One common issue when it comes to reading is fluency. Unfortunately, most children will struggle with reading fluently at some point or another, so any good reading class must include exercises that help children develop fluency.
This is very important because children who are fluent readers are also much better at understanding what they are reading.
If kids cannot decode what they are reading, then that is a sure sign of trouble for their academic performance in the future.
What Is Fluency?
Fluency is the ability to read with proper expression, speed, and accuracy. If the text is about a happy event, like a birthday party, then the child must read in a way that expresses that happiness.
In other words, fluency involves reading with correct intonation, which means that the tone of voice must match the story and change as the story’s situations change.
This means that if the story involves an angry character and a scared character, the child must read the angry character’s dialogue in an angry tone, and the same goes for the scared character.
Tried and Tested Methods For Teachers
There is a range of strategies that teachers can use during classroom reading to improve fluency in their students.
However, teachers need to keep in mind that every child is different and will have different issues with developing fluency, so the teacher needs to tailor the activities accordingly.
If a student has trouble changing their tone according to the story, the teacher should practice sound variation and expression with the student. If the student is reading without comprehending the text, the teacher needs to help the child practice thinking critically about the story and make connections between the words and their meanings. Remember, the goal of improving fluency is to improve reading comprehension.
Using Technology To Build Fluency
The good news is that there are a lot of ways teachers can help develop fluency in their students. One good way is to incorporate technological tools into classroom activities to help increase reading skills.
Teachers can also use a wide variety of online apps that help students with sound recognition and reading sentences. These exercises help turn students into fluent readers.
Concluding Thoughts
There are many tried and tested strategies out there today that can help with reading fluently and apps that can give that added support to classroom instruction. Thus, teachers must make full use of these tools in the classroom.
