Fluency through reading

 Fluency through repeated reading

Technique 1 :

Step 1: Begin with a compelling poem or story Most genres of writing work well as ORR activities, including prose, poetry, speeches, fables, short or serialized stories, recipes,radio/TV commercials, and public service announcements. For learners who can sightread easily, but have not yet mastered reading with expression or good rhythm, find a poem or a short story with dialogue.

Step 2: Break the text into chunks Write the poem or story’s lines (on the blackboard or on an overhead transparency) in a narrow column with one sense group per line. Three- to four-word phrases work best; however, you can also break phrases into longer or shorter chunks depending on the skill level of your learners. Alternatively, you can write each sense group on cue cards.

Step 3: Model the reading of chunks Show students how good readers cluster portions of text together rather than saying words individually. If you have arranged the text into a column (as above), use a card guide or cardboard mask about the same width as the column to expose the text line by line. You can also create and display sentence strips and model reading the sense groups one at a time.

Step 4: Practice reading the text to build proficiency To build confidence with the text, have students read the lines together out loud as a group. Hold the cardboard mask just above the first line and then, as they read, move it down the column at the desired speed. Time and resources allowing, you can provide students with an individual copy of the text and cardboard mask.

Technique 2:

Paired repeated Reading:

The objectives:

Reading(PRR) are similar to those of ORR. Both focus on pronunciation and prosody (the variation in loudness, pitch, and rhythm); however, PRR includes a measure for self and peer-assessment.

Research reports from L1 teaching environments indicate significant improvement in support of oral fluency and comprehension when teachers incorporate PRR regularly into their classrooms. To use PRR, simply select an interesting reading passage and have your students work in pairs. I use novels serialized into installments to maintain learner interest and enthusiasm; however, short stories, poetry and fables work nicely too.

If it is not possible to give each student a copy, make an overhead transparency or write the text where all students can see it. You can also pass out one handout per student pair to cut down on copy costs and encourage more teamwork and cooperation between learners. Alternatively, you can ask students to self-select materials. Be sure the content is on their independent reading level and does not contain too many unknown words or difficult grammatical structures (e.g., relative clauses, passive phrasing, or ambiguous time references).

Step 1: Teach the role of the reader Learners need opportunities to practice reading. Explain to students they will be reading and rereading a passage several times to improve their skills. An analogy such as soccer players taking corner kicks to improve their accuracy may help students realize the value of practicing repeatedly. You can also remind them that good readers keep their listeners engaged by reading with appropriate speed, rhythm, and intonation.

Step 2: Teach the role of the listener It is worthwhile for teachers to explain that listeners can help their partners improve their reading fluency in two big ways with PRR: first, by giving help where possible with unknown words or mispronounced phrases, and second, and perhaps more importantly, by providing feedback about how the reader has improved between readings. Do not worry about your students’ inability to catch every word; listeners do not need to be high-level learners to appreciate and comment on good
delivery and effort.

Step 3: Combine reading, listening, and assessment The final step offers learners an opportunity to combine the reading, listening, and assessment elements of the technique. It helps to begin PRR by reading to the class,and you may find it useful to model a poor, choppy reading of a few sentences and then model a fluent reading of the same sentences.

Teachers should supervise the student pairs as they take turns reading and listening, and especially during the evaluation process. You can ask listeners to fill out the evaluations after the first and last readings, after the final two readings, or in any combination you like. In situations where both partners are lower proficiency readers, have them start with the easiest material you can find. As an alternative to providing feedback to each other, learners can complete a set of listening questions or tasks.

Technique 3:

Reader’s Theater
Reader’s Theater (RT) is the reading aloud of a written text to communicate a story. Although commonly confused with drama or acting, RT is actually quite different; there are no costumes, no props, and most importantly,no memorization.

Instead, student groups are assigned to read different parts of a script. Adaptations of books, movies, fables, historical events, or even popular TV shows can all be scripted to create an RT presentation.

The goal of RT is simple: to increase reading self-confidence by practicing multiple readings of a text, thereby improving comprehension, fluency, and accuracy. Second language learners are thought to gain accuracy and improved fluency by the repetition of tasks, and the rereading required in RT presentations gives them valuable practice in moving from decoding printed words into sounds to fluid and automatic word recognition.

Scripts can vary in length depending on the proficiency of your learners, but a good script will provide every student with at least two or three lines to read. Roles can include several characters and a that guides the story.    

Other Resources:

1-Online Corpus-based Learner Dictionary.
2-CBI Teachers. Content-based Instruction.
3-Film Circles:Scaffolding Speaking For EFL Students.

4-Writing for the Reader: A problem- solution approach.

5-Integrating language skills through dictogloss procedure.