Targeted Independent Practice | Reading Fluency and Comprehension
Can teachers combine reading fluency and comprehension practice? I often read negative comments about reading fluency practice and how we teachers should be focusing on comprehension. Here are a few, garnered from Facebook posts:
What is the preoccupation with reading speed? I want students to slow down and focus on the meaning of the text.
Repeated reading practice seems such a waste of time. Wouldn’t students be better off reading new texts, rather than repeating old ones. Chapter books come to mind?
I’m sick and tired of reading fluency passages with students reading over and over the same. Yes, their word recognition is improving, but the purpose of reading is comprehension, right? Shouldn’t we be helping students apply reading strategies to understand what they read?
The dumbest thing is to have separate fluency passage and vocabulary-based passages, and comprehension-based passages.
Fluency practice only reinforces the notion that reading is all about saying the words.
Certainly some valid points here. However, we know that the research is quite clear establishing a statistically significant relationship between fluency and comprehension. High effects sizes.
Doesn’t it make sense to enhance this relationship by combining reading fluency and comprehension practice? Here’s a great option: Targeted Independent Practice | Reading Fluency and Comprehension provides 43 expository animal fluency articles and 43 corresponding animal comprehension worksheets, along with corresponding YouTube videos, each recorded at 3 different speeds for modeled reading practice. Word counts and timing sheets included.
If you are teaching grades 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8, you will love this resource. You can combine reading fluency and comprehension practice and differentiate instruction at the same time!
How does the program work?
- Students take and record a cold (unpracticed) timing on one of 43 expository articles.
- Students practice reading, along with the modeled reading at the level (A, B, or C) you assign, based upon the free fluency assessment, and then complete repeated readings on their own.
- Students take and record a hot (practiced) timing.
- Students complete the comprehension questions on the same article.
Each of the 43 articles is composed in a leveled format–the first two paragraphs are at third-year/level/grade reading level; the next two are at the fifth; and the last two are at the seventh. Slower readers get practice on controlled vocabulary and are pushed to read at the higher reading levels once the contextual content has been established. Faster readers are challenged by the increasingly difficult multi-syllabic vocabulary. This format is perfect for differentiated fluency instruction.
This toolkit also includes 43 corresponding animal comprehension worksheets with content-specific comprehension questions embedded in the margins next to the relevant text. These low-higher order thinking questions ask readers to summarize, connect, re-think, interpret, and predict (the SCRIP comprehension strategy cues) to promote reader dialog(ue) with the text. Students practice self-monitoring their own reading comprehension as they read. This “talking to the text” transfers to better independent reading comprehension and retention. Answers provided, of course.
The animal fluency and comprehension articles each describe the physical characteristics of the animal, paragraphs detailing each animal’s habitat, what the animal eats, the animal’s family, interesting facts, and the status of the species (endangered or not). The writing is engaging and students will enjoy learning about both common and uncommon animals.
Check out this affordable program. It’s truly a 2 for 1… reading fluency and comprehension! Targeted Independent Practice | Reading Fluency and Comprehension
Targeted Independent Practice
My Targeted Independent Practice series supports teachers with quality assessment-based independent learning. Each program includes 1. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment to determine student needs 2. Targeted worksheets corresponding to the specific diagnostic test components 3. Formative assessments to determine mastery. View each program in its entirety.
*** Reading Fluency and Comprehension
*** Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
*** Executive Function and Study Skills
Not sure if your students need interventions? Download the free Targeted Independent Practice Diagnostic Assessments and let the data inform your instructional decision-making.