Methods for Practicing Fluency

While I was reading Chapter 6 I came across the passage of Methods for practicing Fluency. Considering children are using computers more and more at a young age I thought I would find some educational games that worked on reading fluency. Rather then just sticking with the basic echo reading, choral reading, paired reading and so on, I found a website that I thought could be very beneficial to children. Using the methods described in the book are all great ways to practice fluency but this website allows students to take responsibility and monitor their learning while practicing fluency themselves.

It's Fun to Read! : Website

                                                      

If you were to go to the fluency column and click on reading games independent reading link it would take you to seven different short games that would work on reading fluency in an interactive way. Within each one of the games the students have to read a story to complete the activity. If a student is struggling with a word they may click the word and the computer will say the word aloud. There is also a button that allows the computer to read the whole passage.  These activates allows students to monitor themselves and and take responsibilities for their learning. Each game has a slightly different objective but all working on reading fluency.

These games could be considered echo reading. Students may listen to passages in the story then reread the passage themselves always knowing they can get help on a word if they do not know it yet. Students could also use these games as a form of choral reading but not as a whole class activity. The computer will read the story aloud so students may read along together with the computer. The computer does a good job of providing a model for pace and expression just like choral reading within the classroom should. These games correlate with many methods described in the text.