Part 3: Focus on Fluency

Frances Mary D’Andrea [email protected] What do good readers do?  automatically recognize words  use strategies  comprehend as they read  read different texts differently  monitor themselves  read for pleasure & learning  have goals  read aloud with expression  connect ideas while they read  ask questions & remember Fluency  speed, accuracy, prosody  Automatic processing & identification of words: Developing automaticity  Related to comprehension of text  Works at many levels  A common concern of many teachers: how fluently does the student read? Why is fluency important?  better able to devote attention to comprehension

2 (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974)  allows students to process more words more quickly (McCormick, 2007)  development of a large sight vocabulary  automaticity with the conventions of text  proficient readers read quickly and effortlessly with understanding

Attributes of fluent readers: (Cecil, 2007, p. 4)  Fluent readers read:

intonation  effortlessly  with phrasing  smoothly  with meaning  accurately  with pauses  quickly  with emphasis  with automatic decoding  without laboring over decoding  flexibly  following with expression  punctuation  with tone and 3 D’Andrea, March 2012 How to measure fluency?  Oral reading fluency  silent reading fluency  rubrics for reading behaviors  beyond wpm, measuring: expression emphasis phrasing noting punctuation Informal reading inventories  graded word lists, graded passages with comprehension questions, ORF  usually combined with miscue analysis  can be commercially made or teacher made  find independent, instructional, and frustration levels  can use passages for silent reading, too Oral reading fluency (ORF)  Formula given on most commercial IRIs  Can time student reading passage of set number of words  Typical method:

4  Divide number of words read by number of seconds needed to read passage;  multiply by 60 to get wpm;  Count words correctly read for wcpm  Can do 1 minute timings, 5 minute timings, 10 minute timings  Should also assess silent reading fluency

What norms are used?  We do not have norms for visually impaired readers  Norms for learners who are not blind are available as “targets” but they are averages.  Oral reading rates are not the same as fluency! One minute “targets” for oral reading for average print readers (Johns & Berglund, 2010) grade 1: 50 wcpm grade 2: 90 wcpm grade 3: 100 wcpm grade 4: 125 wcpm grade 5: 140 wcpm grade 6: 150 wcpm (based on end of year assessment)

 These “targets” are informal and included here simply to note student progress per year. 5 D’Andrea, March 2012  ***Braille readers are NOT included in these data! *** Holistic Oral Reading Fluency Scale National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1995  Level 1: Reads primarily word-by-word. Occasional two-word or three-word phrases may occur but these are infrequent and/or they do not preserve meaningful syntax  Level 2: Reads primarily in two-word phrases with some three- or four-word groupings. Some word-by- word reading may be present. Word groupings may seem awkward and unrelated to larger context of sentence or passage.  Level 3: Reads primarily in three- or four-word phrase groups. Some small groupings may be present. However, the majority of the phrasing seems appropriate and preserves the syntax of the author. Little or no expressive interpretation is present.  Level 4: Reads primarily in larger, meaningful phrase groups. Although some regressions, repetitions, and deviations from text may be present, these do not appear to detract from the overall structure of the story. Preservation of the author’s syntax is consistent. Some or most of the story is read with expressive interpretation. Some factors that influence fluency Jerry Johns, 2010

6  Text difficulty  Text topic  Background knowledge  Interest and motivation  Vocabulary  Purpose for reading Elements of Instructional Program for Fluency Pikulski & Chard, 2005  graphophonic  building sight vocabulary & oral language skills  provide instruction in sight vocabulary  teaching common word & spelling patterns  teaching decoding strategies  provide appropriate instructional level text  repeated reading  encourage wide independent reading  use appropriate assessment Selected Strategies to Build Fluency  teach sight word recognition

7 D’Andrea, March 2012  model fluent reading  repeated reading  choral reading  Reader’s Theater  shared reading with teacher  paired reading with peer  reading with recorded text  lots of practice with independent material  Daily practice with connected text Repeated reading  Strategy developed by Samuels, 1979  Student reads brief passage aloud at instructional level while being timed.  Check comprehension (always!)  Chart wpm from first timing  Ask student to set a target for second reading  Time reading, chart progress  Can also have student practice silently, then read aloud after setting target. Radio reading & reader’s theater

8  A way to practice repeated reading in more authentic and motivating way.  Student becomes “radio announcer” and needs to practice prosody and pacing  Students work in small groups to read from scripts; practice reading with understanding and prosody  Can be performed for peers and younger students  For shyer children: puppet shows Improving prosody  Reading aloud to students (modeling)  Changing emphasis on words: o I have found the gold. o I have found the gold. o have found the gold. o I have found the gold.  Say It Like the Character o “Wait! We need to get the camera.”  Guess the Emotion o Betty said, “I’m afraid of the dark.”  Use of poetry o “Poem In My Pocket” o Poetry with repeated lines

9 D’Andrea, March 2012 o funny, dramatic, creepy, lyrical, disgusting  Use of song lyrics  Jokes and riddles Supported reading  echo reading: teacher reads, students repeat  choral reading: everyone reads aloud together at same time  shared reading: teacher & student take turns reading aloud  paired reading: student reads aloud in unison with more skilled peer or adult

Paired with recorded texts  children read along while listening to text recorded by fluent reader  student can select a section to perform; listen again to that section  practices reading aloud while recording is playing  gradually fade out use of recording Use of independent level texts  lots of practice using materials that are on an independent reading level  self-choosing books

10  varieties of genres available  time during the day for sustained reading  reading at home for pleasure

 Recommended readings  Cartwright, K. B. (2010). Word callers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann  Cecil, N. L. (2007). Focus on fluency: A meaning- based approach. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann  Johns, J. L. & Berglund, R. L. (2010). Fluency: Differentiated interventions and progress-monitoring assessments,4th Edition. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Co.  Opitz, M. F. & Rasinski, T. V. (2008). Good-bye round robin: 25 effective oral reading strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann  Samuels, S. J. & Farstrup, A. E. (2006). What research has to say about fluency instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association

 Websites  http://www.jackprelutsky.com/  http://www.readingrockets.org/

11 D’Andrea, March 2012  http://www.poetry4kids.com  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/children/  www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org

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