BECOMING BETTER READERS "Alan is really reading. He even volunteers to read to me now. He’s never done that before." These happy words are from a mother whose dyslexic 7th grade son was finally making substantial progress in reading. When I began tutoring him, he was in the 5th grade and reading at a 1st grade level. Although he made gains the first two years of tutoring, the progress was slow and labored. In the last year of tutoring, he went from a 4th to a 7th grade level. What made the difference? One practice added to Alan’s biweekly 45-minute tutoring session was a repeated reading activity to build fluency. (See the sidebar for the complete tutoring sequence.) During repeated reading activities, students read aloud sections of books they have read before. The books must be at the students’ instructional reading level (the level at which they know most of the words and understand what they read). As Alan reread each selection over three different tutoring sessions, he learned to read the piece in phrases and with confidence. Repeated reading was helpful to Alan in part because he could hear himself read fluently, and he had never experienced this before. His reading was beginning to sound skilled, rather than like a robot mouthing sounds. Alan’s reading rate also increased by the second and third reading of a selection. Although fluency instruction is not designed to increase reading speed, increases may occur as a result of the instruction (Rasinski, 2000). Alan’s personal goal was to read approximately 125 to 150 words per minute (wpm), which is considered average for a student reading at an intermediate level. After his three-minute timed readings, Alan would calculate his wpm and graph the results. The idea of charting wpm was very motivational for him, because he could connect it with his love of competitive sports. We had finally found something in reading that was fun for him! As a result, he went at the task of rereading with full attention, as he does when he competes in sports. Research has shown that “the major factor limiting reading fluency in older children with reading disabilities is a relative deficiency in the number of words they can read by sight” (Torgesen, Rashotte, & Alexander, 2002). By rereading material three to four times, Alan increased his bank of instantly recognized sight words. Since he no longer had to struggle as much with unfamiliar vocabulary, he was able to concentrate on meaning and use his sense of language to read more fluently. Reading for Fluency What does research say about the effectiveness of repeated readings? The National Reading Panel (2000) states, “An extensive review of the literature indicates that classroom practices that encourage repeated oral reading with feedback and guidance lead to meaningful improvement in reading expertise for students – for good readers as well as those who are experiencing difficulties.” For students who read in the vernacular, repeated reading is equally effective and should be part of the first language program. Although Alan’s improvement took place in a one-to-one tutoring situation, classroom teachers can include fluency training for struggling readers as part of their comprehensive reading programs. A brief description of a simplified process appropriate for classroom use accompanies this story. Other techniques classroom teachers can use to increase fluency include reading poetry and chant, Readers’ Theater, reading in unison with a taped version of a book, and shared reading. Benefits How a teacher provides repeated reading for fluency
as part of the comprehensive reading program will vary from classroom
to classroom, but it must be part of every classroom’s reading program.
Teachers in all content areas can use repeated reading techniques with
their students to improve comprehension of science or mathematics content
while developing students’ reading skills at the same time. We can’t
let our students fall further and further behind because they cannot read
References Rasinski, T. V. (2000). Speed does matter in reading.
The Reading Teacher, 54(2), 150. |
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One-to One
Tutoring Lesson |
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NAEP’s
Integrated Reading Performance Record Oral Reading Fluency Scale |
| Level 4 Reads primarily in large, meaningful phrase groups. Although some regressions, repetitions, and deviations from text may be present, these do not appear to detract from the overall structure of the story. Preservation of the author’s syntax is consistent. Some or most of the story is read with expressive interpretation. Level 3 Reads primarily in three- or four-word phrase groups. Some smaller groupings may be present. However, the majority of phrasing seems appropriate and preserves the syntax of the author. Little or no expressive interpretation is present. Level 2 Reads primarily in two-word phrases with some three- or four-word groupings. Some word-by-word reading may be present. Word groupings may seem awkward and unrelated to larger context of sentence or passage. Level 1 Reads primarily word-by-word. Occasional two-word or three-word phrases may occur – but these are infrequent and/or they do not preserve meaningful syntax. Source: www.springfield.k12.il.us/resources/languagearts/readingwriting/readassess/ NAEPFluencyScale1.pdf |
| Repeated Reading in the Classroom |
Repeated reading with guidance works well in a one-to-one tutoring situation, but how can regular classroom teachers make it part of their fluency program? Follow the steps listed below.
Source: This process is based on the work of Semonick, Lewis, & Samuels (2000), as described in “Reading Fluency: Its Development and Assessment,” in A. E. Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds.), What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction (3rd ed., pp. 166-183), Newark, DE: International Reading Association. |