As an elementary teacher, a constant and consistent goal of my classroom was to produce fluent readers. Fluency, the ability to read aloud with expression, speed, and accuracy, is an important and integral part of reading. Fluency bridges the gap between word recognition and reading comprehension. To develop readers that can quickly and readily comprehend what they’re reading, students must move past the stage of “learning to read,” to “reading to learn,” and practicing fluency is the number one way to do just that. Our 4 strategies for increasing reading fluency will help you with the process.
Five Ps of Fluency
To be a fluent reader requires several skills, from automatically identifying letters, phonics, and words with accuracy and speed to then taking it a step further by reading with expression. The five Ps of Fluency are Perfection, Pace, Phrasing, Punctuation, and Performance. Students must read with perfect accuracy, at a steady pace with smooth phrasing, with expression, and the ability to stop or annunciate punctuation with their voice. I like to add that there is a sixth P: Practice.
Five Ps of Fluency
- Perfection
- Pace
- Phrasing
- Punctuation
- Performance
Practice
The number one way to develop fluent readers is good old-fashioned practice. This blog will give you some basic, tried, and true ways to develop fluent readers in your classroom, plus give you some modern tips using technology as well.
#1 Carve Out Time for Reading
I’ve been there. The schedule is packed full of subjects you must get through. Frequent classroom interruptions make the schedule even tighter, but to create fluent readers, they need time to practice reading. Set daily time aside for students to not only read aloud but also read silently. By reading silently, they are working on decoding words, recognizing phrases, and creating automation as a fluent reader. This daily practice time can look different every day.
Buddy Reading, Peer Helpers, and More
Some days, you might partner your students up for buddy reading, in which they practice reading aloud. Other times, they may visit a younger grade to be a “peer helper” and read aloud to them. Reading also doesn’t have to be isolated to language arts times. During science and social studies, have students read aloud passages or partner up to read from their textbooks. Reading can take place in any subject.
Fluency Phones
Students can also practice reading aloud on their own using fluency phones. Students whisper the words into one end and the sound is amplified in their ears. They can hear themselves read aloud in a fun new way.
Throw a reading party!
When I taught third and fourth grades, I would designate a couple of afternoons a year as a reading party. Kids could come to school in their pajamas and bring their stuffed animals and a blanket. I would ask them to have a couple of books to read or a novel. I would dim the lights a bit and turn on some lamps and we would read silently. Then, I’d have students partner up and read their books to each other. Not only does this practice fluency, but it allows students to learn about other books. Students felt that they were getting out of “regular school” by getting to lounge around in their pajamas and relax and read. Little did they know that I was purposefully working on their reading skills. It was a win/win!
#2 Repeated Readings
To create fluent readers, use familiar text for students to read aloud with you. For instance, practice reading seasonal poems aloud together. For circle time, read aloud a poem a couple of times to model reading the words correctly and at the appropriate pace. Next, have students join you as you read the poem together. Take advantage of repeated readings for any part of your routine.
Class Mantra
Perhaps there’s a class mantra you can read aloud every day, a weekly bible verse (for Christian schools), or a weather chart you read together. Read aloud together examples of a mentor text that you may be dissecting for grammar class. Read aloud paragraphs together that you wrote as a class for writing instruction. Look for any opportunities that you and your class can read words aloud together.
Songs
Repeated readings can also be done in song. Oftentimes for science, I would find a catchy tune to help students learn the names of the bones in the body or the planets in the solar system. The words would be projected on the board or written on an anchor chart. I would read them aloud or sing them aloud to the students. Have students read them or sing the words with you and eventually, they’ll memorize the song and also practice their fluency in the process.
E-Books
Another source of repeated readings is e-books. Project a fun e-book on the board and have students read with you. Choose books with rhythm and cadence for a fun experience and to practice appropriate pacing.
#3 Model Fluency
In elementary school, read-aloud time was always my favorite. My teacher would perch on their favorite stool and read aloud a captivating novel. We would all relax for fifteen minutes and be sucked into a wonderful story. Little did I know that my teacher was modeling fluency for me. I learned how to annunciate words, emphasize punctuation, read at an appropriate pace, and read with expression from my teachers. Bring back the lost art of the read-aloud to model fluency. Utilize audiobooks for students if they are available at your school.
