What are other ways that we can build fluency?
Is there a way to make it easier for difficult texts to be comprehended?
About Me
- Rebecca Cherry
- I'm a Special Education intern at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. I will be getting my master's degree in Mod/Comp Special Education in May of 2014.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Fluency
"Hurry up!" "Read faster!" These are phrases that both articles and Cunningham and Allington pointed out in the readings for this week. I realized that I am guilty of thinking these same things sometimes though. The more I began to understand fluency though I changed my mind. I think the first paragraph in Chapter 4 of Cunningham and Allington really highlighted what it's like to not be fluent in reading. I struggled with that paragraph. I never really thought about fluency having to be learned, either. If someone never learned to be fluent, how could they possibly read faster and comprehend what's going on in the text. The Rasinski article gave good suggestions about how to build fluency. I think that as a teacher it is important to never make a child feel stupid or inadequate which I realize those statements do. I honestly hope that my students can become fluent readers through my classroom and they can gain access to the wonderful world that is full literacy.
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I grew up in Texas, the place that standardized testing is the only way to educate... Because of that, I find that I read wayyyyyy to fast. I was told to hurry up often. To this day, I have to realize i'm not reading with fluency, stop, and reread passages. The beginning of the chapter was interesting for me, like you, I really struggled.
ReplyDeleteTeaching fluency was something that I had never thought about either. I was always pushed to read faster for standardized tests but never really comprehend what I was reading. I find myself always going back to look up answers or having to reread a section because I wasn't actually fully reading it the first time. What point is it to be able to read fast if you don't actually understand what you are reading? Also, when I am working with kids and they are reading, I sometimes get frustrated when they are reading really slow or stumbling over every work. This chapter reminded to make sure I don't get too frustrated, and instead, provide a lot of encouragement.
ReplyDeleteI have always been somewhat of a slow reader compared to others. I used to be very self-conscious about it, but I have learned that in order to really comprehend what I am reading, I have to read at a pace that is comfortable for myself. Even now, I think a lot of teachers are guilty of assuming that fastest readers are the best readers, but ultimately, children need to read at a pace that feels right to them and that allows them to be able to comprehend the information in which they are reading.
ReplyDeleteI also struggled with the paragraph in the Allington and Cunningham chapter. It made me realize how hard it is to read for kids who are not fluent readers. I have always heard the face "read faster!" my entire life, and sometimes I do have to reread passages because I did not fully comprehend it. I feel like we should not push for reading faster but pushing for comprehending what we are reading.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I was a very slow reader and was always criticized when I was the last to finish a passage or I read too slow out-loud. Later during my school years i began to make myself read faster, but i was not comprehending what i was reading. I had one teacher that encouraged me to read at my own pace and to make sure that I understood what I was reading. After that teacher I began to realize the importance of fluency. This article outlines those importances very well.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me wonder how much better some students would of become of readers if they were just given a little more time when I was growing up. Scary to think that teachers pressured many to "hurry up" at the cost of their learning.
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