Reading Fluency

I have often worked on reading fluency with my students, but never to the detailed extent as presented in chapter seven of Becoming a Literacy Leader by Jennifer Allen.

The chapter presented the idea that we must make the students aware of how they will be assessed for reading fluency. I was impressed with the idea of using technology to make both a visual and auditory recording of the students as they read. This thought, although simple, was one that had ever occurred to me before.

The chapter goes on to offer suggestions for how to teach students (step by step) to evaluate themselves (via their recorded reading) for reading fluency. A reading fluency rubric is provided which is a helpful tool for students to be able to honestly and accurately access their own strengths and weaknesses. I also like the idea of involving students in their own reading-fluency goal-setting.


Building reading fluency in our students is an important focus because better fluency leads to better comprehension; which is ultimately the goal of reading.