My last article began a discussion on teaching reading fluency to students. At the end of the article I began describing some activities that can be carried out to increase fluency and encourage repeated reading. I have a few ideas left to share.
Echo reading: In echo reading the teacher (or other adult) reads a line or a passage from a book. The students echo the teacher. The teacher should read with expression. Most students will echo the text with the same expression.
Recorded reading: Many teachers have reading centers set up with headphones and books on tape. The child should be given the tape to listen to and the book for following text. The child can read aloud with the tape as many times as needed. The book should be on the student’s reading level. And be read by a fluent reader on the tape. There should not be sound effects or music along with the reading. The child should be able to focus on the words and listening to how they are read.
Partner reading: The teacher pairs students together according to ability and the children read to one another. In some cases a fluent reader is pair with a weaker student in order for the weaker student to hear how a fluent reader reads. In other pairs, students with equal abilities are grouped together. When one reader is stronger, that child will read the text and the less fluent reader will repeat the text. When the two students are at equal abilities they can take turns reading after to each other after hearing the text read by the teacher.
Readers’ theatre: The students take a book that they have read and perform a play for the other students about the book. They use lines from the text to create the dialogue of the play. This is a good activity for one class to do for another class or divide one class into groups.