When we talk about reading fluency in grades K-2, we are talking about your child’s ability to read out loud. Fluency is made up of 4 different parts: expression, phrasing, rate and accuracy. To learn more, read this.
Click here for some fun reading strategy cards to use with your child.
To help your child become a fluent reader, use these activities.
- Read aloud to your child. When you read aloud with fluency you are modeling good reading to your child.
- Allow your child to read books that are a bit too easy for them. In order to improve fluency your child must not have to spend too much energy figuring out hard words. If the book is easy for them, they can spend all of their efforts on reading with fluency.
- Have your child read to a younger sibling, cousin, or friend. The more chances they have to read aloud the more fluent their reading will become.
- Try doing a repeated reading. Give your child a short passage to read (even a few pages of a book) and time them reading it. Then, have your child reread that same passage (to themselves) several times. Finally, time you child reading that same passage again. Chances are you will see a big improvement in rate!
Using reading diagnostic tools, we assess students' current reading skills and determine where they are on a continuum of reading skills. These skills include: