- 1). Model fluent reading by reading books aloud to the students. Changing your voice for each character in picture books is one form of reading with expression, and exaggerate the reading tone by recognizing punctuation. Practice reading the books before reading them aloud in class to gain a better perspective of performing high reading fluency traits.
- 2). Repeat the readings given to children to increase reading speed. The more children practice one specific passage, the more successful and comfortable they will be in reading it at a faster rate. After mastering each word in the text, students can concentrate on fluency, which can only be achieved through continuous repetitive reading of one section of text.
- 3). Integrate phrase reading or poetry reading in class. Some students get overwhelmed by large paragraphs or pages of wording and using short phrases such as that in poetry can increase fluency rates in students.
- 4). Initiate speed drills in class that focus not on accuracy, but only on speed of the reading. Time each passage reading and treat it as a game for students. Work with students individually and chart their progress over time using a bar graph, a picture graph or a representation such as a soccer player getting closer to his goal.
- 5). Pair students with a buddy reader and instruct the duos to take turns being the reader and the listener. Peer reviews assist with reading fluency, and the pairs give suggestions on how to improve reading.
- 6). Integrate reader's theater activities into the curriculum. Reader's theater allows students to use their bodies in acting out the words as well as using them as speech and not focusing on the text as reading. Children often speak fluently and transferring speech into reading can assist in reading fluency speed.
- 7). Assess the students often to encourage a feeling of achievement and to give advice on how to improve reading fluency. Gather the help of parent volunteers, the on-site reading specialist or a student teacher to assess the students when you are busy teaching lessons and preparing for the day.
- 8). Integrate a silent sustained reading time into your day -- time that allows for additional practice without the need for taking lesson time from the day.
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