Recent recent emphasizes the importance of fluency as part of the Science of Reading (O’Reilly, et al., 2019; Sabatini, et al., 2018), as well as the substantial case made for fluency instruction by the National Reading Panel (NRP) (NICHD, 2000) and in independent reviews such as Kuhn & Stahl, 2002. Bottom line, oral reading fluency instruction aids decoding development.
Carol Chomsky identified students, despite high phonics knowledge, were struggling readers. She thought these kids needed teaching that would show them how to apply their phonics skills. She engaged the kids in repeated reading activities, and they blossomed as readers. Later studies found that such teaching benefited kids without reading problems, too (NICHD, 2000). The High Interest Low Level Reading Comprehension and Fluency activities listed below provide the opportunity to read each passage an ideal three times – two in fluency format and a third in comprehension format. The readings, following by a short assessment, provide for optimum engagement and fluency instruction on topics students are interested in.
Now that we know more about what decoding development entails. Research follows that fluency instruction helps with those memory changes supported by decoding instruction.
As Chomsky posited, fluency work is likely most helpful at what Linnea Ehri has described as the consolidation or automaticity stages of decoding development (e.g., Ehri & Wilce, 1985). Kids aren’t memorizing sight words as much as they are developing an understanding how to use phonetic/orthographic cues in word reading. They are building the cognitive support structure that allows one to learn to respond appropriately to words on the basis of minimal exposure or experience (fast mapping).
Joe Torgesen and others decided that the major impact of repeated reading on struggling readers is that they were mastering specific words from the activity seems reasonable as no one really knows what specifically is being stored in memory when children learn to decode.
Not surprisingly, there is a particularly strong relationship between oral reading fluency and reading comprehension during the primary grades (Sabatini, et al., 2018). However, for many students oral reading fluency practice continues to help in the consolidation of decoding skills beyond that point (O’Reilly, et al., 2019), and it also starts to morph into an activity that helps to support prosody development which is more directly implicated in reading comprehension (Breznitz, 2006). No wonder the latest ETS policy guide recommends attention to fluency as a foundational reading skill well beyond the primary grades (O’Reilly, et al., 2019).
How can all teachers build students’ automaticity?
Making words “decodable” means good phonics instruction. But next, we need to give kids a chance to move words from “decodable” into “automatically recognized.” Research evidence tells us that both reading a correct word aloud and accumulating multiple exposures to a word are likely to help move words into memory. As teachers, we can model the correct decoding of words that students struggle with, then ask them to read the word aloud for themselves orin partners. one text over and over makes it easier for kids to read a new text for the very first time.
What about in older grades? Students often tackle difficult text while learning new content, including in social studies and science class. Teachers can introduce a challenging word, model it, and talk through its parts. “That word is photosynthesis. What other words do we know with photo- ?”
After taking time to model and unpack words, teachers can turn toward practice with reading the sentences that include them. Even in content area instruction, many secondary students who struggle with comprehension need support in their understanding of and automaticity with hard words. That where these High Interest Reading Comprehension and Fluency Resources come in.
Resource to Help
Alice's Adventures in Wonderful Fluency and Reading Comprehension
Huck Finn ENTIRE NOVEL in High Low Passages Reading Comprehension & Fluency CCSS
High Low Readings Set 6 20 High Interest: Low Level Reading: First 100 Word-Based Grades 5-12
High Low Reading Set 9 – December Holiday Themed
60 High Low Reading Passages-Sets 4, 5, & 6: Multiple Formats - BUNDLE 3
11 - ELEVEN High Low Reading AND Fluency Resources MEGA Bundle
20 SPOOKY High Low Passages - Google, Form Fillable PDF - Hybrid Ready
High Low Reading Fiction Passages w/ Interactive Workbook - Passages at 2 Levels
GROWING HIGH INTEREST: LOW LEVEL BUNDLE
Sets 1, 2, and 3 High Low Bundle
Crawford, E.C. and Torgesen, J.K. (2006). Teaching All Students to Read: Practices for Reading First Schools with Strong Intervention Outcomes, Summary Document. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Center for Reading Research.
Torgesen, J.K., Wagner, R.K., & Rashotte, C.A. (2012). Test of Word Reading Efficiency, 2nd Edition. Austin, TX: Pro-ED, Inc.
Wagner, R.K., Torgesen, J.K., Rashotte, C.A., & Pearson, N.A. (2010). Test of silent reading efficiency and comprehension. Austin, TX; Pro-ED, Inc.
Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through third grade: A practice guide (NCEE #). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides/.
Torgesen, J. K., & Miller, D. H. (2009). Assessments to guide adolescent literacy instruction. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.
Torgesen, J.K., Foorman, B.R., & Wagner, R.K. (2008). Dyslexia: A brief or educators, parents, and legislators in Florida. Tallahassee, FL: FCRR Technical report #8.
Torgesen, J.K., Houston, D.D., Rissman, L.M. , Decker, S.M., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Francis, D.J., Rivera, M.O. (2007). Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction. Center on Instruction for K-12 Reading, Math, and Science. Portsmouth, NH.
Torgesen, J.K. & Hudson, R. (2006). Reading fluency: critical issues for struggling readers. In S.J. Samuels and A. Farstrup(Eds.). Reading fluency: The forgotten dimension of reading success. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
