What is reading fluency?
Reading fluency is a key component of literacy since it refers to one’s ability to read quickly, accurately, and with expression. The three main elements of fluency are the rate at which one can read (how many words per minute), the accuracy at which one reads (the correct number of words), and the prosody (the use of intonation and expression). This triad of skills directly affects reading comprehension; if a student can read aloud with ease, they often then understand and retain the information since they’re not struggling to “just” decode words.
Disfluency in reading occurs when a student is still building word-level automaticity. They may read slowly, syllable-by-syllable or word-by-word, which is sometimes referred to as “robot reading.” They may skip or add words. As students hesitate, pause, or read in choppy phrases, the flow of meaning is disrupted. This cognitive load then leaves less working memory for comprehension—never mind the enjoyment that can come from reading.
Reading fluency vs. comprehension
Quite simply, fluency is how a student reads, while comprehension is what they understand from the reading. In the late 1980s, the Hooked on Phonics program showcased ads of young learners reading complex text with ease and intonation. However, educators were quick to point out that fluency does not equal comprehension. Just because a reader can sound out a word, this doesn’t mean that they know the meaning of the word.
However, fluency does greatly impact reading comprehension. Instead of struggling with word recognition, students can focus on meaning. There are many ways to visualize the key components of reading, but fluency is one of the key building blocks of reading comprehension, because it spans word recognition and language comprehension.
Once students have solidified strong decoding skills, they can then work on their fluency. When students have such automaticity, they can focus their attention on acquiring vocabulary, forming connections, and making inferences. Such higher-order thinking skills are integral to reading comprehension, allowing them to focus on understanding the meaning of the text rather than struggling with word recognition.
Why reading fluency matters
Around third or fourth grade, many students go from learning to read to reading to learn. No longer are they focused on the fundamentals; instead, they are diving into gaining knowledge independently. Reading fluency is a foundational literacy skill that is cross-curricular. From novels in English Language Arts, to procedural manuals in science, to expository textbooks in history, reading fluency aids students in digesting more complex and sophisticated text and thus, opens their worlds.
Fluency is a wonderful bridge to comprehension and to a life-long love of reading.
—Dr. Maryanne Wolf
Once a student has “cracked the code,” they tend to enjoy reading more. They aren’t embroiled in a struggle to decode or sound out words letter by letter. Such struggles can be frustrating, disheartening (never mind exhausting), diminishing attention, focus, and a desire to succeed. Reading fluency can build confidence, which then fosters a more personalized journey in reading. This drive for lifelong learning becomes intrinsic and leads to future academic success.