Learning and Teaching
Reading fluency is a child's ability to read a text correctly, at a good pace, and with appropriate expression. It is the all-important bridge between decoding words and understanding what has been read.
A strategy for building reading fluency is: Paired (or Partner) Reading
Why use paired reading?
- It helps students work together.
- It encourages cooperation and supports peer-assisted learning.
Paired reading is a research-based fluency strategy used with readers who lack fluency. In this strategy, students read aloud to each other. When using partners, more fluent readers can be paired with less fluent readers, or children who read at the same level can be paired to reread a story they have already read. Paired reading can be used with any book, taking turns reading by sentence, paragraph, page or chapter.
In our 3 to 6 year levels we are currently working with the students to provide explicit feedback during paired reading that is beneficial to our students. Below is a snapshot of our first paired reading feedback we have introduced to the students.
Overall Assessment | ||||
Criteria | 1 (Limited) | 2 (Developing) | 3 (Proficient) | 4 (Exemplary) |
| Fluency | Struggles with pace, accuracy, and expression. | Shows some improvement in fluency; inconsistent. | Reads with satisfactory fluency and expression. | Reads fluently with natural expression and pacing. |
Criteria | 1 (Limited) | 2 (Developing) | 3 (Proficient) | 4 (Exemplary) |
| Comprehension | Demonstrates limited understanding. | Partially comprehends text with occasional gaps. | Shows solid comprehension of main ideas and details. | Demonstrates deep comprehension and analysis. |
Criteria | 1 (Limited) | 2 (Developing) | 3 (Proficient) | 4 (Exemplary) |
| Collaboration | Struggles to work effectively with partner. | Occasionally collaborates; limited mutual support. | Collaborates well, fostering shared learning experience. | Demonstrates exceptional partnership and mutual support. |
Kind regards
Megan Barber