Does Speed = Fluency?

As we wrote this week’s activity, we realized it contained many words that are likely beyond your sight word (or even phonics) list for this time of year. Why not use this activity as a fluency exercise for nonfiction reading? I always liked to remind my university students that fluency means more than speed. Too many times people mistakenly think that reading rate is all that comprises the broad component of fluency. To be a fluent reader, one must use proper phrasing and expression. You must also pay careful attention to punctuation marks. These are the markers of a truly fluent reader. Why then does rate get so much of our attention? I believe it is because it is easy to measure. Get out a stopwatch and see how fast a child reads. Does that rate change over time? If so, publishers call that child fluent. Easy to chart! But, it’s not as simple to measure proper phrasing and expression. Let me know what you think!