A Missing Ingredient: Oral Reading Fluency

1. A Missing Ingredient: Oral Reading Fluency Timothy Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago shanahan @uic.edu www.shanahanonliteracy.com

2. Test Your Knowledge 1. What is reading fluency? 2. Why is it important? 3. What grade levels should focus on fluency instruction? 4. Can you teach fluency through silent reading?

3. Test Your Knowledge 5. What reading skills are improved through fluency practice? 6. Is “round robin” reading a good idea? Why or why not? 7. What are three research-supported methods for teaching oral reading fluency?

4. What is fluency? “Fluency is the ability to read a text quickly, accurately, and with proper expression.” --National Reading Panel

5. Unpacking the Fluency Definition Ability

6. Unpacking the Fluency Definition Text

7. Unpacking the Fluency Definition Quickly

8. Unpacking the Fluency Definition Accurately

9. Unpacking the Fluency Definition Proper Expression

10. Unpacking the Fluency Definition Oral

11. Putting Oral Fluency in Context Phonemic awareness Phonics Oral reading fluency Reading comprehension Vocabulary Writing

12. Isn’t fluency just highly proficient word reading? No. Fluency is more closely correlated to comprehension than to word reading.

13. Isn’t fluency just highly proficient word reading?

14. Isn’t fluency just reading comprehension? No. Fluency can be independent of reading comprehension.

15. Does fluency matter? Yes. Fluency training was found to improve reading comprehension —including silent reading comprehension.

16. Who Needs Fluency Instruction? Everybody

17. Who Needs Fluency Instruction? 11 studies emphasized poor readers (average effect size .49) 5 studies emphasized normal readers (average effect size .47)

18. Who Needs Fluency Instruction?

19. Who Needs Fluency Instruction? National Reading Panel based its fluency conclusions on studies conducted in: Grades 1 through 9.

20. Do We Need to Teach Fluency? National Reading Panel Report (2000)

21. Why Teach Fluency? NRP: 4 kinds of evidence 14 immediate effects studies 16 group learning studies 12 single subject learning studies 9 method analysis studies

22. Since then… Several additional studies supporting the teaching of fluency Now studies have been done that support teaching fluency to second language learners Fluency instruction helps ELL students, but not as much as it does native English speakers

23. How Do You Teach Fluency? Guided oral reading practice with repetition.

24. Methods that have worked… Neurological impress Reading while listening Echo reading Paired reading Etc.

25. How Do You Teach Fluency? Oral Studies show that oral reading practice works Studies do not consistently show that silent reading practice works.

26. How Do You Teach Fluency? Guided Students benefit from modeling Students benefit from guidance or feedback From peers, tutors, parents, teachers Appropriate feedback

27. How Do You Teach Fluency? Pause Prompt Praise Pause Prompt Praise

28. How Do You Teach Fluency? Repetition Rereading up to criteria Reading a text 3 or more times

29. How Do You Teach Fluency? Not round robin. Too little practice Little repetition Diverts attention from essentials

30. How Do You Teach Fluency? Paired Reading Types of partners Partner training Coaching the coaches Keeping track

31. How Do You Teach Fluency? Repeated Reading Numbers of repetitions Lengths of texts Charting improvement

32. How Do You Teach Fluency? Reader’s Theatre Revise text into scripts Practice before presentation Lack of research and some concerns

33. How fluent do you need to be? Speed* Grade 1: 60 wcpm Grade 4: 125 wcpm Grade 2: 90 wcpm Grade 5: 140 wcpm Grade 3: 110 wcpm Grade 6: 150 wcpm *end of year norms, 50%ile Grade 1: 60 words per minute (wpm), Grade 2: 90 wpm, Grade 3: 120 wpm, Grade 4: 130 wpm, Grade 5: 140 wpm, Grade 6: 150 wpm, Grade 7: 150 wpm, Grade 8: 150 wpm). Grade 1: 60 words per minute (wpm), Grade 2: 90 wpm, Grade 3: 120 wpm, Grade 4: 130 wpm, Grade 5: 140 wpm, Grade 6: 150 wpm, Grade 7: 150 wpm, Grade 8: 150 wpm).

