You know his vocalism. It's deep, soothing, trustworthy. Fans accept described it as "running your hand across expensive velvet" or "drinking a rich flossy java with your ears."

His voice is everywhere: movies, commercials, audiobooks, video games, fifty-fifty traffic apps. Only what is it about Morgan Freeman that makes him such an in-demand narrator, ane who captivates our ears and hearts? Why would I gladly heed to him recite lyrics to a Justin Bieber song? (The Cyberspace is a strange identify.) Well, part of his magic as a narrator begins with his reading fluency skills.

What is reading fluency?

As children gain skills in reading individual words, they begin to work with continued text: sentences, paragraphs, and pages of text. Equally adult readers, we're mostly reading silently in our heads. But when children acquire to read, they read out loud. This allows teachers and families to discover the iii important ingredients of reading fluency: charge per unit, accuracy, and expression.

[R]eading words correctly and quickly doesn't ever mean children have understood what they've read.

Permit's await at each of these ingredients in action with Morgan Freeman. When he narrates a film, he reads his lines at a speed, or rate, that is comfortable for the audience to follow along with: not too fast, not too tedious, but at just the correct pace based on what he'southward reading. His rate is likewise smooth, not choppy. He pronounces the words accurately. He shows expression by pausing when making an important point or raising the pitch of his voice when asking a question. Of class, he is a paid actor who gets to read a script in advance, but still. His expert reading fluency is 1 of the reasons for his success as a professional narrator.

When a kid is reading fluently, they are able to pronounce the words accurately with relative speed. Nonetheless, information technology's important to note that reading words correctly and quickly doesn't always mean children take understood what they've read. We've all probably experienced listening to a child—or fifty-fifty an adult—read a text at a fast rate but with a monotone vocalization. It'southward not a pleasant experience. (Remember this funny but headache-causing commercial from the '80s?) Information technology'due south besides a sign that a child may not be understanding what they are reading.

We want children to read with an advisable rate, accuracy, and expression, just like Morgan Freeman. If a child is reading so fast that they are not pausing at appropriate places or changing the tone of their voice, then they are likely not understanding what they are reading. This is why expression is key. Agreement advisable phrasing and punctuation supports pregnant making.

Why is fluency important for reading?

Fluency is really important for reading because children who read fluently recognize more words automatically and spend less fourth dimension sounding them out (too called decoding). This frees up their brain to focus on making meaning of the words they are reading. They are able to more than quickly draw on their vocabulary and background knowledge, which means reading comprehension can occur more than hands. Indeed, reading fluency strongly predicts reading comprehension.

In the pyramid graphic beneath, y'all can recall of fluency, the middle triangle, as the bridge that helps readers combine their language comprehension (bottom left triangle) with their decoding skills (bottom right triangle) to achieve reading comprehension (top triangle).

At that place is huge and important growth in reading fluency for kids in first and 2d form. A typical reader progresses from reading aloud about xxx words correct per minute in the eye of grade 1 to reading aloud about 100 words correct per minute by the end of form ii. This growth opens the doors for readers to encompass and explore a whole new world of ideas!

[R]eading fluency strongly predicts reading comprehension.

Children who struggle with fluency may avoid opportunities in class where they are asked to read aloud out of fear of embarrassment or feelings of frustration. They might bear witness little interest in reading books for pleasure. When children don't participate in reading activities, they miss important chances to farther develop their reading skills. It'due south important that students are given fourth dimension and support to work on their reading fluency skills.

What can you practice to help back up your kid's reading fluency at abode?

At that place's a lot you lot tin do to aid your child strengthen their reading skills. Here are a few suggestions for things to attempt that will back up their fluency. They are neat for kids of all ages.

1. Listen to your kid read aloud

The first step in helping your child with fluency is to listen to them read aloud a page or and then of course-advisable text. Listening to your child read volition help y'all improve empathise where they might need the most support.

Fluency work typically begins around the middle of start grade. Children have begun learning to decode individual words and are now reading those words in connected sentences. As a result, they tin brainstorm practicing reading with accuracy, charge per unit, and expression. Children proceed to develop their fluency skills in grades ii–12 as they see texts with longer sentences and more challenging vocabulary.

If your kid still sounds out a lot of words, they might demand more aid with decoding before focusing on fluency. Check out my colleague Leslie Yudman's postal service, "Mystery solved: How to help your child crack the phonics code," for more information well-nigh decoding and tips for how to support your child.

two. Start a family band

Just kidding. Well, sort of.

