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PrimaryEnglish

Why Fluency Practice Should Be Part Of The Reading Routine In Every Classroom

Fluency isn't just about being able to decode quickly – children need to be able to read with expression and without effort. And it's down to us to model how, says Sarah Threlkeld Brown…

Sarah Threlkeld-Brown
by Sarah Threlkeld-Brown
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PrimaryEnglish

A question I am often asked is ‘What helps children learn to read?’ In some ways, the answer is easy: children learn to read by reading. The problem can be that struggling readers often don’t get to spend enough time with texts.

The solution is to make the explicit teaching and practice of fluency part of the reading routine in every classroom. As children’s confidence builds, the difference can be seen in both their reading aloud and their silent reading – and there is a growing body of research that confirms teaching fluency, along with regular practice, leads to improved comprehension among struggling readers, and the retention of reading skills.

Children go on a journey that starts with learning to read, moves on to reading to learn, and progresses to reading for pleasure. However, some children get stuck at the pivotal moment, just before they realise the pleasures and treasures that reading can bring. Instead, they see reading as a ‘chore’ – as hard work.

These are often the children who can ‘decode’ the words on the page, but are not yet fluent enough in their reading to get past the literal points of understanding and move on to the deepening comprehension that is paramount across KS2 (as stated in the National Curriculum). They have a paucity of reading experiences, which in turn equals a lack of fluency.

Fluency is often defined as the ability to read accurately and quickly, but there’s more to it than that. It’s about being able to read with expression and without effort – dividing words into appropriate phrases when reading aloud, without having to pause and think.

As mature readers, our understanding allows us to put emphasis on the correct groups of words – even on the correct syllables – as we go. But it’s a skill that takes practice. Schools have invested vast amounts of time and money into decoding and the importance of developing children’s ‘automaticity’. What we must now focus on is developing the fluency required to bring the words on the page to life.

It bears repeating

The following model of teaching fluency originates from the ‘Gradual Release of Responsibility’ sequence of teaching (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983):

• I do it – reading aloud to children

• We do it together – choral reading

• You do it together – choral reading without the text

• You do it alone – reading alone after practice

1. I do it My mantra here is ‘Model, model, model’. With the teacher acting as the expert, children can watch and see how a text is read smoothly and with expression. They hear what fluent reading looks like and feels like.

As well as modelling reading, teachers need be explicit about what they did, and why they did it. For example, “Did you notice the way I raised my voice here? I did this because…”. Or “I emphasised these words. Why do you think I did that?”. By being explicit in your explanations, children see how the way in which they read the text affects its meaning.

2. We do it together Choral reading, where the teacher and the children read the text together, gives pupils the chance to see the text for a second time – hearing and saying it again within a supportive, teacher-led environment.

3. You do it together Now the children read the text together. This could be as a whole class or in groups or pairs; it’s a time for repetition and rehearsal that supports automaticity, accuracy and prosody. As children become increasingly familiar with the text, their confidence builds.

4. You do it alone Eventually, the children reach the point where they can perform to others and show how well they have done.

There are lots of ways in which this sequence can be delivered. The following ideas could be used in the classroom and also shared with parents so fluency can be built on at home.

Choral reading This is where groups of children read passages out loud. They do this multiple times in the same group – be it as a whole class, in small groups, or as trios / pairs. When using groups, give each one a different part of the same text to read. This way, once they have practised their own section, the class can hear the text read in its entirely, and with fluency.

Bounce-back reading This is where a lead reader (be it the teacher or a child) reads a line of text, after which the rest of the class or group ‘bounce-back’ by re-reading the same line, using the intonation and expression modelled by the lead reader. Perform!

Using this technique (also known as reader’s theatre), children are given a familiar text which they have to ‘perform’. They must assign ‘roles’ and divide the text into a script, with each person in the group reading certain parts. Texts with dialogue are most useful for this.

As Chapter 5 continues, Grandma Josephine, Grandpa George, Grandma Georgina, Charlie and Willy Wonka all make an appearance, providing multiple roles for children to ‘perform’.

Children practise their reading repeatedly until they are fluent and can convey the meaning of the text through their voice and expression. You might also choose to assign each role to different pairs or groups so the environment is more supportive for struggling readers.

Snowball choral reading Just as a snowball gathers snow as it rolls, one group begins to read while other groups join in sentence by sentence (or paragraph by paragraph) until the whole class is reading together. Of course, this can be reversed, so the whole class starts reading, with one group or child finishing the passage.

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