Fluency Bot Camp Essay

Fluency Boot Camp – Week One, PACE = Your Reading Speed or Reading Rate

This segment of the blog will be called Fluency Boot Camp, and will focus on four primary areas of fluency: Pace, Phrasing, Expression, and Punctuation. Reading Foundational Fluency are areas in reading that are covered in the primary grades 2 through 5.

What is Fluency? Fluency is the ability to read smoothly and automatically, with expression and attention to punctuation. Reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency supports overall reading comprehension.

Back to school Reading in the primary grades usually begins in the classroom assessment, and that includes reading fluency. Teachers strive for students to read grade-level texts throughout the year with purpose

We should encourage children to pick a Just Right Book, and not to compare the books that their peers are reading or books based on the title. Parents can help children select books that are not “too hard” and not “too easy” but instead are “just right.” The Five Finger Rule is a strategy that is helpful for students; 1. Choose a book that you think you will enjoy; 2. Read the second page; 3. Hold up a finger for each word you are not sure of, or do not know; 4. If there are five or more words you did not know, you should choose an easier book. Before examining PACE, it is a good idea for the child to feel comfortable, and by allowing him or her to select a Just Right Book using the Five Finger Rule

Does your child read slowly, at a mixed rate, or at a conversational rate? A Cold Read and Hot Read Reading Fluency Progress Chart can be found online at A Peach for A Teach. These progress charts are valuable for reading fluency practice and progress monitoring. A cold read is reading aloud from a script or other text with little or no rehearsal. Record the child’s word-per-minute goal for this passage on the student’s record sheet in blue. After the cold read and troubleshooting, read the passage a couple of times with the child. This is called “warm” practice. Then send him or her to practice independently. Last, use a different color, red, to add on to the cold read to illustrate improvement after the hot read.

Start by rereading a book that your child can read quickly and easily, then chart the number of words read correctly per minute. Research has proven that repeated readings of familiar texts increases a students PACE. Encourage your child to reread favorite books, then gradually watch how with each reading, you’ll notice your child reading a bit easier, a bit faster, and with a bit more confidence.

Next week, in Fluency Boot Camp we will continue to explore strategies to improve PACE. Then we will explore Phrasing, Expression, and