Oral Expression III, 2008 1

 Teaching Tips and File Stuff by Prof. Rosa A. Ledesma
To The Memory of Nilce Sturla

Here are some characteristics of a developing reader:

 
 Does not always understand what he or she reads
 Does not pay attention to meaning
 Finds reading difficult
 Has difficulty reading long words with several syllables
 Often self-corrects and repeats
 Reads slowly
 Reads without expression or proper intonation
 Reads word-by-word and does not usually make natural phrase and clause breaks
 Sounds out new words syllable-by-syllable

Language & Oral Expression III, 2008 2