Creating Fluent Readers
In the article, Creating Fluent Readers by Timothy Rasinski, the far-
reaching effects of reading fluency are illustrated through a series of
examples the author has used to ensure his and other teachers' students
increase their overall reading comprehension, verbalization, enunciation,
expression, phrasing and pace through oral reading techniques. Mr.
Rasinski uses the three dimensions of reading fluency to structure the
article, its examples and illustrations, and provide strategies for
educators to increase the overall level of reading comprehension on the
part of students. These three dimensions include accuracy in word
decoding, automatic processing which is the ability to decode reading
quickly, and prosodic reading, a dimension defined by linguistics referring
to the ability of students to syntactically and semantically appropriate
units of language. These three dimensions are form the foundation of a
series of learning techniques and strategies that look to quantify the
reading and fluency levels of students when first introduced to oral
reading, and map their progression. In effect these three dimensions
anchor several methodologies the author suggests through examples work well
in teaching students how to be more effective in their reading. A caveat
the author passes on is that speed is not nearly as important in oral
reading as comprehension and a balance between all dimensions. As a result
of this balanced approach to oral reading and its implications on fluency,
which has major implications on future academic success, the authors'
application of these three dimensions carries credibility in the results
obtained. Further, while the article does not speak to the role of
partners as oral reading and oral fluency coaches, it should. When
children can hear and see their parents reading, the three dimensions come
alive, much more immediate, when also delivered in the home as part of the
learning experience. This is an omission the author has in an otherwise
thought-provoking and valuable article.