Reading Fluency

FLUENCY means reading SMOOTHLY, without stumbling. Fluent readers sound like they are having a conversation, not reading from a page. Today you will learn the three parts of fluency and practice them.

**1. SPEED** — not TOO fast, not TOO slow. Just right.\n**2. SMOOTHNESS** — no stopping to sound out every word.\n**3. EXPRESSION** — reading like a storyteller, with voice that shows the meaning.\n\nAll three together = a fluent reader.

Good readers go fast enough to remember what they read — but NOT so fast they skip words. A 1st grader's goal is about 60 words per minute. A 2nd grader's goal is about 90.\n\nIf you finish a sentence and cannot remember what it said, slow down.

The #1 way to get smoother: READ THE SAME THING MORE THAN ONCE.\n\n- First time: sound out tricky words\n- Second time: faster\n- Third time: smooth as ice!\n\nPros call this REPEATED READING. It works like magic.

EXPRESSION means reading like you MEAN it:\n\n- **Question marks?** Raise your voice at the end\n- **Exclamation points!** Get excited!\n- **Quotes "..."** Sound like the character\n- **Commas,** pause briefly\n- **Periods.** Pause longer\n\nPunctuation is like traffic signs for your voice.

COLD READ = first time you see a text. Slower, stumbly.\n\nWARM READ = after practice. Smooth and expressive.\n\nAll good readers have both. The difference shrinks as you practice.