When we say fluency, we often think of reading words quickly, without stumbling over the words, i.e., reading automatically. However, there are other components to reading fluently, not just automaticity. If children don’t have all these factors, they are not fluent. Why is reading fluency important? There is a strong link between the students’ ability to read fluently and their ability to comprehend the text.
What is the evidence linking reading fluency and reading comprehension? How do we help students stuck at the word level build their fluency skills to read sentences and passages? What about children who do not have the opportunity to hear fluent reading in English outside of school hours?
We at For All Our Kids address these questions in the upcoming workshop on Teaching Reading Fluency in primary classes. The workshop will address the components of reading fluency, discuss the needs of English Language Learners, and practice strategies to use in the classroom. Participants will practice the strategies and take home a packet of handouts to use in their classroom.