Instructional Strategy #2

Fluency 

The second strategy focuses on fluency practice. "Fluency is an integral component in reading development and text comprehension and, over the past two decades or so, it has become central to the literacy curriculum of many primary and elementary schools" (Morrow & Gambrell, 2019, p. 271). It has been found that, "appropriate fluency instruction offers a key to success in reading for many developing and struggling readers" (Morrow & Gambrell, 2019, p. 284).

Consistent practice is especially important for students at this time. "As a learner repeatedly encounters words, these words become more throughly embedded in the learner's memory and he or she requires less attention to decode them accurately" (Morrow & Gambrell, 2019, p. 273). On way to foster fluency is to "focus students' attention on reading meaningful phrases. As with modeling, a focus on phrasing helps students develop a deeper understanding of the importance of prosody while simultaneously helping them move beyond reading that is word by word or that uses phrasing in ways that fail to replicate oral language" (Morrow & Gambrell, 2019, p. 275). 

Below is a list of phrases that students can practice. To practice these phrases during remote learning, there are a few options for teachers and students. One method is to make use of Zoom, Google Hangouts, or another video conferencing platform. Teachers can work with students as a whole class, in small groups, or one-on-one, and have the students write the phrases on a dry-erase board at home (or whatever the student has available), and students can repeat the phrases to the teacher. 

Fluency Practice Sheet: 100 Word Phrases 

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