What is Fluency?

1. What is Fluency? • Fluency is the ability to read with accuracy, automaticity (quickly), and prosody (expression and phrasing).

2. Word Recognition Comprehension Word Recognition Comprehension Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Students who scored lower on measures of fluency also tended to score lower on measures of comprehension. This suggests that fluency is a neglected reading skill in many American classrooms, affecting many students’ reading comprehension. ~Rasinski

3. According to Rasinski: “Accurate decoding of words in a text, along with expressive interpretation of the text, achieves optimal comprehension.” (2004)

4. Decoding Phrasing Sight Word Recognition Pitch Stress Using Context Clues

5. Accuracy: reading words correctly in meaningful context • Reading accuracymay be indicative of good comprehension, but reading fast does not make a good reader. • According to Betts and Clay: • 95-100% is considered adequate for instructional level reading (See FPA chart for specifics)

6. Automaticity:You can do a task and think about something else ~LaBurge • Reading requires multiple tasks to be done simultaneously. • Decode • Recognize sight words • Read the words • Pay attention to grammar • Pay attention to details • Apply comprehension strategies • Comprehend

7. Automaticity • Good readers are accurate in word recognition. They are also automatic (i.e., effortless) in recognizing the words they encounter. • The significance of achieving automaticity is that readers can devote their mental energy to the important task of comprehending the text. • Automaticity is most often assessed by determining a reader’s reading rate on a grade level passage in words correct per minute.

8. Reading Rate:The words read correct per minute • When we administer Aims-Web, we are solely looking at words correct per minute. We are not addressing prosody or comprehension. • Knowing the students’ reading rate is a useful tool that usually indicates successful comprehension. • Rate is a measure of automaticity. • We do notwant students to think that reading fast makes them a good reader. We need to be careful that students do not see their reading rate as equivalent to what reading is all about.

9. Runny Babbit Runny bought a wurly cig And tuck it on with star Runny said now I look like A handsome stovie mar But the tair it got all hangled In the twicket and the thigs Runny said I guess some folks Just don’t look wood in gigs ~By Shel Silverstein

10. Prosody: the appropriate use of phrasing and expression to convey meaning • Prosody is reading words in meaningful phrases. • It is reading as if you are in a conversation and the meaning is delivered through voice! • The surface structure stays the same, while deep comprehension changes.

11. Dude How would you say it? Disappointed Happy greeting Surprised Disgusted

12. Prosody The old man the boat.

13. The old…man the boat.

14. Woman without her man is nothing.

15. Woman…without her…man is nothing. Woman…without her man is nothing. Woman without her man…is nothing.

16. Classroom Application How can you improve prosody, accuracy, and automaticity with your students?

17. Songs • Songs are great resources for developing word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—four key competencies when it comes to learning to read. • Builds background knowledge • Develops cultural literacy • Develops vocabulary • Natural repeated reading • Improves comprehension

18. Statistics using Songs After a 9 week intervention (interactive singing software program), students made seven months growth in their reading. Doesn’t have to be done with whole group. Songs can be used during target time or guided reading groups. -30 minutes for three days -5 minutes for five days “Using an Interactive Singing Software Program: A Comparative Study of Struggling Middle School Readers” ~Reading Psychology

19. You’re a Grand Old Flagby George M. Cohan You're a grand old flag,You're a high flying flagAnd forever in peace may you wave.You're the emblem ofThe land I love.The home of the free and the brave.Every heart beats truebeneath the Red, White and Blue,Where there's never a boast or brag.Should old acquaintance be forgot,Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

20. Poems Books on a Rainy Day by Marilyn Yager I read some books on a rainy day. The books took me far away. I was taken to England and to Spain. How happy I was that it had rained. I saw so many people I could have never known. I saw a king upon his throne. I saw some little princesses too. I saw a wicked stepmother who was rather cruel. I also traveled to The Great Wall. I listened while the Emperor delivered the law. I found my self on the Oregon Trail. I rode on the Pony Express delivering mail. Adventures had happened on this rainy day. Good books, imagination had paved the way. No longer did I wish the rain would go away. For this had been a splendid day.

21. Take Advantage of the read aloud! • Harvest words • Have students listen for words and write them down • Post on the wall encouraging students to use words in writing/conversation • Read the room

22. Recipe for Fluency • Accuracy • Model fluent reading for students • Assisted reading • Practice/repeated reading • Phrasing • Synergy/Putting it all together • Each of these target fluency alone, but when combined (the synergy) makes something greater than the parts.

23. Repeated Reading • 10-15 minutes/day of paired reading, has shown students’ can make up to one year’s growth • Consider the following examples to incorporate during guided reading: • Radio reading • Mumble reading • Cooperative repeated reading • Partner repeated reading

24. Repeated Reading Materials • Repeated reading materials should be carefully selected. • Speeches • Songs/Lyrics • Cheers • Chants • Monologues/Dialogues • Journal entries/Letters • Poetry • Reader’s Theatre

25. What does word study look like? • Word ladders • Vocabulary timeline • Concept maps • Idioms • Latin/Greek derivatives • Semantic Feature Analysis • Word sorts • Cloze

26. Word Ladders

27. Vocabulary Timeline Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)

28. Concept Map Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)

29. Semantic Map Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)

30. Semantic Feature Analysis Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)

31. Word Sorts Word sorts allow students to build on their prior knowledge to develop a more complete understanding of words. Open Sort Closed Sort Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)

32. Prescription for Word Study: • Monday -Vocabulary Timeline/Synonyms & Antonyms • Tuesday -Latin/Greek derivatives • Wednesday – Idioms • Thursday - Word Building • Friday - Word ladders • These activities can take place during whole group, guided reading, or independent work.

33. Resource Links • www.americanrhetoric.com • www.idiomconnection.com • www.wordsmith.org/anagram/ • www.timrasinski.com • www.teachingheart.net • www.songsforteaching.com • www.gigglepoetry.com

34. Assessment • Not quantitative, but qualitative • It is best measured with a qualitative rubric. • Fluency Rubric.pdf