Step 6: Oral Reading
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Step 6: Oral Reading ~ 1/3+ of our total lesson time.
In a 50-minute lesson, we reserve at least 20 minutes for oral reading. All of the reading in Structured Literacy is done out loud.
Our adolescent students have devised countless ways to get around decoding. We build up their skills so that they can read the words. Then we practice, practice, practice.
In the beginning of the intervention, all of our reading is from decodable texts. Once students are decoding unfamiliar words instead of guessing, we begin to incorporate "authentic" texts.
Each year we have a theme that guides our reading. See our Focus #2: Building Belonging page on this site for more details. Students in each section of Structured Literacy, from beginning (I) to advanced (IV), can engage in learning about our topics at various levels commensurate with their decoding abilities.
Our Echo, Choral, and Paired Reading Routines
"Echo Reading" and our "Read, Re-read, and Read Again" Routine
I read it with expression, they reread it with expression. By paragraph, by sentence, by phrase if needed. We change up the routines. Maybe they read first, I reread it with expression and fluency, and they read it again. We call this the "read, reread, and read again" routine. I heard this from someone and cannot recall who to credit this phrase to.
Choral Reading
We all read it out loud together with expression, phrasing, smoothness, and pacing. We'll use this for short things like a completed dicatation page, word lists, sentences, and occasionally paragraphs.
"Paired Reading," "10-Words-Or-Less Routine," and/or "Partner Reading - Paragraph Shrinking" (Maki et al., 2020)
Once a feeling of trust and community prevails in the class, we begin our paired reading. We will start discussing this in the first weeks of school. "Soon you'll get to do this in pairs" or "We'll be helping each other improve soon" or "When you're ready to ditch me, you get to do these routines with your friends." We prepare the students because reading out loud to a peer often carries with it a lot of fear and anxiety. So first, we build up a culture of togetherness and success.
Paired reading can be echo reading, choral reading, or simply taking turns and helping each other with 100% accuracy or fluency - whichever is the stated goal. It can also include "10 words or less" summaries. We circulate and support our students, and often leave them notes on what we noticed. We read these "notes" on the board and debrief what went well and what we can improve on together for paired reading next class. We slowly become a community of improvement focused on helping each other reach our goals.
Paired reading increases the number of minutes our students get to practice actually reading. Model first and set a goal for the readings (ex: is it accuracy, expression, pacing, or retelling?). Setting a timer is helpful at first: "The expectation is that we continuously take turns reading for the next 9 minutes. Then we'll discuss as a class and continue reading. Ready, let's go." Because the classes are carefully grouped, any student can be paired with any other in the class.
The room is alight with voices - we spread out, have cozy chairs and cushions, and our students get to work.
Combining paired reading with retelling a paragraph or short text in your own words using 10 words or less keeps things moving along and focused on language and comprehension (Maki et al., 2020). We practice until everyone is very comfortable with this strategy. We want this to be quick and not lead into tangential discussions that eat up our practice time for reading connected texts.
A typical year's progression in reading out loud in 4 stages:
Brave enough to read out loud - but only from under a cushion...
Starting to leave notes on the board from readings for other students to try...
Having real discussions about accuracy and fluency and providing each other with encouraging feedback...
Knowing the routines and helping us all get in those "10,000 hours of perfect practice*."
*with thanks to Stephen Stuntz
Rubrics and Checklists for Oral Reading
For students to reflect on their own growth as accurate readers, we sometimes use a checklist.
Accuracy is first, foremost and forever is the foundation for fluency (Hasbrouck, 2021).
This tool is useful to review before and after reading. Older emerging readers so often struggle with accuracy. Their habits of predicting and guessing while reading are counter-productive to orthographic mapping. Replacing them with accuracy is of paramount importance.
"I shall now consider my habits while reading."
Using the Multidimensional Fluency Rubric with our phonics program
Our aim is to reach a conversational pace while maintaining prosody ("expression"), accuracy ("smoothness"), and phrasing.
As a student reads a decodable passage, I make check marks with what I am hearing. We average the marks to approximate scores. Then we review and reflect together.
Students also use this rubric to provide peer feedback to reading partners and to reflect on their own reading fluency.
Peer Fluency Feedback Form:
To help students reflect on their paired reading and support each other with accuracy, expression, and/or pace.
Once a month or so we reflect in a more formal way to spark conversations. I simplified the Multidimensional Fluency Rubric into 3 components here for peer feedback (to the right). Or we just use the original 4-point rubric (above).
This can go into the students' binders to compare progress over time. Students can really enjoy these activities if they feel safe, respected, and on a mission together toward better reading.
"We're in this together."
On Fluency and Older Students: Key Findings
Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (IES, 2022)
Recommendation 2: Fluency
Includes an excellent overview of the importance of fluency and exceleent routines for older struggling readers.
Is Fluent, Expressive Reading Important for High School Readers? (Paige et al., 2012)
"This study explores the link between fluency and comprehension through an examination of the importance of prosodic reading in secondary students."
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