10 Ways to improve reading fluency

41 Comments

1. Shirisha

   February 29, 2020 at 3:47 pm

   Hi can you please help. My son is having problem with reading fluency and writing . He is in 3 rd grade. I am trying him to ready loud. But can you please suggest any idea .

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   • Kate Dowling

     February 29, 2020 at 6:05 pm

     Hi Shirisha!

     This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. In addition to the ideas on this page, here is another post Anna wrote with a video about fluency: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/8-ways-to-build-fluency/

     We hope you try some of these ideas!

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2. Melissa O

   November 1, 2018 at 11:58 am

   Hi. I have a 3rd grader who is struggling with fluency. His comprehension and phonics are at or above grade level- but fluency is low. We have done site words in the past and he can get them after about a week- but then will forget them 3 months later. Do you have any ideas.

   Thanks

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   • Anna G

     November 1, 2018 at 12:35 pm

     Hi Melissa!

     I made this video with ideas that should help! https://www.themeasuredmom.com/8-ways-to-build-fluency/

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3. My name is Anna too.

   May 22, 2018 at 4:13 pm

   Good day! I am currently making a thesis about disfluent readers. i am employing single pretest and posttest research design. is there any scale to know that the respondents are improving? i.e. highly improving, slightly and etc. can you please lead me to it if there’s any? your response is highly appreciated

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   • Anna G

     June 2, 2018 at 1:56 pm

     Hi Anna! There may be something official like that, but I’m not familiar with it.

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4. Justine Villarreal

   March 21, 2018 at 9:32 am

   I homeschool my 7-year-old 1st grader. I just did a running record with her and timed her reading. This was a leveled reading passage that had no new code. She read 189 words, with 90% accuracy but she read it at 13 wpm.

   Is there anything above and beyond the suggestions above to help her? I read aloud a lot, and she listens to stories but does not really follow along as the readers go to fast for her to follow.

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   • Anna G

     March 21, 2018 at 10:42 am

     Hi Justine! What level was the passage? 90% accuracy sounds like a lot, but it’s actually at frustration level. Crazy, but you actually want her to be at least at 98% accuracy for an independent level text. Learn more here: https://thisreadingmama.com/about-running-records/

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     • Justine Villarreal

       March 21, 2018 at 12:50 pm

       This was an on level (middle of 1st grade) reading passage from our reading curriculum. Most of her errors (almost all) were code related, calling “wings” instead of “swings” for example.

       It is hard to get her to read more for practice as reading is so slow for her, therefore not fun. I was surprised that her comprehension was still acceptable (77%) at such a slow and painful rate.

       I will try to do a record on an easier passage to see if her fluency and accuracy is any higher.

       Should I focus more of her reading lessons on a lower level (independent level) reading texts?

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       • Anna G

         March 21, 2018 at 2:39 pm

         Her lessons should be at slightly higher than an independent level – they should be at her instructional level (not her frustration level). That’s the beauty of homeschooling – you have complete freedom to do that – and it’s exactly what you should do (it’s what a classroom teacher should do too, but this can be difficult to manage in a room full of learners). If you’d like to send me an email, I can give you more suggestions. anna@themeasuredmom(dot)com

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5. Jackie

   March 3, 2018 at 6:41 am

   Hi Anna,

   I have a 2nd grader that is having trouble reading she is going to the 3rd grade but still reads on a 1st grade level. I don’t want her to repeat the 2nd grade what can I do to help her. She is eager to learn but she tunes out when she gets frustrated and I am not sure how to help her.

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   • Anna G

     March 3, 2018 at 9:20 am

     Hi Jackie! I would ask her teacher specifically what skills to work on. Then you can send me an email and I can help you know what to do next. My email address is anna(at)themeasuredmom(dot)com.

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     • Stacy

       March 8, 2018 at 8:18 pm

       Hi there! I’m having the same issues as Anna with my 2nd grade son. He has no natural flow nor expression unless he is going very slow. When he picks up speed, he can read between 80 to 90 wpm but often stumbles with his words. Almost always he has to read 2 more times what he just read to understand what he just said aloud. We read everyday and I time him athome 5 times a week but improvement is lacking. Any suggestions would be great!

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       • Anna G

         March 9, 2018 at 1:53 pm

         Hi Stacy! A couple suggestions – can you find a way to make his reading be for an audience? My second grader had to practice reading a book aloud to his class, and we worked on that for quite a few days. It really helped. Maybe a cousin, neighbor, parent, or grandparent? Another idea is to record him reading a paragraph (using a smartphone or something else). Afterward, have him listen to it. He can rate himself on his expression. Then have him read it again and rate his expression a second time. Is it better? I think he really has to HEAR what he’s doing wrong in order to fix it, and to have a real REASON to improve.

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         • Stacy Belin

           March 13, 2018 at 8:33 am

           Thank you! I will definitely try these suggestions. 🙂

           Reply to this comment

6. Rushina

   June 16, 2017 at 11:18 am

   Hi Anna,
   My son is 4.5 he reads ur sight word book series almost reached till set 9 . In a week should I introduce 1 sight word or can go for two if his grasping power is good enough ? Other than that wat else can I start cvc words or word family games as posted in ur blog , actually I ve started using it and he is combining pretty well but is this age okay to introduce 3 letter words ?

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   • Anna Geiger

     June 17, 2017 at 10:11 am

     Hi Rushina! You can definitely introduce more than one word a week if your son is ready for it. Just today I sat down with my five year old and worked at 3 words at one time. Also, if your child is ready to sound out words (see this post: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/reading-skills-kids-need-theyre-ready-sound-out-words/) 4.5 is not too young to start.

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7. Chantelle Venter

   May 29, 2017 at 5:30 am

   Thanks, I will try this, my daughter likes spelling a word she cannot remember but when she gts bored she does it more often, maybe change in routine might be a good thing

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8. Phyllis at

   May 25, 2017 at 5:43 am

   I, too, have a 16 year old with a second grade reading level. Can you tell us a little more about how to help an older student who is still not fluent?

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   • Anna Geiger

     June 15, 2017 at 8:57 pm

     Sorry for the delay in answering your quesiton, Phyllis! I think that many of these activities are a great fit for older, struggling readers. But my favorite is to take turns reading funny poetry. I recommend trying the procedure in this post. Then click on the links at the bottom to learn more from my colleague at This Reading Mama.

     https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-improve-reading-fluency/

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   • Meg

     March 22, 2021 at 1:09 pm

     Hi Phyllis. Has your student been tested or screened for dyslexia? If yes, then I suggest the Wilson Reading Program.

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