Blogs Fluency, which can be defined as reading with accuracy (correctly), automaticity (with appropriate speed), and prosody (with appropriate stress and intonation), is often forgotten when it comes to reading instruction. However, it is an important bridging skill that actually strengthens both word recognition and language comprehension. Once a reader is fluent, they can navigate print easily, and then focus more of their attention on comprehension.Â
However, some teachers have misconceptions about what reading fluency is and is not.
8 Reading Fluency Myths
❌ Accurate decoding leads to good comprehension.
❌ A fluent reader is a fast reader.
❌ Silent independent reading improves fluency.
❌ Teacher modeling alone improves fluency.
❌ Reading a text once is enough.
❌ Fluency practice is best with fiction texts.
❌ Fluency practice is not appropriate for older students.
❌ Practices like “round robin reading” improve fluency.
To help dispel these myths, we’ve compiled an interactive list of evidence-based routines for building fluent readers. Strategies like repeated reading, choral reading, and structured partner reading can positively impact fluency in just minutes per day.
Learn more about evidence-based fluency practices by reviewing the links embedded in the interactive slide above. Please click on the blue “link” buttons to view each resource, then check out course 5293: Effective Fluency Instruction for Skilled Reading for additional strategies!
In course, 5293: Effective Fluency Instruction for Skilled Reading, you’ll explore the latest research on how the brain learns to read and discover how decoding, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency interconnect to create proficient readers. Not only will you learn easy-to-implement instructional practices, but you’ll also gather strategies for incorporating reader’s theater, a powerful fluency activity, that can be part of a regular weekly reading routine.
