• Fluency Routine:
     
    1.   Have your child pick a different poem each night out of his/her poetry packet/book (any poetry book will do but most kids enjoy Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky) to practice.  Read this poem orally while problem solving difficult words through cross checking (Does it look right?  Does it sound right?  Does it make sense?).  Using a timer, write how long it takes your child to read this page.
     
    2.   Now read this poem a second time focusing on chunking more words together in reading phrases.
     
    Ex.    Instead of reading this sentence, /Weasal walked/ the downtown /streets,/ checking out /the usual places/.  you would now practice it: /Weasal walked the downtown streets,/ checking out the usual places./
     
     
    Mark your child's time a second time so they can see the improvement with practice. 
     
     
    3.   The third time reading the poem, have your child try reading with expression using character's voices. 
     
    Mark the time one last time and see the improvement.  You could even graph your times and look at the improvement over time.
     
     
    This routine takes about 3 minutes a day and can have a significant impact on smooth, accurate reading.  Most kids who follow this routine see big gains in their reading pace which lowers frustration and increases comprehension.  It is not about speed reading, just reading as we talk.
Last Modified on October 11, 2018