How to Improve Science Reading Fluency
The National Reading Panel defines fluency as the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with appropriate pacing and expression. Fluency involves automatically decoding words with ease. Children who struggle with decoding often read slowly or haltingly so they comprehend and retain less of what they read. Students who are not at grade level in fluency have a difficult time reading fiction and literature, but encounter an even more daunting task reading and comprehending academic subjects like Science. The vocabulary and language in Science is more difficult to decode and comprehend. Building overall reading fluency will help strengthen Science reading fluency.
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Things You'll Need
- Reading textbooks
- Science textbooks
- fluency assessments
- timer
- various reading passages
Instructions
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Building Basic Reading Fluency
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Assess your students' reading fluency. Administer a fluency test. Words-correct-per-minute (WCPM) is the standard fluency figure. This is calculated by subtracting the reading errors from the total words read in a timed one-minute passage. If a child is not at grade level, then you need to take steps to help improve the child's fluency.
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Strengthen fundamental reading skills if a child is not at grade level. Work on phonics and decoding strategies, sight words, and high-frequency words.
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Pre-teach challenging words, especially difficult scientific words, before reading a Science text.
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Model fluent reading before child attempts to read difficult text independently. Choral reading is an effective technique for teacher modeling and student practicing with guided instruction. The teacher reads a sentence or phrase as the students follow along in their books, then students read and repeat the same sentence or phrase.
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Require repeated readings from students. Students should read text at least three times. Use a variety of methods. Students can partner read, read in groups, or read along with a taped version of text.
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Require 30 minutes of reading as homework daily. For students in first and second grade, students should read aloud to their parents. If students are below grade level in fluency, then inform the parents so that they can get involved and help the child at home.
Provide Extra Fluency Practice
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Give speed drills. Speed drills are one-minute timed readings of a passage that students read out loud to a teacher, aide, or another student. Students mark the word that they stopped at when the one minute is over. Student again reads the same passage and tries to pass the stopping point of the previous reading. Repeat the procedure a thirrd time and have the student try to pass the point of the second reading.
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Make rapid-word-recognition charts. You can make a grid of six-by-six blocks (six squares across and six squares down) and place a high-frequency word in each block. Have students practice reading words until they are quickly recognized without struggle. You can also do this with difficult Science terms, so that these words become automatic to the student.
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Provide fluency homework. This is given in addition to regular reading homework. Copy a short one-page passage that can be taken home and read aloud to parents or caregivers. The same passage is assigned for the entire week. The parents time how long it takes the child to read the passage, and note the number of mistakes made. On the bottom of the passage, have an area where the parents can record each day's results, the time and mistakes. Inform the parents that you are looking for improvement in the time and a decrease in the reading errors.
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Continue to monitor the students' fluency. Make fluency charts for each child so that she can record and view her fluency progress.
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References
- Photo Credit girl reading image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com
