Decoding Reading Fluency & The Tipping Point of Third Grade

Chances are that at a recent Parent/Teacher Conference your child’s teacher mentioned the phrase Reading Fluency. You nod politely just waiting to hear those magic words: “[Your Child] is on track in his/her Reading Fluency.”

Education Lingo is Another Language

Let’s face it– speaking education lingo is like learning a new language. It’s hard enough to translate what a 1, 2, 3, or 4 means grade-wise let alone understand how kids are learning math these days! So here’s a little cheat sheet, if you will, as to what Reading Fluency means and how to make sure your kid is on track to meeting this goal.

Just Remember to Rap A RAP

ARAP: is a quick acronym for the four components that make up Oral Reading Fluency, as taken from Reading and Word Attack Strategies: Reading A-Z.

• A: Accuracy – the ability to recognize (decode) words correctly
• R: Rate – how (1) quickly and (2) accurately a reader reads connected text
• A: Automaticity – the quick and effortless reading of words in or out of context
• P: Prosody – the tonal and rhythmic aspects of spoken language. This builds meaning and comprehension

Help Your Child Get Better at Reading with These 7 Strategies

Everybody struggles in something and if your child is struggling in reading, that’s ok! There are strategies you can employ that will help them overcome this hurdle.

1. Use Picture Clues – gives the student visual context and helps begin the word-picture association process

2. Sound Out the Word – helping to develop Phonemic Awareness, which is the fancy way of saying that reading to your child helps them hear what a word or groups of words should sound like

3. Look for Chunks in the Word – Phonics aka The Blending of Letters/Sounds/Symbols/Prefixes/Suffixes/Endings/Whole Words/Base Words

4. Connect to a Word You Know – Ah, the good old Compare v Contrast. A method of testing comprehension that will be on every test/quiz all the way through law school 🙂

5. Reread the Sentence – A good rule of thumb when using this strategy is to remember I do/We Do/ You Do.

I DO: First, you read the sentence so your child can hear what is should sound like.

WE DO: Then, read the sentence with your child to boost confidence and reinforce the sounds.

YOU DO: Finally, have your child read the sentence himself.

Even if your child doesn’t get it right away, don’t worry! Build in wait time. For example, count 30 seconds in your head then go back to reading the sentence together. Encourage your child’s efforts. Refrain from tearing down their attempts.

6. Keep Reading – Go back through the story or passage and look for new vocabulary. Point out patterns and word play. Expose your child to the nuances of the English language.

7. Use Prior Knowledge – Identify repeated words and compare the second sentence to the first. What word makes sense in both sentences?

(Reading and Word Attack Strategies: Reading A-Z)

When Should My Child Know How To Read?

Just like learning to walk and talk, learning to read is also a developmental process. “All children do not begin to read at the same age. Children reach literacy milestones along the way.” (The National Institute for Professional Practice, see points below)

Typically, a child should be on track to learning the skills of Oral Reading Fluency during the K-3 grade levels:

• Awareness and Exploration of Reading Stage (typically pre-K)
• Emergent Reading Stage (typically pre-K to early Kindergarten)
• Early Reading Stage (typically Kindergarten to early Grade 1)
• Transitional Reading Stage (typically late Grade 1 to Grade 2)
• Fluent Reading Stage (typically Grade 3 and higher)

The Tipping Point of Third Grade

Third Grade is when we start to look extra carefully at our young readers. There is a student split amongst their peers between the kids who are “getting it” and the kids who aren’t. Third Grade is also when the work starts to get harder and the testing more rigorous.

Coincidentally, it’s when I start to get a lot of calls from parents looking for a Tutor and we start talking about testing to begin the IEP process.

Reading is a skill that takes time to master. If your child isn’t “getting it” by the time he/she completes third grade, then parents and teachers should be asking “why?”. It may just be a slight developmental delay, or it may be something more. A good Teacher, Tutor, Advocate, and Parent, however, will strive to put into practice the strategies for successful reading fluency to help their student learn this new language and decode the mystery as to why reading is hard.

If you find that your child is struggling in school, contact us. We can help you answer that all-important question: Why?

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Christine Terry, J.D., is a Special Education Advocate & Founder of Terry Tutors. She created the One Wraparound Service for The Struggling Student, which includes Academic, Behavior, Special Education Advocacy, and School Placement services.  Want to Know More? Head on over to TerryTutors.com.