34. What kind of text should be used to teach fluency? Studies showed learning from texts that ranged from instructional level to frustration level The harder the text, the greater the need for support and repetition Both narrative and expository text Lots of word repetition within and across selections Brief pieces 50–150 words

35. Chunking or Parsing Students practice reading divided text Students work together to parse text Students read as if text is parsed

36. A fluency curriculum? Systematic repetition of high-frequency words

37. Example of Repetition of High-Frequency Words Once I was a baby. What did I do? I looked up at my mom’s face. I looked up at my toy. Once I was one. What did I do? I looked at some flowers. Once I was two. What did I do? I played with some toys. Once I was four. What did I do? … This is from one of our first grade texts Once I was a baby. Each of these words are repeated throughout this story, but each stressed again in each of the other books in this theme. Across these three stories some is repeated 7 times, up is repeated 10 times, once is repeated 10 times, do is repeated 13 times… all in different contexts.This is from one of our first grade texts Once I was a baby. Each of these words are repeated throughout this story, but each stressed again in each of the other books in this theme. Across these three stories some is repeated 7 times, up is repeated 10 times, once is repeated 10 times, do is repeated 13 times… all in different contexts.

38. A fluency curriculum? Systematic repetition of key phonics patterns

39. Examples of Repetition of Phonics Patterns The Ugly Duck duck ducklings up ugly us Otto’s Lunch packed worked liked asked opened turned looked The short u pattern in the first grade book, The Ugly Duckling. The –ed suffix pattern in the second grade book, Otto’s Lunch In the various books particular vowel patterns and endings are stressed across a story. The short u pattern in the first grade book, The Ugly Duckling. The –ed suffix pattern in the second grade book, Otto’s Lunch In the various books particular vowel patterns and endings are stressed across a story.

40. A fluency curriculum? Systematic focus on punctuation

41. Examples of focus on punctuation Every year, people from all over the world visit some amazing buildings in Egypt. What are these buildings? They are the pyramids of Giza. Bell said, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” Watson rushed into the room. He had heard Bell’s voice over the wire! Read this without emphasis and then read them appropriately: The first one is from Mysteries of the Pyramids (Grade 3) and the second is from Alexander Graham Bell (grade 3 as well). Periods, exclamation points, question marks (and question signal words), commas, ellipses, quotation marks, dashes, Read this without emphasis and then read them appropriately: The first one is from Mysteries of the Pyramids (Grade 3) and the second is from Alexander Graham Bell (grade 3 as well). Periods, exclamation points, question marks (and question signal words), commas, ellipses, quotation marks, dashes,

42. A fluency curriculum? Systematic focus on text format

43. Examples of focus on text format Dear Miss Pumpkin, MORE housework? Tomorrow I’ll wash all the clothes myself. But please be ready to GET ME OUT OF HERE! Percy Line breaks, headings, boldface words, words in caps (example here), plays, lists, italics, This example is from Get Me Out of Here (a delightful 3rd grade story that is told entirely in a letter format)Line breaks, headings, boldface words, words in caps (example here), plays, lists, italics, This example is from Get Me Out of Here (a delightful 3rd grade story that is told entirely in a letter format)

44. A fluency curriculum? Systematic focus on expression of meaning

45. Example of Expression of Meaning “Did you see that?” Jessie shrieked. I started to wish we hadn’t come. Then we heard a noise from the house. “Get down!” I hissed. “We’d better go!” said Jesse. He was almost crying. This example is from The Cobsdown Cat Case (3rd grade) Feelings, mood, characterization, stress to convey meaning, This example is from The Cobsdown Cat Case (3rd grade) Feelings, mood, characterization, stress to convey meaning,

46. A fluency curriculum? Systematic focus on building speed

47. Example of Building Speed This example is from The Cobsdown Cat Case (3rd grade) Feelings, mood, characterization, stress to convey meaning, This example is from The Cobsdown Cat Case (3rd grade) Feelings, mood, characterization, stress to convey meaning,

48. The Missing Ingredient: Oral Reading Fluency Timothy Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago shanahan @uic.edu