Today's spotlight is on the fifth of the 'Big Six' keys to reading...Fluency.

Reading fluency refers to the ease with which children read. When reading aloud, fluency is affected by accuracy, rate and expression. To assist children to practise reading fluently in the early years of school, teachers often ask them to read easier or familiar books aloud. This gives children the opportunity to read confidently as they automatically and accurately recognise words, read at a rate that sounds more like spoken language, and use a range of expression, intonation, pauses and rhythm.

Fluency makes oral reading lively and allows the author’s message to be communicated clearly. Reading fluently gives young readers confidence in their own ability as readers and helps them to be interested and motivated, and to enjoy reading.

Families can support their child at home with their Fluency knowledge by:

• Reading and rereading favourite books.
• Reading aloud with emotion in English or your first language.
• Inventing sound effects when reading.
• Using different voices to indicate the characters and narrator.
• Changing your volume, tone and pace as you read different parts of a book; perhaps slowing down at a scary bit or speeding up at a tense point.
• Listening to audio books together with your child. 
• Reading the decodable home reader (K-2) or other texts each week. Re-reading the same text ensures a child is able to confidently read with increasing fluency.