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.
An early reader with good fluency skills can:
- Read smoothly, and at the speed of normal conversation
- Read with appropriate expression and phrasing (using punctuation in the text)
- Self-correct and re-read when there is a mistake
- Read grade-level texts with accuracy and understanding
