Transcript Fluency - Sourcebook Companion Website

Section IV:
Reading Fluency
Teaching Reading Sourcebook
2nd edition
Fluency: The Bridge Between
Decoding and Comprehension
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At one end, fluency connects to accuracy
and automaticity (rapid word recognition) in
decoding.
At the other end, it connects to comprehension
through prosody or expressive interpretation.
Fluency consists of
 accuracy
 rate
 prosody
Fluent readers are able to devote their
attention to comprehension.
Fluency is
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Accuracy: This is the ability to recognize or
decode words correctly.
Rate: This is the speed or ability to read words
automatically, which frees cognitive resources
for comprehension.
Prosody: They are the features that convey
information beyond that provided by the actual
words themselves: pitch (intonation,
inflection), stress patterns, phrasing (chunking
groups of phrases into meaningful units).
Influences on Reading Fluency
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Comprehension: It facilitates fluent reading,
especially for beginning or struggling readers.
Students read words in meaningful context
faster than out of context (word lists).
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Proportion of the words recognized
instantaneously or by “sight” (automaticity):
This is the most important variable in reading
fluency differences.
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Speed and Accuracy of Decoding: Unfamiliar
words must be identified analytically using
sound/spelling correspondences or “chunks” of
words.
Influences on Reading Fluency
Continued
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Metacognition and Purpose for Reading:
Students must make decisions or self regulate
in terms of rate and prosody, depending on
type of text.
Vocabulary Size: Words that are part of a
student’s oral vocabulary are more easily
recognized and understood. How quickly a
student accesses known meanings influences
rate and prosody.
Motivation and Engagement: Fluency is likely
to suffer if a student is not motivated to read or
if the text is not engaging.