Fluency

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Home : 2003 : September : 9

Fluency
By LindaR

I taught 6th graders last year who were VERY low in their reading skills. Fluency is very important for comprehension, so you are wise to look for strategies.

I did a simple activity which seemed to get the kids excited,
as well as GREATLY raise their fluency scores. I first tested them individually and let them see what they could do in 1 min. from a District assessment (a story summary from Houghton Mifflin). We had an established fluency range for each grade.
Then, whenever we started a new story in class (almost weekly), I would pass out the story summary sheet for each student, read it aloud

as they followed. After that, I read it again for one minute for them to follow. I sometimes would miss a word, so they could know how to underline it (or strike through with their pencil).

Next, I would pair them up to listen to each other read for 1 min. and mark words missed. They also would put a bracket after the word where the timer went off. The timer was set as I watched the kids taking turns listening and reading.

I also required them to do a 1 min. fluency reading at home 3 times a week, using the same summary (parents sign!).

I hope I explained this well enough. My students were so excited to see their progress when I assessed them again in the middle and end of the year.

Let me know if you have any questions!