Literacy Update
St Fidelis' Catholic Primary School
Reading at home: Building reading fluency
Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing information about different aspects of reading and how you can support your child at home. Each week will focus on a specific reading skill, explain why it is important and provide practical strategies you can use at home.
We will explore reading fluency, vocabulary, background knowledge and oral language before bringing these ideas together to look at the skills and knowledge children need to understand what they read.
This week, we begin with reading fluency and how regular reading at home can help children develop accuracy, an appropriate reading pace and expression.
Reading fluency – Why it matters
Reading fluency is the ability to read words accurately, at an appropriate pace and with expression. It is an important part of reading because children need to recognise words accurately and efficiently to focus on the meaning of what they are reading.
When children are learning to read, they may need to concentrate on sounding out individual words. This takes effort and can make it difficult to think about the meaning of a whole sentence or passage. As word recognition becomes more automatic, children can direct more attention to understanding the text.
Fluent reading also helps children follow the flow of a text, recognise punctuation and use expression that reflects its meaning. However, reading quickly does not necessarily mean a child understands what they are reading. Accuracy, appropriate pace and understanding are all important.
How can you help at home?
- Read aloud to your child. This allows them to hear how a fluent reader reads, including pauses, expression and changes in tone.
- Read together regularly. Choose books or passages that are suitable for your child's reading level.
- Re-read familiar texts. Reading the same text more than once gives children opportunities to practise words and improve accuracy and smoothness.
- Take turns reading. Read a sentence or paragraph and then ask your child to read it. You can also read together.
- Give your child time to work out unfamiliar words. Encourage them to look at the letters and sounds. If they need help, provide it and ask them to re-read the sentence.
- Talk about what you have read. Ask your child to explain what happened or what they learnt. This helps keep the focus on understanding, not just reading the words.
What should I look for?
Your child may begin to read familiar words more easily, pause at punctuation and read sentences more smoothly. They may also be able to tell you more about what they have read because they are spending less effort working out individual words.
Children develop fluency at different rates, and some will need more support and practice than others. Choosing an appropriate text and providing regular opportunities to read can help children build this skill.
Remember: The goal is not to see how quickly your child can finish a book. It is to help them read accurately, smoothly and with understanding.
Next week, we will look at vocabulary and why understanding the meaning of words is essential for making sense of a text.
Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge
Congratulations to all students who participated in the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge and made an effort to develop their love of reading! Certificates from the Department of Education have been sent out to acknowledge the students who completed the challenge by reading books from the recommended reading list. I have these certificates ready to hand out to the students so we can recognise their achievements in our newsletter.
Congratulations once again to all students for their reading efforts and participation.
Bernadette Parnis | Literacy Leader