Reading Fluency

 

In December, I wrote a blog about Context Clues. Context clues in reading can help readers figure out the meaning of an unknown word which can aid in comprehension. Comprehension is the bottom line in reading. Comprehension is understanding what you’re reading. In order to have good comprehension you need to be a fluent reader. If you’re struggling to read words, then by the time you finish a sentence or passage you usually have forgotten or have no idea what you just read.

Reading Fluency comes with having good decoding skills in reading. Practicing decoding skills can help a person become a fluent reader. Once a person is fluent then the reader begins to read with automaticity. With automaticity, readers can then think about what they’re reading instead of using their brains to figure out unknown words. Once readers can think about what they’re reading they can then comprehend, summarize, infer and analyze what they’re reading. This all comes with practice whether you’re practicing decoding skills or fluency skills.

Fisher Hill has a series that helps students become fluent readers who can then begin to read with automaticity. The series starts with teaching decoding skills. The first book to use would be English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish Speaker Book 1. This series uses a very systematic, explicit approach to teaching the forty-four speech sounds used in the English language. After completing English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish Speaker Book 1, students are ready to practice their decoding skills by using English Reading Comprehension for the Spanish Speaker Book 1. This comprehension workbook provides students with fluency practice which will help them to acquire automaticity in reading.

Students can begin writing by using English Writing Composition for the Spanish Speaker Book 1. They can improve their vocabulary by using English Vocabulary for the Spanish Speaker Book 1 which reviews the vocabulary presented in English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish Speaker Book 1. After completing the Book Ones in the series, students can begin the Book Twos. The four series, each with six workbooks, were written to be used together. By using the four series together, students get a good foundation in English literacy.

Students like our workbooks because the pace is reasonable, print is large, directions are in Spanish and there’s lots of pictures. Teachers like our books because everything is ready to go! There’s an answer key at the the end of each lesson and an English translation of the Spanish directions at the end of each book.

Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to learn more about our English literacy program.