Connecting Reading Fluency and Oral Language for Student Success by Shari Robertson

The more we learn about the relationships between written and oral language, the more obvious it becomes that speech-language pathologists can increase the impact of their services by providing intervention that supports skill development in both domains. Facilitating reading fluency has the potential to provide substantial benefit in skill areas related to comprehension, pragmatics, vocabulary, and overall academic success (e.g., Chard, Vaughn, & Tyler, 2002). Clinicians interested in expanding their clinical repertoire with empirically based, easy-to-implement strategies may wish to consider tasks that support the development of smooth, accurate, and prosodic oral reading. Fortunately, reading fluency can easily be targeted concurrently with other goals related to oral and written communication and can be linked to the core classroom curriculum without a great deal of extra effort. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Repeated Oral Reading As discussed in the accompanying article, repeated oral reading is a well-documented method of increasing reading fluency (Kuhn & Stahl, 2000; Meyer & Felton, 1999; National Reading Panel, 2000). Using text that is part of the child's classroom curriculum for repeated oral reading is a relatively effortless way to connect clinical intervention to the classroom setting. Multiple readings of a passage prior to its introduction in the classroom can facilitate better overall comprehension of the topic; this understanding may facilitate more active participation in the classroom. Making prior arrangements with the classroom teacher to introduce a specific passage that your student will be responsible for reading aloud in class is an ideal way to enhance skill development and bolster confidence. Another way to implement repeated oral reading is through the use of progressive stories. By their very nature, progressive stories have repeated readings of the same material built into the text. The story begins with a sentence or two ("This is the house that Jack built") with new information added on each new page ("This is the door on the house that Jack built"). The story becomes more and more complex as it unfolds, but the child reads only a little bit more "new" material on each new page. Typically, progressive stories also provide many natural opportunities to practice phrasing and expressionwhich also contribute to reading fluencyas the story builds and the child becomes more and more familiar with the text structure. Model Fluent Reading The accompanying article suggests that children need many opportunities to hear fluent reading to facilitate their own reading fluency (e.g., Blevins, 2001; Rasinski, 2003). Echo readingis an effective method of modeling and facilitating reading fluency, even for very young children. When using this strategy, the adult reads a short passage and then invites the child to "say what I say" or "copy me" (Robertson & Davig, 2002). In this way, the adult models fluent reading and then provides the child with an opportunity for immediate practice. Because echo reading does not require children to actually decode the words, they are free to concentrate on how fluent reading feels and sounds. The earlier children have the opportunity to practice reading fluency, the more apt they are to be fluent once they begin to decode words independently. Older children can also benefit by participating in echo reading; choose books that are appropriate for their age/developmental level and interests.

Sentence Stress Use of inappropriate prosody by stressing the wrong word in a sentence can substantially change the meaning of a reading passage. For example, the placement of vocal stress in the sentence "They are riding horses" determines whether "riding" is a verb or an adjective. Practicing sentence stress in conjunction with intervention for articulation, language, fluency, or voice may be accomplished through a variety of exercises, such as the one outlined below. The student reads (or models after you read) a sentence such as "I am walking to the store." The student then re-reads the sentence in response to the following questions: "Where are you walking?" ("I am walking to the store.") "Who is walking to the store?" ("I am walking to the store.") "How are you getting to the store?" ("I am walking to the store.")

Note that this strategy has a built-in component of repeated oral readings. The student has a chance to read the sentence numerous times. As the sentence becomes more familiar, the student is able to devote more attention to the meanings expressed rather than merely to decoding the words. Poetry, Songs, and Chants Poetry can help readers develop a broad range of fluency skills and provide concentrated practice with rhythm, cadence, expression, and prosody. You can use poetry written by others or help children write their own poetic masterpieces. Similarly, songs and chantsparticularly those that call for physical participationare an excellent way to develop the rhythm and cadence of fluent reading. Poetry, songs, and chants can also be read in groups (choral reading) or pairs (duet reading). Acting out books and stories can provide additional opportunities to translate written language to fluent oral delivery.

http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2009/090414/f090414a1.htm