What is Fluency?
Shanahan defines fluency as "the ability to read text aloud with accuracy, speed, and proper expression." (pg.16)
Fluency includes...
1. Accurate, effortless, and automatic word identification that
requires little conscious attention.
1. Accurate, effortless, and automatic word identification that
requires little conscious attention.
- This is often called Automaticity
2. Age or grade appropriate reading speed or rate, enough so that comprehension is maintained.
3. Suitable use of volume, pitch, juncture, or stress.
4. Correct text phrasing
3. Suitable use of volume, pitch, juncture, or stress.
4. Correct text phrasing
What Do We Know About Fluency?
"Oral reading fluency instruction provided learning benefits to students in a wide range of grade levels, particularly when they were practicing oral reading with materials written at an instructional or frustration level" (Shanahan, pg. 19). Fluency instruction should be primarily aimed towards struggling readers. In order to assess students' fluency ability Munger states, "a common way to do this is to measure their oral reading fluency (ORF), which involves counting the number of words a student can correctly read in a minute" (pg. 137).
How is Fluency Taught?
Fluency is a skill that can be built through multiple practices and strategies.
– Repeated Readings
▪ Music
– Choral reading
– Neurological Impress Method
– Partner or paired reading
▪ (Pause, Prompt, & Praise)
Himmele Erch 422 Fluency PowerPoint
– Repeated Readings
▪ Music
– Choral reading
– Neurological Impress Method
– Partner or paired reading
▪ (Pause, Prompt, & Praise)
Himmele Erch 422 Fluency PowerPoint
How Can Fluency Be Built?
Shanahan states three ways to build fluency... (pg. 19-20)
1. Pause
"The first common characteristic of quality fluency instruction is that it must include oral reading as opposed to silent reading."
"...Should take a brief period of time at the beginning of these fluency sessions to talk about what good reading sounds like and to remind students of any management's rules."
2.Prompt
"A second essential feature of successful oral reading instruction is that it includes repetition."
3. Praise
"The third essential feature of oral reading instruction is that students benefit from guidance or feedback."
Below is a table taken from Shanahan that shows explicit instruction for each step.(pg.42)
1. Pause
"The first common characteristic of quality fluency instruction is that it must include oral reading as opposed to silent reading."
"...Should take a brief period of time at the beginning of these fluency sessions to talk about what good reading sounds like and to remind students of any management's rules."
2.Prompt
"A second essential feature of successful oral reading instruction is that it includes repetition."
3. Praise
"The third essential feature of oral reading instruction is that students benefit from guidance or feedback."
Below is a table taken from Shanahan that shows explicit instruction for each step.(pg.42)
Choral Reading is a great way to help students build fluency. Choral Reading is a small group activity in which all students read in unison under the teachers' directive after the teacher has read out loud as students follow along. This helps students not only read the words accurately but also helps with their expression. In addition to this, Choral Reading can relieve the stress of reading TO classmates and allows students to be collaborative and learn from each other as well as the teacher.
In this video, the viewer can see the teacher asking the students questions before, during, and after the reading to help students stay engaged.
In addition to this, the viewer can see students following along with their finger as both the teacher and group read. This is important to connect the sight of the word to the sound of the word.
In this video, the viewer can see the teacher asking the students questions before, during, and after the reading to help students stay engaged.
In addition to this, the viewer can see students following along with their finger as both the teacher and group read. This is important to connect the sight of the word to the sound of the word.
The images above show the Neurological Impress Method in practice. Neurological Impress Method is "a form of paired reading in which a student and teacher or parent read the same text almost simultaneously. Sitting side-by-side (elbow to elbow), the teacher reads a text slightly faster and louder than the student while both follow the text with their fingers."
This allows students to connect the word and letters with the sounds they are hearing. It also allows student to learn new words, understand expression, and reading pace through an experiment and fluent reader.
This allows students to connect the word and letters with the sounds they are hearing. It also allows student to learn new words, understand expression, and reading pace through an experiment and fluent reader.
How is Fluency Assessed?
Fluency = Automaticity + Prosody. (Himmele Erch 422 Fluency PowerPoint)
There are two ways to measure whether or not a student is fluent at their reading level. These two tests are the DIBLES and the Multidimensional Fluency Scale.
There are two ways to measure whether or not a student is fluent at their reading level. These two tests are the DIBLES and the Multidimensional Fluency Scale.
DIBELS
DIBELS stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills and is an assessment tool used to determine if a student is at risk for literacy problems. It is a series of short assessments that are given from kindergarten to fifth grade. The DIBELS tests 5 essential literacy skills
- Phonemic Awareness
- Alphabetic Principle & Phonics
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
The video below goes into great detail about the DIBELS assessment and the essential literacy skills. The most important aspects to note during this video are
- Which Skill is Measured When? (2:02)
- This is an important aspect because it breaks down what the expected literacy skill is at each grade level.
- i.e. FSF or First Sound Fluency is expected to be developed by Kindergarten.
- What Now? (4:45)
- This is an important aspect of the DIBELS because the point of the assessment is to collect date to improve students' literacy skills if needed.
- DIBELS is NOT (5:52)
- This is a very important aspect of this video. DIBELS is not a curriculum, the only source of student data, or any other aspects included in the video. Teachers should be critiquing their teaching plan & lessons in order to accommodate and help with their students literacy skills. In addition to this, teachers should be constantly collected data through observations, students work, or other assessments in order to get a clear idea of the students' strengths and weaknesses.
