Fluency

Fluency

1. Why is fluency important?

When children read slowly and haltingly, it's hard for them to keep track of ideas developed across sentences. As children develop their fluency, their reading comprehension improves.

2. Are children expected to be fluent readers by the end of Meet the Superkids?

No. Children must first become automatic decoders before they can be fluent readers. Unit 5(D) teaches how to blend letter-sounds. Children work on blending sounds smoothly and decoding words accurately through the end of level and on into the next level. As children progress through the levels of the program, they should become more and more fluent in their reading.

3. How does Superkids' Club develop children's reading fluency?

This level of the program provides explicit fluency instruction, practice, and modeling. In every Teacher's Guide, skill lessons for the stories from the Student Books teach and model how to read fluently with natural phrasing and expression. During the lessons, children read along while listening to recorded dramatizations of the Superkids acting out the stories. On CD, the Superkids' voices are heard saying in a conversational manner the words that appear in speech balloons in the stories. Children then practice reading fluently themselves in activities such as repeated oral reading. Children can also work on their fluency independently by listening to and reading along with recorded readings of the Superkids' Club Library Books.

4. How can I assess children's fluency?

You can informally assess children's fluency by listening as they read aloud from the decodable stories in the Student Books and Library Books. Observe whether children decode words smoothly and accurately and pay attention to end punctuation. Look for patterns in errors, such as problems decoding a specific letter-sound or adding extra pauses. Reteach or reinforce letter-sound correspondences or fluency skills as needed. What you want to see is progress over time.