Reading Fluency

Do you remember the first book you ever enjoyed just for the beauty of the story telling? Did you find yourself so enraptured by the characters, and the descriptions of the settings that you could visualize them so vividly that when the book finished, you felt as if they were people you’d known or places you’d seen? A fluent reader can experience those kinds of things. One who lacks the tools necessary to read fluently gets so bogged down in the decoding of words and their meanings, they never enjoy a book in the same way.

The basic definition for fluency is read quickly and accurately, but there is so much more to being a fluent reader. It also includes good expression and melody of speech, as well as a rich vocabulary. All these skills lead to comprehension of the meaning and nuances of a text, and this is what makes a book enjoyable, rather than a negative experience.

So how do we increase fluency? In the early years at Mustard Seed School we are setting a strong foundation for fluent readers word work and phonics, through small group instruction, reading partnerships, and independent reading. In these opportunities students gain the phonemic awareness, and word awareness to decode faster. They also have time to practice, practice, and practice.

In later years, students build on that foundation enriching their vocabulary in the conversations that occur in literature circles and book talks, also by reading important books in a wide variety of genres, and writing. It is at this time in a student’s life that high volume reading occurs and reading for longer periods of time.

For more information, fifth grade teacher Lauren Spurgin has a blog entry on vocabulary this week. You can find that by clicking here. Also, the Mustard Seed School website has much more information on our reading program. You can find that information here.