by Olivia Kay

Created on: November 24, 2008

Reading accurately and quickly or fluency is a skill we sometimes take for granted as it is almost automatic for most of us in the adult world. Fluency develops over time through practice and repetition, however not all children learn as quickly or in the same way. It is very important for educators and all others teaching reading to children to take this into consideration. Realizing that the earlier the intervention the better is equally as important.

Reading should be enjoyable and not a burden. In order for students to find it enjoyable, it needs to be something that is not extremely difficult and frustrating for them. The sooner we help them learn to appreciate and understand the concept of reading, the less likely they will be to look at school and learning in a negative way, something we want to avoid happening whenever possible. That is where fluency training comes in...

Fluency training comes in many forms. In it's most effective form, students are divided into reading groups based upon their skill levels, as determined from assessment results or observation over a time period. When students are grouped with others of their own ability, they are less likely to become frustrated and overwhelmed and more likely to experience success. It usually works best for elementary teachers to have anywhere from three to five different reading groups, and work with each group for a certain amount of time every day as part of a rotation that includes a 15 session in reading group, and a 15 minute session at each center. This will not only be successful in assuring that each student gets to work with the teacher in a small group setting everyday, but should also help with classroom management as well as students aren't likely to get bored as they are moving to a new learning setting every fifteen minutes. We all know that overall the attention-spans of young children are short compared to those of adults, so we must also keep that in mind when designing reading lessons and curriculum.

Following are some activities to use as a part of fluency training that have been proven to produce positive results:

1. Paired Reading (students of similar reading abilities are paired together to take turns reading to each other)

2. Recorded Reading (students record themselves reading, and then listen to themselves using headphones)

3. Word Walls (high frequency words at the students' grade level are posted on a world wall and students are encouraged to practice these words daily)

4. Word

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