KEY FINDINGS
> > Quick ratings of third-, fifth-, and eighth-grade students’ oral reading correlated significantly with their overall reading proficiency on standardized silent-reading comprehension tests (Rasinski, 2010). > > Fluency develops as a result of many opportunities to practice reading with a high degree of success (Armbruster, Lehr, and Osborn, 2001).
More to Know: The Role of Text Students who relish and read trade books are typically fluent readers. Effective teachers of reading know that fluency develops from an abundance of reading practice with books that readers can read with success. It’s a simple formula: Students who read many books at their independent reading level become more fluent at reading and gain competence and confidence as readers. A well-stocked classroom library (Scholastic recommends at least 1,500 titles) provides students with access to trade books representing a variety of genres, topics, authors, and reading levels—ensuring that each student has the opportunity to experience reading success (McGill-Franzen and Botzakis, 2009). Effective teachers of reading understand that when reading to develop fluency, students need to read books that are neither too hard nor too easy for them. Texts that are too hard may impede comprehension, and texts that are too easy may not promote vocabulary growth. Effective teachers know the interests and reading levels of their students and the reading levels of the trade books in their classroom, so that they can match their students to texts that can be read with success. Poetry and songs that highlight prosody and the music of language are also “ideal for teaching reading fluency” (Rasinski, 2010). There are numerous instructional strategies, including choral reading, reader’s theater, poetry coffeehouses, repeated reading, and book buddies, that foster oral reading and help children develop both the ear and confidence for fluent reading (Rasinski and Cheesman Smith, 2018). As Rasinski (2010) notes, “Choral reading builds fluency as well as a sense of community. The daily reading of a school motto, song, or other communal text unites students under a common sense of purpose.”
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CHAPTER 2: READING
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