Fluency Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices

This accessible guide brings together well-known authorities to examine what reading fluency is and how it can best be taught. Teachers get a clear, practical roadmap for navigating the often confusing terrain of this crucial aspect of balanced literacy instruction. Innovative approaches to instruction and assessment are described and illustrated with vivid examples from K–12 classrooms. The book debunks common misconceptions about fluency and clarifies its key role in comprehension. Effective practices are presented for developing fluency in specific populations, including English language learners, adolescents, and struggling readers.

New to This Edition

• Reflects advances in fluency research and the ongoing development of exemplary instructional approaches.
• Three new chapters on English language learners.
• Chapters on adolescent fluency, reading expressiveness, oral reading instruction, and text selection.

Table of Contents

I. Fluency Theory, Fluency Research

1. Reading Fluency: Its Past, Present, and Future, S. Jay Samuels
2. Developing Fluency in the Context of Effective Literacy Instruction, Timothy Shanahan
3. Reading Expressiveness: The Neglected Aspect of Reading Fluency, Paula J. Schwanenflugel and Rebekah George Benjamin
4. The Importance of Adolescent Fluency, David D. Paige
5. Reading Fluency Revisited: Much More Than Fast and Accurate Reading, Barbara J. Walker, Kouider Mokhtari, and Stephan Sargent
6. Fluency: The Link between Decoding and Comprehension for Struggling Readers, David J. Chard, John J. Pikulski, and Sarah H. McDonagh
7. "Hey Teacher, When You Say ‘Fluency,’ What Do You Mean?": Developing Fluency in Elementary Classrooms, D. Ray Reutzel

II. Best Programs, Best Practices

8. Battling on Two Fronts: Creating Effective Oral Reading Instruction, Melanie R. Kuhn, Gwynne E. Ash, and Megan Gregory
9. "Jonathon Is 11 but Reads LikeaStruggling 7-Year-Old": Providing Assistance for Struggling Readers with Audio-Assisted Reading Programs, Meryl-Lynn Pluck
10. The Fluency Development Lesson: A Model of Authentic and Effective Fluency Instruction, Belinda Zimmerman and Timothy Rasinski
11. Paired Reading: Impact of a Tutoring Method on Reading Accuracy, Comprehension, and Fluency, Keith J. Topping
12. "Everybody Reads": Fluency as a Focus for Staff Development, Camille L. Z. Blachowicz, Mary Kay Moskal, Jennifer R. Massarelli, Connie M. Obrochta, Ellen Fogelberg, and Peter Fisher
13. Hijacking Fluency and Instructionally Informative Assessments, Danielle L. Dennis, Kathryn L. Solic, and Richard L. Allington

III. Special Topics, Special Populations

14. Teaching Fluency (and Decoding) through Fast Start: An Early Childhood Parental Involvement Program, Timothy Rasinski, Nancy Padak, and Bruce Stevenson
15. Reading Fluency and Comprehension in English Language Learners, Kristin Lems
16. Fluency Instruction in Reading in a Second or Foreign Language, Etsuo Taguchi and Greta Gorsuch
17. Fluency Scores of English Language Learners: What Can They Tell Us?, Becky McTague, Kristin Lems, Dana Butler, and Elsa Carmona
18. Curious George and Rosetta Stone: The Role of Texts in Supporting Automaticity in Beginning Reading, Elfrieda H. Hiebert
19. Building a Focus on Oral Reading Fluency into Individual Instruction forStruggling Readers, Jerry Zutell, Randal Donelson, Jessica Bevans, and Patsy Todt

"Fluency Instruction is one of my favorite books, and one I always keep at hand's reach. The second edition provides some wonderful additions to an already excellent work; new chapters on English language learners and adolescent learners are especially welcome. I have adopted this book as a text for our graduate-level course entitled 'Phonics to Fluency,' and it is also a wonderful resource for our undergraduate reading methods course. The book helps teachers and teacher candidates become better prepared to meet the needs of all learners."
- William Dee Nichols, PhD, Professor and Head, School of Teaching and Learning, Western Carolina University

"With chapters from leading researchers and practitioners, this second edition addresses the latest theory, research, practices, and programs that influence fluency. It provides necessary information to help classroom teachers better understand the 'whats,' 'whys,' and 'how-tos' of fluency assessment and instruction. The editors dispel the misconception that fluency means reading fast or with expression, showing that fluency assessment and instruction must absolutely not be separated from comprehension. This excellent book is recommended for all classroom teachers and teacher educators who seek to enhance and develop the goal of reading—comprehension."
- Rona F. Flippo, EdD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Massachusetts Boston

"The second edition has been thoroughly updated and features several new chapters. Updates reflect the changing demographics of today's classrooms and offer teachers and researchers insights into how best to teach fluency to students across grade levels with varying needs. This is one of the most comprehensive books on fluency available. It takes the reader from the history of fluency to instructional applications, including considerations for types of learners rarely discussed in previous literature."
- William H. Rupley, PhD, Professor and Distinguished Research Fellow, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University