# 10 tips for implementing oral reading practice

Adapted from the chapter “Reading Fluency Among English Learners” by Coleen D. Carlson, in Literacy Foundations for English Learners, edited by Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

1. Implement practice consistently, multiple times per week.
2. Choose texts of approximately 100–200 words. Longer texts can be used as students become more proficient readers.
3. Ensure that the selected text is decodable to the reader—on or near their instructional level.
4. Preread the text to yourself and briefly teach the student any words you think they will not know.
5. Model fluent reading of the text—reading in a fluid manner with appropriate expression.
6. Prior to student reading, instruct the student to focus on the accuracy of their reading as well as appropriate expression and comprehension.
7. Have students read the selected passage aloud. Record and chart the student’s reading accuracy, reading rate, and appropriate expression. Allow the student to participate in tracking progress.
8. If the student misreads a word or asks for the pronunciation, provide the correction and encourage them to continue. The goal is for the student to increase their ability to self-monitor and self-correct.
9. Include a focus on deeper text comprehension through summarizing, questioning motives, predicting, and linking to personal experiences.
10. Have the student reread the passage as many times as needed until the reading is fluent and the student shows good comprehension.