Fluency can be a fun skill for students with the right tools. Find out some of the most effective tools and texts to use for improving reading fluency.
Fluency is one of the most challenging skills to teach. In fact, sometimes it doesn’t get taught at all. In this 4 part blog series, we’re exploring more about fluency and the strategies for improving reading fluency.
- Part 1 explains what is reading fluency and the 4 components
- Part 2 addresses the biggest fluency mistakes teachers tend to make
- Part 3 provides actionable fluency strategies for struggling readers
- Part 4 suggests tools for improving reading fluency
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Fluency Tools
Fluency can be such a fun skill for students to practice IF you have the right tools. Read on to find out some of my favorite tools to use for improving reading fluency.
Fluency Superheroes: This is my favorite strategy to implement with my students that provides visual reminders of fluency skills.
- Fluency Voice Cards: A fun way for students to practice fluent reading by using different voices such as “Read like you are scared.”
- Whisper phones: Students are able to listen to themselves read.
- One Breath Boxes: Students take one deep breath and see how many words they can read from a specific list.
- Audiobooks: Provide an additional model of fluent reading.
- Pointer Fingers: A fun tool to help students track while reading.
- Dry Erase Pockets: Place passages within the pockets and use dry erase markers to practice scooping words into phrases.
- Index Cards: Help push along students who read word by word. Move the index card slightly ahead of where the student is reading. This trains their eyes to look ahead while reading and keep an appropriate pace.
- Finger Lights: Similar to the pointer fingers, they’re a fun tool to help students track while reading.
- Task Cards for Intonation Practice: Students practice reading a character quote using inflection to convey how the character is feeling.
- Timers: Students can practice seeing how many words they can read in one minute.
- Sight Words Flashcards: By increasing automaticity and students’ ability to quickly identify sight words, it will also improve fluency.
- Fluency Phrases Flashcards: Developing automaticity at the phrase level to also help improve fluency.
Click on the image to find out more about these flashcards for fluency practice!
Texts to Practice Fluent Reading
The best way to get better at any skill is to practice, practice, practice! Fluent reading is no exception. Students need ample opportunities to practice fluent reading with authentic texts. You may want to use:
- Joke books
- Poetry books
- Mo Willems’ books
- You Read to Me, I Read to You book series
- Readers Theater Scripts
- Nursery Rhymes for primary students
Have your students found success using any of the tools mentioned? Do you have other tools you’ve found to be beneficial for improving reading fluency? Share in the comments below!
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