Virtual libraries
Virtual libraries are perfect opportunities to model fluency and keep children engaged in reading. Students click the link on the picture book and listen to a YouTube video of the book being read aloud. Virtual libraries can be a center or station in your classroom or just utilized as silent reading time as well.
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Lately, I’ve become obsessed with audio players such as the Toniebox or Yoto Mini. Grab one for your classroom. It is an audio player that reads aloud stories without screens. It’s a way to engage your students’ imaginations without overstimulating them. Students will learn fluency through excellent storytelling.
#4 Make Fluency Relevant
I always love to create a student buy-in of a particular skill by demonstrating its use as a potential career choice. Many of my students already have envisioned career paths and relish the opportunity to role-play as professionals in those fields. Surprisingly, even upper elementary and beyond students exhibit a keen interest in this approach. I encourage you to give it a try, as it not only fosters engagement but also connects their learning experiences to real-world scenarios.
With this, one way to authentically introduce fluency is to showcase the career choice of voiceover artists. A voice-over artist is a skilled professional who lends their voice to various media productions, adding a layer of auditory depth and storytelling.
Many voiceover artists specialize in audiobooks as professional narrators skilled at bringing written stories to life through spoken words. Possessing a distinctive vocal range and the ability to convey emotions and tones, these artists play a crucial role in transforming literary works into true auditory experiences.
Audiobook voice-over artists carefully interpret the author’s intent, infusing the narration with appropriate tone, pacing, and character differentiation to captivate listeners.
Their skills go beyond mere reading, as they are tasked with understanding the narrative, personifying characters, and maintaining consistency throughout the performance. By providing an understanding of the text, audiobook voice-over artists offer listeners a rich and enjoyable reading experience.
One way to demonstrate this is by showing the above video to your students as you teach the skill of fluency. When I showcased this video, it increased their interest in reading aloud immensely. Of course, they also wanted to use our cool classroom headphones too, which I gladly supplied.
Flipgrid
One way for students to demonstrate this skill is to record themselves reading books on their Chromebook by using the app Flipgrid. Utilizing the Flipgrid app is a powerful method for educators seeking to cultivate fluency skills through interactive reading experiences.
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A particularly effective approach involves assigning regular reading tasks to students, prompting them to record short videos on Flipgrid as they read selected passages aloud. This not only provides a comfortable space for students to practice their reading fluency but also encourages self-reflection as they listen back to their own readings.
In addition, the ability to review and assess their recordings enables students to identify areas for improvement, enhancing their awareness of pacing, pronunciation, and overall fluency. In essence, the Flipgrid app is a valuable tool for honing fluency skills by integrating technology into the reading process and promoting self-reflection through the playback of recorded readings.
Adobe Express Animate
Last, another fun and creative method to practice fluency is to utilize Adobe Express Animate. It is almost the same process as the readings using Flipgrid except, it allows the shy student full autonomy from being filmed on camera.
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Students can use Adobe Express Animate to add an animated element to their fluency practice by selecting a fun character to represent them during reading activities. First, they can explore a diverse range of animated characters available through the app and choose one that resonates with them or aligns with the tone of the text they are reading.
Check out the video below that I created utilizing Grandma’s House reading of my book, Radiator the Snowman.
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As students read aloud, the chosen character will come to life through animation, providing an entertaining and imaginative element to the fluency exercise. This not only makes the reading experience more enjoyable but also allows students to express themselves creatively and dynamically.
For an awesome and EASY tutorial, visit below.
Additionally, the visual representation of the character can serve as a helpful tool for self-reflection, as students can replay their animated readings to assess and enhance their fluency skills. Adobe Express Animate transforms the traditional fluency practice into an interactive and entertaining activity, encouraging students to actively engage with the material and fostering a positive and creative learning environment.
Conclusion
Fluency can be a science because of all the steps and elements that make a fluent reader. Fluency is an art as well. This art, when accomplished, makes reading easier for students, and thus ‘reading to learn’ becomes more fluid. To become skilled in the science and art of fluency, students must practice reading, whether through tried and true methods or new, exciting modern technology. We hope these strategies will help create fluent readers in your classroom, and spark the joy of stories in your students.