One fun way to assistance your child develop reading fluency is to do something called choral reading. Using that strategy, you and your child (and whoever else wants to bring together in!) read a story out loud together and at the same rate. Information technology might sound odd, but it's a mutual classroom practice. The video "Choral reading" on YouTube volition requite you a good feel for what information technology looks like. (It's directed at teachers, simply stick with information technology. Hop ahead to minute 3:33 if yous're pressed for fourth dimension.)

Choral reading is a great exercise to repeat more than once. Children benefit from repeated reads of the aforementioned text. We all benefit from practice, and repeated readings requite children more opportunities to hone their accuracy, rate, and expression. You can bet that every bit a professional narrator, Morgan Freeman reads and rereads his script so he, too, tin exercise his fluency before speaking into a microphone.

Repeated reads besides allow children to dig deeper into the texts and strengthen their understanding of what they are reading. If you've e'er had to reread directions when putting together a piece of furniture, and then you know the benefit that a second (or maybe even third) read can bring to a situation. Y'all catch details that you didn't notice the first fourth dimension.

3. Model, model, model

Read aloud to your child and model fluent reading with advisable rate, accuracy, and expression. This tin can be from a pic book, a affiliate book, an interesting commodity in a paper or magazine, or somewhere else birthday. The Mississippi Department of Instruction has some great volume recommendations for each grade level.

For longer texts, don't worry. You don't accept to model fluency with the unabridged thing! You lot can use chunks of 100 words or so.

The aim of reading isn't to read as many words correctly per minute every bit possible. [It's] to be able to empathise more and more than circuitous texts.

You tin even pair books with their audio versions so your child tin follow along with an expert fluent reader. Storyline Online and PBS Kids Read-Alongs are two gratuitous online resources that feature celebrities reading children'south books aloud.

For older readers, talk to your school or local librarian well-nigh pairing a printed version of a volume with its audio version. In that location are also several websites and apps that offer free audiobooks.

iv. Practice, practice, practice

Children larn by doing. Later on listening to you read aloud a section of text, your child can practice by trying to read information technology aloud to you.

If your child struggles, endeavor not to jump in correct away to assist them. A valuable model to call back is intermission-prompt-praise. Pause to give them time to try to determine how to pronounce a word or to self-right an error. If your kid is stuck, prompt them by offer some suggestions to get dorsum on track. (Ane helpful tip for fluency practice is for children to physically track the words as they read. This may be with their finger or fifty-fifty a paintbrush.) Then comes the easiest part: offering praise. Allow your child know when they've demonstrated stiff effort and success.

5. Focus on a topic or text they dearest

Don't make reading a job they dread. You want your child to enjoy reading! Find books on topics they beloved. Your local librarian is sure to be eager to help you find plenty of options.

If your child isn't into anything in particular right at present, reread some of their favorites. (Retrieve, repetition is good for kids who are learning to read.) Ask them what they love about those books, and consider trying to notice others that touch on similar themes or have the same writer or illustrator.

6. Stay connected with their teacher

If you detect your child is struggling to read with fluency in one case they begin to read longer texts, talk to their instructor to acquire what they are noticing at school. Ask them if additional support or evaluation is warranted.

If your child has excellent reading fluency with longer books, they might exist gear up for more challenging texts. Staying in touch with your child's teacher volition help you feel confident you're meeting your kid where they are.

Fluency is central

While simply a lucky few like Morgan Freeman will make major bucks for their stellar narration skills, nosotros all benefit from potent reading fluency. It helps us spend less time sounding out private words and more than time making pregnant of the message and ideas of the author. Call up: the aim of reading isn't to read every bit many words correctly per minute as possible. The goal is to exist able to understand more than and more complex texts as we become stronger readers.

In our next web log in this series, we'll examine the important part of vocabulary in the reading process, so stay tuned! To revisit the posts nosotros've published then far, run into "What families need to know to back up their kid'south reading," "All about language comprehension: What information technology is and how it can help your child read," "To support reading at dwelling, turn upwards the sound," and "Mystery solved: How to aid your child crack the phonics code."

Many thanks to my NWEA colleagues Leslie Yudman , Shiji Mathew , and Toni Gibbs , ELA senior content specialists, for their contributions to this blog post.