Reading
Increasing Fluency in ELL students
What is Fluency?
Fluency is the ability to read text accurately and quickly. Reading fluency is defined as the ability to read text with speed, accuracy and proper expression
Why is Fluency Important?
Fluency is important for two reasons. The first is that fluency is one the five key areas of early reading that is a prime area of instruction. Second, reading fluency is one of the main indicators of a student’s overall reading ability.
Common Core State Standards
MATCHING COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4(link is external)Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4a(link is external) Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4b(link is external) Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4c(link is external) Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
English Language Skills
When teachers access students’ language proficiency, it is important they keep in mind that a student may sound fluent in English when that may not be the case. English Language Learners have unique characteristics that teachers should consider when determining appropriate instruction. It is important that teachers correctly gage a student’s language skills before implementing instruction or intervention. Students may have strong social language skills, but do not have the academic language skills needed to read with comprehension. When choosing instruction strategies for English Language Learners teachers need to consider the students’ linguistic needs.