Why does reading fluency matter?

The Common Core State Standards require elementary school students to have certain foundational reading skills, one of which is fluency. Reading fluency is similar to fluency in a language – it's marked by the ability to recognize and say sentences automatically while also being able to interpret their structure, emphasis and meaning. In kindergarten, fluency is limited to reading high-frequency words (i.e., the, and, of, and so on), but as students move into the following elementary grades, they're expected to start reading at their own grade level with appropriate accuracy, speed and understanding. But is it necessary to focus so much on reading fluency at such an early age? Here's why fluency is important and a few ideas for improving it in younger students:

Why does reading fluency matter?
It seems that reading fluency is a natural byproduct of learning to read, so is putting such a heavy focus on rate and accuracy at a young age really that important? According to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, focusing on reading fluency is important. The study gathered data from more than 12,500 students as they moved from first through third grade, and found that oral reading fluency in first and second grade had a very strong influence on students' reading comprehension skills in third grade. In other words, the more fluent students are early on, the more skilled readers they will be in later grades.

How can teachers improve students' fluency?
There are a number of ways teachers and parents alike can improve students' ability to read fluently, and a few have been found to be very effective:

• According to a report presented at the 5th National Reading First Conference in 2008, one of the best ways to improve fluency is to encourage children to practice – especially by reading aloud. Practicing helps children become comfortable and build expertise, while reading aloud can improve their understanding of emphasis and rhythm.
• Students can also benefit from recording themselves read. Have them set up a voice recorder on a phone or computer, then read a favorite book or a passage from a book. Then, let them listen to and analyze their voice on the recording while they follow along in the book. What words tripped them up? Can they adjust their tone more frequently?
• Finally, focus on reading poetry to improve oral fluency. Because poetry phrases have their own cadence and structure, they can help students understand how to use their voices to adjust meaning and place emphasis where it should be.