From Fluency to Comprehension

Timothy Rasinski, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Literacy Education in the Reading and Writing Center at Kent State University, where he directed the award-winning university reading clinic for more than 20 years. Dr. Rasinski has written extensively in articles, chapters, and books on working with children who struggle in acquiring full literacy. A former editor of The Reading Teacher and the Journal of Literacy Research, he currently serves on the editorial review boards for Reading Research Quarterly, Literacy Research and Instruction, and Reading Psychology. Dr. Rasinski is a member of the International Reading Hall of Fame.Nancy Padak, EdD, is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Education at Kent State University, where she directed the Reading and Writing Center and taught in the area of literacy education. Formerly she was the Principal Investigator for the Ohio Literacy Resource Center and has also been a classroom teacher and district administrator. An active researcher, author, and consultant, Dr. Padak is a past president of the College Reading Association and former editor of The Reading Teacher and the Journal of Literacy Research.

• 1. Introduction: Fluency at the Core of Effective Literacy Instruction, Timothy Rasinski and Nancy PadakI. Modeling Fluency for Students2. Modeling Fluent Reading through Read-Alouds, Denise N. Morgan 3. Increasing Students’ Metafluency Awareness: An Integral Part of Teaching Fluency, D. Ray ReutzelII. Assisted Reading Strategies4. Whole-Class Choral Reading, David Paige 5. Paired Reading, Timothy Rasinski and Nancy Padak6. Audio-Assisted Reading, Kristine E. Pytash and Kaybeth CalabriaIII. Phrasing Strategies7. Fluency through Phrasing: High-Frequency Words, Maryann Mraz and Melissa Sykes8. Teaching Phrasing through the Phrased Text Lesson, James Nageldinger IV. Deep and Wide Reading Practice 9. Repeated Readings through Readers Theatre, Chase J. Young 10. Podcasting Approaches to Fluency Instruction, Sheri Vasinda and Julie McLeod 11. Writing Readers Theatre Scripts, Kristie Miner 12. Authentic Repeated Reading through Poetry and Song, Lori Wilfong 13. Invoking Walter Cronkite: Radio Reading and the Fluent Reader, Allison L. Baer 14. Increasing Reading Volume: The Million-Minute Reading Challenge, Timothy Rasinski and Nancy PadakV. Integrated Fluency Models for Beginning and Struggling Students15. Implementing the Fluency Development Lesson: An Intervention Model for Struggling Readers, Belinda S. Zimmerman 16. Boosting Fluency of English Language Learners with Music and Poetry Performance Activities, Kristin Lems17. Getting Children Off to a Fast Start in Reading, Terry Kindervater 18. Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction, Melanie R. Kuhn, Paula J. Schwanenflugel, Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl, Elizabeth B. Meisinger, and Carolyn GroffVI. Other Fluency Issues19. Five-Minute Fluency Active-ities, Brenda Rosler 20. Word Study: The Foundation for Fluency, Timothy Rasinski and Nancy Padak21. Assessing the Fluency of Automaticity, Theresa Duncko22. Assessing Prosody, Nancy Padak and Timothy Rasinski23. Conclusion: Creating a Time for Fluency in Your Reading Program, Nancy Padak and Timothy Rasinski

This book is chock-full of practical ideas for making fluency a fun and enjoyable part of your daily routine--for example, podcasting, activities that incorporate songs and poems, and 5-minute movement activities that let students 'get the wiggles out' while practicing fluent reading. All the chapters include classroom examples and ways to fit fluency into the day with little additional planning. Read this book and you will never go back to the kinds of fluency lessons that dampen everyone's enthusiasm for reading.--Patricia M. Cunningham, PhD, Department of Education, Wake Forest University Classroom teachers will welcome this volume. Chapters explore research-based practices that improve reading fluency and comprehension, complete with definitions, clear directions, implementation guidance, and classroom examples. The approaches provided can be used in varied contexts--with small groups or the whole class, with English language learners, in intervention settings, and with parents as educational partners. This text would be of benefit in undergraduate as well as graduate reading education classes.--Diane DeFord, PhD, Swearingen Literacy Chair, University of South Carolina This book is a 'must have' for teachers and future teachers who are concerned about helping all students become fluent readers and excellent comprehenders. The editors make a compelling case that fluency instruction must include more than just attention to accuracy and rate; it also needs to focus on prosody, or expressive reading. The book is packed with effective strategies that build fluency and reading comprehension. Written by researchers and practitioners, this book is perfect for reading methods courses and clinical courses as well as the professional book collection of every school.--Laurie Elish-Piper, PhD, Presidential Teaching Professor and Literacy Clinic Director, Northern Illinois University A wonderful book on reading fluency: insightful, sensitive, comprehensive, well researched, clearly written, and practical. I have no doubt this book will help teachers, learning consultants, reading specialists, and school psychologists avoid the many misunderstandings about reading fluency, better understand its components, and improve students' skills. Especially helpful are the well-developed examples of how to use an abundance of highly motivating methods of instruction. In my work with struggling readers, I will use this book repeatedly.--Howard Margolis, EdD, Professor Emeritus of Reading Disabilities and Special Education, City University of New York-