Five Fluency Interventions Worth Trying

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As a dyslexia practitioner using the Orton-Gillingham approach, I can’t stress enough the importance of a good fluency intervention for your struggling readers. I’ve taught in a 3-5 building for twelve years and saw many children that really needed this added component into their reading repertoire.
Sadly, there were problems with implementation.

I would hear things like:
1. This is “one more thing” to add onto my already busy teaching plate.
2. I don’t have any training on how to use fluency intervention.
3. There’s just no time.
4. Isn’t there someone else to do this with the children that truly need it?

Every point listed above valid. Teachers are busy. Training is imperative for teacher to “buy in” to ANY program. Our schedules are jam packed. It would be so helpful to have an extra pair of hands to help.

Instead of seeing as “one more thing”, see fluency intervention as a key component to a child’s reading success. The programs I will list below can be used in a station, during independent reading time, at a computer, or even in a small guided reading group. Once you have a fluency program up and running  at the beginning of a school year, things can run smoothly if you commit to being consistent with it. I’ve seen wonderful results with several of these programs.

Here’s a list of ones that are highly effective for fluency intervention:

 

1. Read Naturally
I’ve used this program for many years and I love it. This is a research based program for improving fluency. I started out with the tapes and stories a long time ago. My students always enjoyed the stories and charting their progress. They have a wonderful online component and many teacher resources.

2. Great Leaps
Again, this is another fabulous, research-based program I used for many years. I especially loved the lessons on phrasing with this program. No tapes or CDS like Read Naturally, but plenty of high interest stories that can used in a brief practice session.

3. Quick Reads
I really like the informational text used in this program. It’s research based and offers brief practice each day. Using science and social studies topics is especially appealing for struggling upper elementary readers, since the bulk of their reading becomes more content driven as they get older.

4. Reading A-Z fluency passages.
This is an online subscription-based reading program that has become very popular over the years. They offer an extensive list of leveled fluency passages. Since my school had a subscription to Reading A-Z, I found the fluency passages to be very helpful, and user friendly.

5. FCRR fluency lessons
Fluency aside, this website is a GOLDMINE. You will have to spend a little time hunting around, but it is well worth it. You can search for free fluency lessons by grade level, and tons of results will come up. The lessons come with EVERY printable you need in student friendly font.

Have you used any of these with success? Let me know!

*If you are looking for additional fluency information, you might enjoy this post or this post.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

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3 Comments

  1. I've used Great Leaps for years. I've thought about investing in updated versions. My only issue with Great Leaps is that it (at least the version I have) works best if you can see the kiddos daily. I usually only see my kiddos twice a week. I'm going to check out some of the others as well. I've also been looking at Fisher Fluency drills and the Wilson Fluency kit. I agree that work on fluency is vital. Thanks for more resources to explore.

  2. I have used Great Leaps for years. I have also used A-Z – kids love both and do very well. I see my kids only once weekly but my partner parents hear the reading daily through the week and the kids make excellent progress. I recently purchased the digital version and absolutely love it!! The system scores and keeps the records, charts the scores, powerful and so easy! I love it!

  3. Hey Grandma A. I just ran across this post and wanted to let you know that we have a new digital version of the program out that would allow you and your students parents to work with them. You're absolutely right with our program it's crucial to work with children at least 3 times per week to get the growth, but I really would encourage you to reach out and we'll help you help your students in any way we can! 🙂

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