- This is a very important aspect of this video. DIBELS is not a curriculum, the only source of student data, or any other aspects included in the video. Teachers should be critiquing their teaching plan & lessons in order to accommodate and help with their students literacy skills. In addition to this, teachers should be constantly collected data through observations, students work, or other assessments in order to get a clear idea of the students' strengths and weaknesses.
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/7/3/137355115/published/531930390.jpg?1712692230)
This image is an example of the Phoneme Segmentation Fluency from the DIBELS assessment. This aspect of the test is to first see if the student can ACCURETLY say the given word, such as trick. The second and most important aspect to see if the student can break the word down into its individual sounds or phonemes, such as /t/ /r/ /i/ /k/.
Multidimensional Fluency Scale
The Multidimensional Fluency Scale is a scale invented to understand and assess four different aspects of fluency. These four aspects include...
- Expression and Volume (Prosody)
- Phrasing
- Smoothness
- Pace
The image below breaks down each of these four categories with a scoring one to four.
In each category, there are descriptions of what the student should sound like while reading and determine whether the student gets a score of 1, 2, 3, or 4. By the end the total is added and the student scores out of 16.
In each category, there are descriptions of what the student should sound like while reading and determine whether the student gets a score of 1, 2, 3, or 4. By the end the total is added and the student scores out of 16.
Last Note
In the education system there are a lot of misconceptions. One of the biggest and most damaging misconceptions in English Language Arts is that Round Robin Reading is an effective and helpful strategy to build fluency. This is FALSE! Common themes that emerge from students who Round Robin Read are...
1. Attempts to count ahead.
2. Feeling like a "bad reader."
3. Bullying, embarrassment, or loss of status.
4. Emotional stress that manifests physically.
5. Anxiety-induced confusion.
This can actually regress progress for students and worsen their fluency rather than build it.
(Himmele, p.10)
1. Attempts to count ahead.
2. Feeling like a "bad reader."
3. Bullying, embarrassment, or loss of status.
4. Emotional stress that manifests physically.
5. Anxiety-induced confusion.
This can actually regress progress for students and worsen their fluency rather than build it.
(Himmele, p.10)
Sources:
Pictures:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/Multidimensional-Fluency-Rubric-Chart.png
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a8/b4/5a/a8b45a3042f3198b09915196bb5ebf72.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/11/47/8211473398e1bdb9cc8dd98768d5c4ee.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A4XllU7Yx6o/TC4b1aUovbI/AAAAAAAABoc/hy6oF_i9R_M/s1600/Apr-May+2010+072.jpg
https://c1.iggcdn.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_fill%2Cf_auto%2Ch_200%2Cw_200/v1403843156/qib2jcg0errqdcwsghvg.jpg
Sources:
Himmele Erch 422 Fluency PowerPoint
Himmele, P., & Himmele, W. (2021). Why are we still doing that?: Positive alternatives to problematic teaching practices. Arlington, Virginia: ASCD.
Shanahan, Timothy, and Naperville Il North Central Regional Educational Lab. The National Reading Panel Report. Practical Advice for Teachers. Naperville, IL , Learning Point Associates/North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, E Diehl Rd., Suite 220, Naperville, Il 3. Tel: 630-649-; 800-356-; Fax: 630-649-; Web Site: Http://Www.Ncrel.org/ -00-00, 2005.
Shanahan, T. (2006). THE NATIONAL READING PANEL REPORT: Practical Advice for Teachers. https://uwosh.edu/coehs/wp-content/uploads/sites/114/2018/12/Shanahan-national-reading-panel-report-Advice-for-Teachers.pdf
Munger, E. by K. A. (2016). Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice. In milnepublishing.geneseo.edu. Open SUNY Textbooks. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/steps-to-success/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/Multidimensional-Fluency-Rubric-Chart.png
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a8/b4/5a/a8b45a3042f3198b09915196bb5ebf72.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/11/47/8211473398e1bdb9cc8dd98768d5c4ee.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A4XllU7Yx6o/TC4b1aUovbI/AAAAAAAABoc/hy6oF_i9R_M/s1600/Apr-May+2010+072.jpg
https://c1.iggcdn.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_fill%2Cf_auto%2Ch_200%2Cw_200/v1403843156/qib2jcg0errqdcwsghvg.jpg
Sources:
Himmele Erch 422 Fluency PowerPoint
Himmele, P., & Himmele, W. (2021). Why are we still doing that?: Positive alternatives to problematic teaching practices. Arlington, Virginia: ASCD.
Shanahan, Timothy, and Naperville Il North Central Regional Educational Lab. The National Reading Panel Report. Practical Advice for Teachers. Naperville, IL , Learning Point Associates/North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, E Diehl Rd., Suite 220, Naperville, Il 3. Tel: 630-649-; 800-356-; Fax: 630-649-; Web Site: Http://Www.Ncrel.org/ -00-00, 2005.
Shanahan, T. (2006). THE NATIONAL READING PANEL REPORT: Practical Advice for Teachers. https://uwosh.edu/coehs/wp-content/uploads/sites/114/2018/12/Shanahan-national-reading-panel-report-Advice-for-Teachers.pdf
Munger, E. by K. A. (2016). Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice. In milnepublishing.geneseo.edu. Open SUNY Textbooks. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/steps-to-success/