This toolkit helps teachers and families understand what fluency is and how to support a child’s development of fluency with text.
You will learn:
- What fluency is and why it is important.
- How teachers can build fluency with text.
- How families can support development of fluency with text.
This toolkit includes:
- Definition
- Short Video Overview
- Research Briefs & Infographics
- Resources for Teachers & Families
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Definition
Fluency
The ability to read words, phrases, sentences, and stories correctly, with enough speed, and expression.
Video Overview
Build your knowledge and advance your skills by watching this short overview of fluency with text.
What is Fluency with Text? Why is it important? How should it be taught? Learn the answer to these and other questions about Fluency in under five minutes!
Supporting Materials
Learn more about how to support a child's development of this important reading skill.
Fluency is the ability to read words, phrases, sentences, and stories accurately, with enough speed, and expression. It is important to remember that fluency is not an end in itself but a critical gateway to comprehension.
Repeated readings, goal setting, corrective feedback, and graphing performance can help build Fluency with Text.
Learning to read consists of developing skills in two areas: accurate, fluent reading and comprehending the meaning of texts. Learning these skills does not come naturally. Both accurate word reading and text comprehension require careful, systematic instruction.
Fluent Reader Examples
View examples of what fluent readers sound like in grades K through 5.
Watch a video of a kindergarten student fluently reading, and rereading to more accurately read punctuation.
Topic: Fluency with Text, Beginning Reading
Watch first graders read correctly, smoothly, and at a natural speed.
Topic: Fluency with Text
This video shows a second grader fluently reading. Watch as she reads smoothly, at a natural speed, and with expression. She can also answer comprehension questions about what she has read.
Topic: Fluency with Text, Comprehension
This video shows third graders demonstrating fluent reading and comprehension.
Topic: Fluency with Text, Comprehension
This video shows fourth graders fluently reading. Watch as they read smoothly, at a natural speed, and with expression. Notice that fourth graders self correct and can answer comprehension questions about what they have read.
Topic: Fluency with Text, Comprehension
Check out a video in which fifth graders demonstrate fluent reading. Watch as they read smoothly, at a natural speed, and with expression. Notice that fifth graders self correct and can answer comprehension questions about what they have read.
Topic: Fluency with Text, Comprehension
Spotlight on Instruction
Watch this video on how to ensure that students read connected text every day to support reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.
Jeanne Wanzek, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University and Carol Dissen, Expert Literacy Coach at the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon, present on Recommendation 1 from the Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade: Practice Guide (WWC)
Resources for Teachers
Explore these on-topic resources, tips, and tools for teaching fluency with text. Find the materials that work best for your classroom.
This course module includes in-depth information, classroom strategies, assignments, and additional resources on teaching fluency.
Topic: Fluency with Text
A variety of activities for building fluency with connected text in Grades 2-3.
Topic: Fluency with Text
Resources for Parents & Families
Check out this collection of resources and activities that can help you support your child's development of fluency with text at home.
Read this brief to learn the importance of building fluency at home.
Topic: Fluency with Text
This infographic explains what reading fluency is.
Topic: Fluency with Text
Read an information sheet on the role of fluency in helping your child to read and understand.
Topic: Fluency with Text
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The research reported here is funded by awards to the National Center on Improving Literacy from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, in partnership with the Office of Special Education Programs (Award #: S283D160003). The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of OESE, OSEP, or the U.S. Department of Education. Copyright © 2023 National Center on Improving Literacy. https://improvingliteracy.org
