Literacy Professional Learning Resource – Key Concepts

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VELS level 1 & 2 – Oral reading fluency (Chall, Kuhn, Rasinski, Stahl)

This section defines the term ‘fluency’, looks at the theory behind it and provides links to additional reading material on the subject.

Definition: fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. When fluent readers read silently, they recognise words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read. Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking.

For further reading see: Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, Kindergarten through Grade 3
(www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1.html)

Fluency theory

Dr. Timothy Rasinski cites:

Reading fluency, the ability to read accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with meaningful expression and phrasing has been shown to be associated with reading comprehension (Pinnell et al. 1995).

Read more about Dr Timothy Rasinski and fluency
(http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/fluencyformula/pdfs/Instruction.pdf)

Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the ideas in the text and between the text and their background knowledge.

Fluent readers recognise words and comprehend at the same time. Less fluent readers, however, must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the text.

Even when students recognise many words automatically, their oral reading still may be expressionless, not fluent. To read with expression, readers must be able to divide the text into meaningful chunks. These chunks include phrases and clauses. Readers must know to pause appropriately within and at the ends of sentences and when to change emphasis and tone.

Fluency is not a stage of development at which readers can read all words quickly and easily. Fluency changes, depending on what readers are reading, their familiarity with the words, and the amount of their practice with reading text.

A cautionary note about reading fluency

Helping students become fluent readers is absolutely critical for proficient and motivated reading. Nonetheless, fluency is only one of the essential skills involved in reading. Keep in mind that it is appropriate and expected for students to adjust their rate when reading text of varying difficulty for varied purposes (The Reading Teacher Vol 59, No. 7 April 2006)

Related materials

Previous key concept - Systematic teaching of phonics (Wray)

Next key concept - Selecting appropriate texts to support literacy learning (Anderson, Freebody)

Teaching strategy - Guided fluency instruction - a model