Direct Fluency
Instruction for
Developing
Independent Readers
What is Fluency?
The ability to read
a text quickly and
accurately with
expression and
sound natural, as if
speaking.
Recent Research by National Assessment for
Educational Progress (NAEP)
44% of a representative sample of fourth graders were
low in fluency students scoring lower in fluency also
scored lower in comprehension.
CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES OF FLUENCY
Non-fluent readers suffer in at least one of
these aspects of reading: they make many
mistakes, they read slowly, or they don't
read with appropriate expression and
phrasing.
Automaticity has the word ''automatic'' embedded within in it, and refers to a reader's ability to
automatically know how to say a word, without stumbling through the process of sounding it out.
 Fluency is similar to automaticity, but
encompasses more skills than just
automatic word recognition.
 To be a fluent reader, the reader must
also be able to change the inflection
of his or her voice to reflect the
meaning of the text.
 Why is fluency important?
Bridges the gap between word recognition and comprehension.
Reading focus is on what the text means rather than decoding.
The reader is able to make connections among the ideas in the text.
The reader is able to make connections between the text and background
knowledge.
Allows for simultaneous word recognition and comprehension
What are the steps in providing fluency
instruction?
ASSESSING FLUENCY
The teacher administers an oral reading fluency assessment,
listening to each student read grade-level passages and
calculating the number of words and average words per minute the
student has read correctly. A low fluency score indicates the
student needs fluency training and further assessment to
determine any other training needs.
Guidelines for Instruction
• Provide children with opportunities to read and reread a range of
stories and informational texts by reading on their own, partner
reading, or choral reading.
• Introduce new or difficult words to children, and provide practice
reading these words before they read on their own.
• Include opportunities for children to hear a range of texts read
fluently and with expression.
• Suggest ideas for building home-school connections that encourage
families to become involved actively in children's reading
development.
• Encourage periodic timing of children's oral reading and recording
of information about individual children's reading rate and
accuracy.
• Model fluent reading, then have students reread the text on their
own.
ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS TO INCREASE
FLUENCY
There are several ways that your students can
practice orally rereading text, including student-adult
reading, choral (or unison) reading, tape-assisted
reading, partner reading, and readers' theatre.
Student-adult reading
Choral reading
Tape-assisted reading
Partner reading
Readers' theatre
 https://www.readingrockets.org/article/fluency-instructional-guidelinesand-student-activities
 https://www.readnaturally.com/knowledgebase/how-to/9/217
 http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/flu/flu_features.php