Fluency

Fluency is important because it affects reading efficiency and comprehension. The Essential Components of Fluency are:

1) Rate

Definition: The ability to recognize words automatically and effortlessly

Why It’s Important: When words are identified automatically, students cognitive energy can be focused on: COMPREHENSION

2) Accuracy

Definition: Reading the words in the text correctly

Why It’s Important: It provides the teacher with insight into a student's ability to use strategies to decode unfamiliar words

3) Prosody

Definition: Reading with expression

Why It’s Important: It allows the reader to infer information, to comprehend text at a more sophisticated level, and to use their voice to convey meaning to a listener

What is the average reading fluency rate for each grade level? Per FASTBridge, the following are reading fluency levels for achieving fluency at grade level (40th%). Note that there is an error rate of +/- 10 wpm.

Fall Winter Spring

1st grade 14 37 66

2nd grade 56 84 101

3rd grade 87 110 125

4th grade 115 133 147

5th grade 132 149 163

Checking the Traffic

Some children read word-by-word because they have learned to rely on a teacher, para, parent, or student when reading aloud. They grow used to the throng of interruptions and begin to anticipate those interruptions.This is a trained behavior brought on by a plethora of external interruptions.These readers should be taught self-monitoring skills and strategies and be allowed to read with limited interruptions.