Fluency describes the flow and ease of a child’s reading style. Reading fluency has been called the bridge between聽decoding听补苍诲听comprehension, since decoding skills are necessary to master reading fluency and in turn fluency is essential for reading comprehension. A child with weak decoding skills will read haltingly, and her poor fluency will inhibit reading comprehension. A child with strong fluency skills reads smoothly and naturally, in a voice similar to her speaking voice, with appropriate speed and expression.
A beginning reader (K 鈥� 1) with good fluency skills can:
- Easily name and recognize all the letters in the alphabet
- Recognize commonly used sight words with ease and speed
- Read simple text with ease and understanding
- With practice, read in a natural, conversational voice, using phrasing and expression
- Self-correct reading mistakes using clues in the text and illustrations
- By the end of first grade, read grade-level text with purpose and understanding
