6 Don’ts for Increasing Students’ Reading Fluency

*Today’s post has been adapted from the chapter “Fluency in Learning to Read” by Katherine Garnett, in Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Fourth Edition, edited by Judith R. Birsh & Suzanne Carreker.

Reading fluency has been largely neglected in classrooms, which has hobbled many readers, even into adulthood. As an important factor in reading comprehension, fluency building needs considerably greater play—in the teaching of reading overall, and as part of intervention for students with intensive needs.

In today’s post, we’ll look at 6 things to avoid when you’re planning instructional methods for increasing students’ reading fluency.

Don’t wait. Resist the temptation to delay work on fluency until students acquire basic reading in the second- through fourth-grade range. Instead, make fluency part and parcel of the earliest reading sub-skills: for example, letter names, sounds, blending, pattern recognition, and word recognition. First, establish each sub-skill to accuracy, and then practice more—beyond accuracy to “pretty easy.” Then keep on until it comes to mind like magic. When early instruction is focused on the right stuff with sufficient intensity, even students at lower reading percentiles can reach levels of accuracy and fluency on par with average grade-peers by second or third grade.

Don’t assume your students’ level of fluency. Tune in to their signs: frequent pausing, lack of phrasing, little expressiveness, slow or erratic pacing, and tiring effortful effort. Notice at the word level, at the phrase level, and at the increasingly complex sentence level. Explore and find out where your students might be having difficulty. Reading fluency is a set of skills and sub-skills that your instruction can propel to accurate and then to easy.

Don’t be afraid of drill. Another name for active practice, drill is highly motivating and effective, especially when done interactively with progress charted regularly. Drill has been demonized, rather than appreciated for its motivating efficiency at providing the practice many students need. The interactive practice that drill provides will enable sub-skills to increase in speed and decrease in focal attention, keys to fluent reading.

Don’t shortchange practice. A few drills here and there won’t be enough. Some students require far more—and more frequent—word reading practice to reach accuracy, reliability, and ease. Be sure you’re providing that, week in and week out. Distribute practice over time: Make full use of short, intense, and frequent teach-it/practice-it sessions (10 minutes, 3–5 times per week, 5 minutes 2 times per day), until easy means really easy.

Don’t sacrifice comprehension in the name of speed. There is a common and dangerous misconception that fluency work is all about reading faster, which fosters a hurry-up, rush-rush

mentality that can throw meaning to the winds. Making sense of text is paramount. Keep your students’ reading mind tuned to sense: Share information with students about how all minds get derailed, distracted, or off track and how we all bring our minds back into focus. Self-monitoring cue cards with messages like “Does that make sense?” can be placed on students’ desks as a reminder. By pointing, tapping, or simply winking, you can turn students’ attention in the direction of the cue card to keep them attuned to sense.

Don’t forget that different students need different things. Some learners respond well to timed reading of words or continuous text with alertness and focus; others become anxious during activities like these. Take care with students who are distressed by timing pressure; change course and reduce that burden for them.

Keep in mind that students with insufficient fluency understandably find the reading act laborious, stressful, and truly tiring. Devoting enough time to fluency practice will reduce this strain for students, strengthening the skills they need to read for learning and enjoyment. For more specific guidance on planning instruction focused on reading fluency, see the fluency chapter in Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Fourth Edition.