A 4 Step Fluency Exercise that WORKS

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Do you find that making time for fluency is almost impossible? We have so many demands that are placed on us, and by the end of the day we just. don’t. have. time.

How am I supposed to monitor every one of my students and make sure they are all on task?

I felt the same way until I implemented a Daily Fluency Exercise!

No longer did the pressure stay on me to motivate my students! They were ALREADY motivated just by doing their daily fluency exercises each day.

I didn’t have to rush them through painful fluency passages one at a time.  Now, we ALL did fluency in the same time.

If you are committed to taking a little bit of time to set this up, I can show you everything you will need to do to get started.

One thing to keep in mind is what works for me in my classroom might not be exactly what works for you.  So know that you can tweak a few things here and there to make this work for you.

So let’s get started! 

Step 1: Choose a reading comprehension passage for your students.   

You are going to have to set the stage for your daily fluency exercise.  I always explain to my students that this is something we do for one minute each day, and it’s going to help us read with more speed and accuracy.

I assign each student a fluency partner.  The first week is just practice.  I am getting them to write their whole words read (WRR) and errors in the right spot.  I am also going to be teaching them how to figure out how many words they were able to read by using the word counts on the right column of the page.

Are they going to do it correctly?  Not all my students.  But that is okay.  The first week is all about procedure.  If they can get the procedure correct, we can worry about accuracy in the weeks to come.

Fluency Exercise Step 1: Choose a reading comprehension passage for each students.

Need differentiated fluency passages?  Try our bundle with 120 passages PER grade level! There are so many to choose from and you will easily be able to differentiate amongst the range of learners in your classroom!

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The second step would be to let your students know which partner goes first and which partner will be the “coach.”  Once you set this up, you won’t have to set it up again.  For me, I like to keep my partnerships consistent to minimize confusion and to maximize my time. I will tell my students, “Okay…partner 1 is reading, partner 2 is the coach.  One minute on the clock, and GO!”

It’s as simple as that.  They won’t be perfect every day, but the transformation over time is INCREDIBLE!

It’s important you go over how to be a good reading coach.  My students know what I expect, because we partner read every day.  If you have not yet set up expectations, I would recommend doing it during this time.  It won’t happen over night, but with repetition and consistency, you should be able to establish good partnerships within your classroom.

Fluency Exercise Step 2: Partner 1 Reads, Partner 2 Coaches

This third step is fairly simple! You are going to tell your partnerships to switch.  Now partner 2 will be reading, partner 1 will be the coach. Same rules apply.  Be sure to remind your students of their expectations and how to be a good coach.  I usually let the partner that is reading record for their own motivation, but it’s entirely up to you!

Fluency Exercise Step 3: Partner 2 Reads, Partner 1 Coaches

The final step is my favorite step! On Friday, I allow myself the opportunity to hear every one of my students read! This is where I record my data for fluency during the week.  Of course, my students have been recording for theirselves, but I truly want a score that I know is accurate.  The reason why my students track their data is so they stay motivated and they can see their progress! I track their data so I know where they need to improve, and I can have that one-on-one time each week.

Fluency Exercise Step 4: Students read to teacher, teacher records data. Students answer questions.

Committing to daily fluency exercises truly was a game-changer for me. My students were naturally motivated to increase their reading fluency scores, and the pressure for me to motivate them was alleviated.  I had parents coming in to ask if they could have more passages for their students because they were so excited to come home and show them how much they improved.

This, my friend, is what teaching is all about! I hope you enjoyed this blog post! If you would like the sheets I use to help my students to set goals, you can find them in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Click here to get these free

Monthly Reading Fluency Goals: Students Tracking Sheets

I can’t wait to hear how this system works for you.  I truly enjoyed breaking this system down in a way that will help you in your classroom.  If you liked this post, be sure to  join my email list to get exclusive FREEBIES, content, updates, and specials! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Welcome! I’m Emily, Founder of Education to the Core. We are all about helping K-2 teachers by providing unlimited access to affordable printables for every subject area.