Fluency Practice Matters: Why It’s Essential in Upper Elementary

If you’re a third, fourth, or fifth-grade teacher, you might think fluency is something that belongs in the early grades. But fluency practice is just as important in upper elementary as it is in K–2!

As students progress through the grades, the texts they encounter become longer, more complex, and more demanding. If students aren’t reading fluently, they may struggle to keep up with grade-level expectations, leading to frustration and comprehension difficulties. Many students in upper elementary still read too slowly, skip words, or struggle with expression, all of which impact their ability to understand what they read.

What Is Fluency?

Fluency is the ability to read accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with expression. When students are fluent readers, they don’t spend all their mental energy decoding words—they can focus on comprehension, which is the ultimate goal of reading.

In upper elementary, fluency often gets overlooked because we assume students should already be fluent. But here’s the truth: students don’t age out of fluency practice—they skill out of it. If a student isn’t yet reading fluently at grade level, we need to continue supporting them.

The Connection Between Fluency Practice and Comprehension

Many upper elementary teachers focus heavily on comprehension without realizing that fluency is a key factor in understanding text. When students read too slowly, skip words, or read in a monotone voice, their comprehension suffers. If students struggle with comprehension, it might actually be a fluency issue rather than a comprehension problem.

Unfortunately, many reading programs don’t have a structured fluency component, which means teachers need to be intentional about fluency practice.

A Simple Fluency Routine

Fluency practice doesn’t have to be time-consuming! Here’s a five-day routine that takes just 5–10 minutes a day:

• Monday: Model fluent reading. Read a passage aloud, demonstrating accuracy, expression, and pacing.
• Tuesday: Choral reading. Read the passage together as a class.
• Wednesday: Partner reading. Students take turns reading and listening to each other.
• Thursday: Echo reading. Read a line aloud, and students repeat it with the same expression and phrasing.
• Friday: Performance reading. Students read the passage aloud to a partner or younger buddy and reflect on their fluency.

This routine provides repeated practice with the same text throughout the week, building confidence and fluency in a low-pressure way.

✨Looking for easy-to-use, Science of Reading-aligned resources to support your students? Inside the Stellar Literacy Collective, you’ll find everything you need—including structured fluency support, engaging lessons, and research-based strategies to help your students become confident, skilled readers. Whether you’re looking for fluency routines, comprehension tools, or vocabulary resources, we’ve got you covered! Join us today and take the guesswork out of literacy instruction. Check out the Stellar Literacy Collective and see how we can support you!✨

Making Fluency Practice a Priority

You don’t need to carve out extra time for fluency—just integrate it into your literacy block. It could be part of your morning routine, small group time, or whole-group lesson. The key is consistency.

Without explicit fluency instruction, some students will continue to struggle with reading long past elementary school, impacting their confidence, comprehension, and even their success in other subjects.

So, if your students struggle with comprehension, check their fluency first. A small shift in your instruction could make a huge difference in helping them become skilled, confident readers!

Do you incorporate fluency practice in your classroom? Let me know in the comments!
Love to learn on the go? Check out The Stellar Teacher Podcast! Expand your knowledge on the importance of fluency practice with Episode 240.

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