Automaticity, the ability to recognize a word effortlessly and rapidly, comes with skill development
(as children learn letter-sound and spelling-sound correspondences and how to blend sounds to form
words) and practice.
One technique for increasing fluency involves repeated readings of the same text to develop
familiarity and automaticity (National Reading Panel 2000; Samuels 1979). Rereadings, however,
should be purposeful, such as when children prepare for a performance. In grade one children:
- Read on-level text with purpose and understanding
- Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as
necessary
Attention to rate (but not racing) is essential because
rate reflects automaticity. However, as noted previously,
grade-one teachers need to ensure that students become
skilled at full alphabetic decoding (that is, not just looking
at the initial and final parts of a word to identify it, which
is partial alphabetic decoding). Although this may result
in slowing reading temporarily (in other words, rate may
decrease), without careful attention to full alphabetic
decoding, some children do not develop the skills they need
for future reading and spelling. Teachers assess students’
skills carefully with the goal for students to employ full
alphabetic knowledge swiftly. Teachers determine whether
children can do so, and if they cannot, teachers determine
the reason and the appropriate actions to take.
Fluency rates should be cautiously interpreted with all
children. They are particularly difficult to apply to speakers
of languages other than English and to students who are deaf and hard of hearing who use American
Sign Language. When determining how fluently EL children read, it is critical to consider more than
reading rate. English learners can be deceptively fast and accurate while reading aloud in English, but
they may not fully comprehend the meaning of the text they are reading.
In addition, when EL children are learning to decode while also learning English as an additional
language, common pronunciation or grammatical miscues that do not affect comprehension may
sometimes occur. Teachers should use caution in interpreting miscues when assessing fluency, as they
are a natural part of developing English as an additional language and may or may not be miscues in
need of instructional attention. Pronunciation differences due to influences from the primary language,
home dialect of English, or regional accent should not automatically be misunderstood as difficulty
with decoding. A consistent focus on meaning making ensures that EL and other children attend to
comprehension and not just speed. As with all children, decisions about fluency are not made solely
on the basis of reading rate or accuracy.
An Integrated and Interdisciplinary Approach
As discussed in the overview of the span in this chapter, the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA
ELD Standards call for an integration of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In addition, these
two sets of standards are intended to live in every content area. Learning subject matter requires that
students understand and use the language of the subject to comprehend, clarify, and communicate
concepts. The following snapshots illustrate how the integration of the language arts among
themselves and with other content areas occurs in grade one classrooms.
When determining how
fluently EL children read, it is
critical to consider more than
reading rate. English learners
can be deceptively fast and
accurate while reading aloud
in English, but they may not
fully comprehend the meaning
of the text they are reading.Grade 1 Chapter 3 | 255