The Science of Reading Fluency: A Bridge from Decoding to Comprehension

This workshop focuses on the critical role of reading fluency as the bridge between phonics and comprehension. Participants explore the three essential components of fluency—accuracy, rate, and expression—and how each contributes to deeper understanding and motivated reading. Through research-based strategies and engaging activities, educators learn how to provide explicit, systematic instruction that fosters automaticity and prosody while supporting comprehension. The session also connects fluency instruction to standards and assessment practices, ensuring alignment with classroom goals and student needs.

• Students reading accurately but without appropriate rate or expression, limiting comprehension.
  
  
• Misconceptions that speed alone defines fluency, leading to instruction that prioritizes pace over understanding.
  
  
• Lack of consistent, effective fluency instruction and progress monitoring, resulting in widening achievement gaps for struggling readers.
  

1. Mastery of Fluency Components – Participants will learn to identify and teach accuracy, rate, and expression as interconnected skills that enable fluent, meaningful reading.
   
   
2. Implementation of Effective Strategies – Educators will gain practical methods such as choral reading, partner reading, repeated reading, phrase scooping, and Reader’s Theater to build fluency in diverse learners.
   
   
3. Integration of Assessment and Standards – Attendees will understand how to use fluency assessments and align instruction to state standards to track growth and guide targeted interventions.

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