Written By: Mrs. Carrie McSweeney, MEd. Fluency: A Primer for Parents

Reading fluency is the student’s ability to read words and text accurately and quickly. What is reading fluency?

What causes a student to have difficulty with reading fluency?

1)The first reason for not being a fluent reader is that the student does not know how to decode very well yet. They lack automatic decoding skills and this prevents them from being able to read accurately and fluently. The student may also have weaknesses in phoneme awareness. They are not as aware as other children of the tiny sounds (or phonemes) that make up words in speech. 2)The second reason for not being fluent, is that there are children whose decoding skills are accurate but halting. These children should be given every opportunity to practice, practice, practice, and practice reading! 3)A third reason why some children difficulty with fluency is that they process written language a slower rate. They have average phoneme awareness and decoding skills, but their reading is laborious and very slow. For them, the areas in the brain that put together visual and verbal processes don’t work together as automatically.

How am I able to tell exactly what your child needs? Every child is different. This can make figuring out what each child needs tricky. The Language Based Resource Room uses the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach to reading. This reading program provides explicit, systematic instruction. It primarily focuses on phonemic awareness by practicing the sounds letters make in isolation as well as paired with other letters. It is a rule orientated program. During OG lessons I pay very close attention to your child’s responses during lessons. Some students struggle through the OG lessons. They work very hard to sound out each and every word one sound at a time. This student falls under reason #1 on the previous slide. Some students do very well with the isolated OG lessons. They appear to be understanding and learning exactly what we are learning. They can read and spell the words with 80% or better accuracy. But when they go to apply these skills, their fluency is laborious. This student may fall under reason #2 on the previous slide. Some students do well with the OG lessons but are still experiencing difficulty with fluency. This child can have a verbal processing issue that has been diagnosed by a Speech/Language Therapist. This student may fall under reason #3 on the previous slide. The reason your child is struggling with fluency is important. It helps me to decide where to start and which fluency program will works best for your child. It also helps to determine what other measures must be taken to help your child succeed.

Your child could be having visual difficulties, specifically eye tracking issues. If I have reason to believe this is the case, I will contact our OT specialist who will make a recommendation as to how to proceed. There is one more possibility why your child may be experiencing difficulty with fluency.

Once we have determined the reason for your child’s difficulty with fluency, we come up with a plan of action. What is the next step?

Continue with OG lessons; move on when mastery of skills are achieved (usually 80% or better accuracy). Students under this plan may need extra time to complete a unit. Supplement OG lessons with books at the students’ guided reading level. The students read these books aloud to the teacher and at independent reading time. (untimed ) Drill and practice grade level appropriate sight words in isolation on a daily basis (student is given 5 seconds per word). Leveled fluency readers (timed) Fluency word lists and phrases(timed) Untimed fluency work must be completed daily. Timed practice should be completed 3-4 times per week. Plan #1

Continue with OG lessons; move on when mastery of skills are achieved (usually 80% or better accuracy). Supplement OG lessons with books at the students’ guided reading level. The students read these books at independent reading time. (untimed ) Leveled fluency readers (timed) Fluency word lists, phrases, and short stories (timed) Untimed fluency work must be completed daily. Timed practice should be completed 3-4 times per week. Plan #2

Continue with OG lessons; move on when mastery of skills are achieved (usually 80% or better accuracy). lessons with books at the students’ guided reading level. The students read these at independent reading time(untimed). It is important that the student have reading conference time with the teacher to check comprehension. Leveled fluency readers (timed) Untimed fluency work must be completed daily. Timed practice should be completed 3-4 times per week. Student will work with Speech/Language Therapist to remediate processing difficulties. Plan #3

Why are some drills timed and some are untimed? Timed drills put a certain degree of pressure on the child. Some children thrive on being timed, others do not like it. I like to create a balance. Although it is important to collect data on your child’s progress, I also want your child to have increased self esteem. The 3 plans are similar, why is that? The important word is similar, not same. Also, the plans are also not set in stone. While plan 2 does not drill sight words daily, there may be a student who may need that skill. Maybe temporarily. These plans are just a guide and a starting point. What if a plan is not working? Then the plan is changed. Some students may require more OG practice work than others. Some students require the basic instruction of the new rule and then are immediately ready to practice. Questions and Answers

Not even close! OG lessons and fluency are supplemented with comprehension instruction. Grammar lessons are integrated into the ELA program. Writing is weaved into the curriculum as well. Is that everything?

How do I know if the plan is working?

I watch for the following clues: Fluency rate (WPM =words per minute)begins to change. This can be shown by collecting data and making daily observations. The student is beginning to make obvious progress and is enjoying reading. The student’s DRA score increases. The DRA assesses fluency and comprehension. It is used 3 time per year to track progress. It is important to remember, that a student with a real reading disability (or dyslexia), sometimes exhibits very slow progress. Any progress should be celebrated!

WPM Formula # of words/total seconds = WPS WPS x 60 = WPM How do you calculate Words Per Minute (WPM)?

Approximately 5 minutes. How long does timed fluency drills take per day?

This depends on the student. The range can be anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes. We like to see students sustain independent reading for 30 minutes. How long does untimed fluency take per day?

Encourage less screen time! Watching TV and playing video games use different parts of the brain. Common sense tells us that if we work one part of the brain more than another, one area will suffer. That other area is reading. If I send home take home books, practice them over and over again. Take every opportunity to read. Read words in stores, zoos, museums, etc… READ aloud to your child. It is important for your child to hear the patterns in language repeatedly over and over in order to learn how to read. What can parents do at home to help their child with fluency?

Please contact me if you would like to see samples of timed fluency drills.

My web site contains links to curriculum information and learning disabilities. There are also books listed for suggested reading. These are all great resources to help you understand what I do to help your child succeed. Please consider visiting other parts of my web site for more information.