What is fluency?
According to the National Reading Panel fluency is“The ability to read a text quickly, accurately, and with proper expression.” Fluent reading sounds like the language you are reading and it sounds like talking.
Fluent readers:
know words automatically
reads with expression
reads words correctly
Repeated Reading Increases Fluency Rates
The technique of repeated readings is a simple one that will produce fluent readers. The rereading of an interesting familiar text will enable the child to focus their attention on comprehension. It conserves mental energy for the main goal of reading which is comprehension or understanding of what was read.
Rereading the same story multiple times seems easy. However, this seemingly easy task for all involved is not a “homerun” with classroom teachers. They are concerned with the students’ lack of desire to rereading the same text multiple times.
Student boredom should not be a concern because students for the most part are excited by the gains they make despite having to reread a story numerous times to reap the reading benefits. Students inherently want to get better in areas that they feel they are weak.
How To Use the Repeated Readings Technique At Home or School
Repeated readings should be utilized with independent leveled books or passages (i.e. books that are read with 95% or above accuracy rate).
The student will read their independent book 3-4 times to increase their accuracy, speed, and automaticity.
Repeated readings reduces student errors typically made during reading. This reduction in errors would allow the child to move up in reading levels.
Also the fluency rate of the readers will be higher. When we are thinking about “fluency” one should be reminded that the goal of reading without mistakes should not the primary goal but rather automaticity.
Other disciplines such as music requires practicing the same song repeatedly. Both music and reading acquisition takes practice, practice, and more practice. We in the educational field should adopt the belief, as musicians, to allow the child to “move on” to the next level in their readings only after achieving mastery.
More fluent, competent, and confident readers are developed through repeated readings.
About the Author
Shauntelle is a former classroom teacher turned homeschool mom and now business owner. She is a reading specialist who teaches students how to discover the joy and power of reading and learning as director of the Ahead Of The Curve Homeschool Academy that offers affordable live virtual classes that are taught by certified and experienced teachers who challenges, loves, and build stronger children prepared for higher education. Her Ph.D. research is the role of Parental Involvement and Literacy achievement. In Shauntelle's spare time she is reading, watching basketball, and laughing with her husband and daughter Author Madelyn Grace.
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