How many times have you heard a child reading aloud and it sounded like they were counting instead of reading? This is a problem that many teachers and parents face. It is caused by a lack of reading fluency. While it has long been recognized that fluency needs to be developed, teachers have been reluctant to teach it over the years. Fluency has been one of those skills that have been left to chance. However, fluency need not be left to chance, it can be taught. Here are some strategies to develop fluency in children:
1. Echo reading is modeled reading. An adult shows how a passage should be read taking care to show proper pronunciation and intonation. The adult reads a sentence or part of a sentence from the text and then the child follows trying to imitate the pattern shown by the adult. This strategy is effective because children have a model. They have a set guideline for how the passage or particular paragraph should sound.
2. Choral reading is another good way to develop reading fluency. During choral reading the teacher or adult reads along with a group of students. Choral reading is a traditional strategy that has been used by teachers for years. It is a...