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Pearson ELT May 2012 newsletter

May 2012

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4 Fun Reading Fluency Activities
By Sarah Lynn

Sarah Lynn
Sarah Lynn

According to the National Reading Panel (2000), the four components of reading are: comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and alphabetics. As ESOL teachers we know how to teach vocabulary and comprehension, but fluency and alphabetics are terra incognita.

There are the great classic fluency activities: Read Along, Echo Reading, Choral Reading, and Paired Reading. For a primer on the classics, check out my blog: http://teachertwoteacher.wordpress.com

In this article, I want to feature four fluency activities that focus more tightly on specific skill development.

Please note: All fluency activities occur after students have read the text silently and demonstrated their comprehension.

1. Mismatch Read Aloud
What:

This approach was developed by reading expert Thomas Stitch. The teacher supplies students with a printed text and reads it aloud, occasionally substituting a different word for a word students see. Students circle the mismatched words.
Note: The teacher substitutes words close in meaning, for example: pink for red, or location for place.
Why: Encourages fluency AND accurate decoding.

2. Timed Reading
What:
Students read the same text from the beginning in short bursts (1-3 minutes). Students mark how far they get each time. With multiple re-readings, students get further and further along in the text.
Why: Encourages rapid reading, forces repetitive reading, builds automaticity in word recognition, and strengthens students’ confidence.

3. Recorded Reading
What:
Students record themselves reading a text. They listen to themselves and record again until they are satisfied with their delivery.
Extension: The teacher listens to the student’s recording and marks errors in the printed text. The teacher records a model of the marked words or phrases so that the student can listen and record again.
Why: Encourages repetitive reading, builds accuracy, and requires students to self-assess.

4. Performance reading
What:
In small groups, students prepare a performance of a poem, skit, story, or article. Students divide the text up into sections and practice reading their parts aloud to each other. Then students perform for the class.
Why: Provides a natural motivation for re-reading and lively expression.

Again, for more information on other activities, please go to y blog: http://teachertwoteacher.wordpress.com/

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