Foundation Class 

NEVER TOO EARLY TO START PRACTISING FLUENCY

In Prep, we have been cracking the code of text, working on our decoding skills so we can eventually relax with a good book for enjoyment.  This term, we have been looking at the skill of fluent reading and learning what it looks like to read smoothly. Why, you ask? Once the students start reading through words like little reading machines, they will actually start to understand what they are reading. Since fluency and understanding go together like best friends, we have been practising some fluency in different activities to give all the Preps a taste of what good reading sounds like.

One of our go-to fluency activities has been Partner Reading. This is where two Preps read the same passage, reading aloud to each other after they have had a chance to listen to the passage being modelled. They are repeated opportunities to practise with decodable texts that align with their phonics skills.

And then there’s the big hit, Fluency Musical Chairs. This activity is very popular in our classroom! All the Preps sits in a circle, armed with a sentence tailored just for them (aligned with their phonics knowledge), and they read it to themselves for 1-2 minutes to work on their flow. Then, they read it out loud to the group and given feedback from their peers. So, they are not only polishing their own skills but also giving their peers some pro tips to make their reading sound even better.

Please take a listen to a few of our Preps showing off their reading fluency skills! These students have come a long way. Thinking back to the start of the year, when connecting letters and sounds seemed like asking them to solve quantum physics, I am bursting with pride at how far they have all come. Each one of them has worked so hard, and it really shows in their reading progress.