Mrs. Dieckmann
Reading Specialist/Basic Skills Teacher/Kindergarten Literacy Teacher
How can you reach me?
Phone 908-276-5936 ext. 574
Email: [email protected]
READING FLUENCY
Fluent readers read text accurately, automatically and with prosody or expression. In other words, their reading sounds as smooth as spoken language with all the hills and valleys that convey meaning. Developing fluent reading is essential to building comprehension skills because time spent decoding words takes time away from understanding content.
One sure way to build reading fluency is to build recognition of high frequency words. High frequency words are the most common words found in the English Language. High frequency words are a sub-set of sight words. Essentially, any word that someone can read instantly, or by sight is called a sight word. All words we read eventually become sight words; high frequency words are just the most common.
Fry (1980) developed a list of high frequency words from 1 to 1000. According to Fry, the first 300 high frequency words alone account for close two-thirds of all the words students will encounter in their elementary school reading. Just think how powerful it would be if your child could instantly read 2/3's of all the words he or she encountered while reading. As a general rule, students should master approximately 100 high frequency words per year so that by the end of third grade, they have mastered the first 300 Fry words.
Any assistance you can provide at home to help your child master these Fry high frequency words will go a long way in improving reading fluency and comprehension!
First Grade - The link below provides a list and flash cards for the First 100 Fry high frequency words.
Second Grade - The link below provides a list and flash cards for the Second 100 Fry high frequency words.
Third Grade - The link below provides a list and flash cards for the Third 100 Fry high frequency words.
Games you can play with the Fry sight word flash cards include:
- Three Strikes You're Out - Punch a hole in the card each time your child reads the card correctly (on separate days!). Once the card has three holes in it, it is considered a "Strike Out!"
- Go Fish - Make doubles of the cards you're child does not know. Include some he/she does know and play Go Fish.
- Memory - Make doubles of the cards you're child does not know. Include some he/she does know and play Memory. Mix up the pairs, lay them face down in rows and take turns trying to find matches.
For specific, research based, at home suggestions to help your child become a better reader, please click on one of the links below for a comprehensive parent guide from the National Institute of Literacy.
A Child Becomes a Reader, Proven Ideas from Research for Parents
Birth to Preschool
Kindergarten to Grade 3