Research School Network: Fixing Fluency
Fixing Fluency
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NOW RECRUITING SCHOOLS FOR 2024/25 FOR DELIVERY ACROSS YEAR 4 AND YEAR 5
Evidence has consistently highlighted the critical nature of fluency as a bridge between effortful decoding and comprehension. Reading fluency can be defined as reading with accuracy, automaticity and prosody. When pupils read fluently, their cognitive resources can be redirected from focusing on decoding and onto comprehending a text. For this reason, fluency is sometimes described as a bridge from word recognition to comprehension. An explicit approach to teaching reading fluency becomes part of a balanced and engaging approach to developing reading.
‘Leaders recognise the importance of reading fluently but are not clear about how to make sure that pupils are successful. Leaders arrange additional teaching for pupils in key stages 2 and 3 who are not yet reading fluently. Too often, however, this teaching does not directly address their knowledge gaps and is not frequent enough for them to catch up quickly.’
Oral reading for every pupil: to get better we need to practise and in this programme, children will practise in a variety of ways through a whole class approach. They will echo read to repeat what the teacher is doing, they will choral read as a class and they will read to a partner and to themselves. It may even be that some read to larger audience as their confidence grows.
Modelled fluent reading: to understand effective reading we need to hear it and hear it often. Hearing what reading sounds like when done well (or indeed badly) can help an emergent reader develop their
understanding. A video is provided for each text modelling how to read the text well.
Quality varied texts: to want to read, we need to find texts that engage and motivate us but also which are ‘authentic’, texts that allow us to practise our reading fluency and develop competence. A range of text types are provided including fiction, non fiction and poetry.
Repetition: the pupils will work with the same text each day for a week. The repeated reading and engagement with the text supports practise and competence.
Feedback: there are three forms of feedback that are woven through the approach, teacher feedback to the class and to individuals, peer feedback and self-reflective metacognitive feedback at pupil level. The quality of this feedback is supported by use of a fluency rubric.
Motivation: the core components outlined above support motivation to read. As the week
progresses, pupils will get better at their reading of the text and this success fuels their motivation to read further.
This is a fully resourced programme, all the materials needed for implementation will be provided including texts, session plans, slides and all other resources integral to the approach. Resources to support school leaders monitoring implementation of the approach will also be provided including tools for assessment and monitoring of impact.
Training will be provided for all class teachers around the underpinning evidence related to reading fluency alongside detailed guidance to explore the practical logistics of the approach. This will also provide teachers with an opportunity to explore the materials with colleagues.
Training is also provided for senior leaders and Headteachers so that there is a shared understanding and commitment to delivery. This training will also focus on effective implementation linked to the new EEF Guidance Report, A School’s Guide to Effective Implementation.
The Fixing Fluency team will be on hand to provide support at every stage of the process.
The only cost is subscription to Literacy Shed +, a subsidy towards this cost will be provided for participating schools.
‘Through the project, we’ve loved having the opportunity to hear every child read, every week. Everybody wanted to read. We didn’t have anyone that was reluctant to read it (the text).’
‘…the video was there. The text was there. It was really simple because we were provided with all the materials.’
‘The project might have ended but we are still working that way.’
‘We did reading comprehension stuff all the time, but we never looked at the fluency aspect. I can see that made a positive impact on the children.’
‘They were exposed to high quality texts and so many in a relatively short space of time.’
If you would like to register your interest to receive more information about Fixing Fluency and how your school can get involved, please use the link below to provide your details.
If you would like to access the recording of an information session, or you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact jmellor@teamworkstsa.org
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