Blog #4: Fluency

Blog 4- Reading Fluency

Summary

Reading fluency is made up of three main elements: “accuracy in word decoding, automaticity in recognizing words, and appropriate use of prosody or meaningful oral expression while reading” (Rasinski, 2006). If students are not successful in obtaining these elements of reading fluency, they may get discouraged and feel a sense of failure or lack of enthusiasm. With proper reading fluency comes successful comprehension, and it is our job as teachers to make this a goal for all of our students. Rasinski also states in his article that “repeated reading is one of the best ways to develop fluency” but if it is not done properly with effective texts and instruction, it can result in faster reading with little comprehension (p. 705).

One way teachers can assess reading fluency is to listen to students read aloud (Hudson et al, 2005). While the student reads aloud, the teacher can keep time and record any errors that were made. After the passage is read, it is important for the teacher to work with the student and discuss the errors as well as set a goal for the next time. Another interesting method for assessment is having the student record themselves reading. This is not only helpful to the teacher, but also to the student because he or she can hear themselves and judge/create goals for the future.

Critical reflection

I strongly agree with Rasinski’s opinion of repeated reading. It is so easy for students to get into the habit of just reading to get through a text. There have been many times where I have just sped through a passage of text and then had to reread it again to comprehend what it was actually saying. It is important for teachers to choose repeated readings that are meaningful and allow for “oral interpretation or performance of text” (Rasinski, 2006). These are the readings that will engage students and allow for successful comprehension and fluency.

Implications for teaching

Rasinski states that interactive texts like poetry, song lyrics and chants are effective for fluency instruction and appropriate for repeated reading. As a future music educator, I was very excited to read this. When teaching a new song to elementary music students, reading through the lyrics and talking about them is one of the first steps to learning the song. It is easy to get lost in a tune of a song and not even think about the lyrics, but if you take time to read through them and discuss the meaning behind the text, the students have a much better understanding. Reading and performing texts such as poetry, plays and songs is a fun way for the students to improve their fluency.

I would also like to use self-recordings for assessing reading fluency in the music classroom, but in terms of note reading. Often in orchestra classrooms, playing tests are given in which students are to play a scale or a short piece on their instruments. If I allow them to record themselves first, they can assess themselves on how well they kept a steady (or fluent) tempo, and if they played all their notes correctly and used the proper expression.

Relationship between readings and music education standards

Sub-strand B of the music education standards state that students will use a variety of strategies to expand reading. Repeated reading and self-recording are two different strategies to improve reading fluency. Sub-strand C also requires that the student will understand the meaning of texts and will demonstrate interpretive comprehension. Reading poetry, plays and music lyrics all allow for performance opportunities which demonstrate interpretive comprehension. 

Sources:

Hudson, R. F., Lane, H. B., & Pullen, P. C. (2005). Reading fluency assessment and instruction: What, why, and how? The Reading Teacher, 58(8), 702-712.

Rasinski, T. (2006). Reading fluency instruction: moving beyond accuracy, automaticity, and prosody. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 704-706.