Blog

Understanding Oral Reading Fluency

Madeline Waters • March 5, 2025

As parents, we all want to ensure our children become proficient readers. One of the key elements in achieving this goal is developing reading fluency. But what exactly is fluency, and why is it so important?



What Is Oral Reading Fluency?


Fluency is the ability to read "like you speak." It involves three key elements:


  • Accurate reading of connected text
  • Reading at a conversational rate
  • Appropriate expression and prosody


When children are fluent readers, they can read smoothly and effortlessly, making few mistakes, maintaining a good pace, and using proper expression. However, non-fluent readers may struggle in one or more of these areas, making frequent errors, reading slowly, or lacking proper phrasing and expression.



Why Is Oral Reading Fluency Important?


Fluency is crucial because it directly impacts reading comprehension. Research indicates that students who read fluently are better able to understand what they read. This is because fluent readers can focus their mental energy on comprehending the text rather than decoding words. According to Dr. S. Jay Samuels' automaticity theory, once students master the basic skills of reading and can decode words automatically, they have more mental capacity to understand and engage with the text.



How Can I Help My Child Develop Their Oral Reading Fluency?


Simply offering a selection of reading material and encouraging children to read is not enough for effective oral reading fluency development. Rather, they need structured support and targeted practice within a framework where they feel motivated and engaged.


Research supports several effective strategies to improve oral reading fluency, including:


  • Teacher Modeling: Students benefit from listening to proficient readers, whether it’s a parent, a teacher, a peer, or an audio recording. This helps them learn proper pronunciation, phrasing, and expression.
  • Repeated Reading: Reading the same text multiple times helps students improve their reading rate and accuracy.
  • Progress Monitoring: Setting specific reading goals and tracking progress motivates students to practice and helps them take accountability for their own learning.


You might think, that's all well and good, but where am I supposed to find the time or resources to do that for my child? Enter One Minute Reader. As it turns out, you don't need to find time or resources... you just need this one tool.



One Minute Reader: An At-Home Solution


One Minute Reader is a highly effective, research-based program designed to help children develop oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension independently. This program offers structured reading practice through high-interest, level-appropriate stories that children can work on at their own pace. It offers:


  • Teacher Modeling: Through audio recordings
  • Repeated Reading: Through the read along and practice steps
  • Progress Monitoring: Through graphs and reports
  • and SO MUCH MORE!


By using One Minute Reader at home, you can support your child's journey to becoming a fluent reader—setting them up for success in all their academic endeavors. Happy reading!


Highlighted Posts

By Anne Hauth September 23, 2025
Reading fluency is a crucial skill that bridges the gap between decoding words and understanding their meaning. One effective strategy to build fluency is repeated reading —a technique where a student reads the same text multiple times until they achieve a level of fluency that feels natural and confident. What Is Repeated Reading? Repeated reading involves selecting a short passage at an appropriate reading level--ideally at or slightly above the student's instructional level. The student reads this passage several times, focusing on improving speed, accuracy, and expression with each reading. This practice allows for mastery of the text, leading to fluent and confident reading. Fluent reading should sound like conversational speaking--natural and expressive. Why Does It Work? Research shows* that repeated reading can lead to significant improvements in reading performance. The benefits include: Improved Word Recognition : By encountering the same words repeatedly, students become more familiar with them, leading to quicker and more accurate recognition. When these words become automatic, the students no longer need to put effort into decoding them. Increased Reading Fluency : Reading the same passage multiple times allows students to build fluency--each time reading it more smoothly and with greater expression. Enhanced Comprehension : As fluency improves, students can focus more on understanding the text, leading to better comprehension. This improvement in comprehension extends to unpracticed passages as well. Increased Confidence : Repeated reading is a form of mastery learning. Many beginning or struggling readers don't often get the opportunity to hear themselves sounding like fluent readers. After reading a passage multiple times, they've mastered it--and they sound great! This is a huge confidence boost that motivates them to keep reading. Repeated Reading at Home Incorporating the repeated reading strategy into your child's home reading routine doesn't have to be complicated or boring. In fact, many kids already do it! You've probably noticed that they often want to read the same book over and over. Don't discourage this--as long as they haven't totally memorized the entire text, they're building skills each time they read it. To work on repeated reading with your child at home, here's a simple strategy: Use an Appropriate Passage : Have your child choose a new short text that is slightly challenging but still within their level. Listen to Your Child Read : Have your child read the passage aloud to you. Note any words that are difficult for them to decode. Read Aloud Together : Read the passage aloud with your child, modeling fluent reading. Do this one to three times. Identify the difficult words together, and provide definitions. Independent Practice : Encourage your child to read the passage independently a few more times, focusing on improving their expression with each reading. Celebrate Progress : Affirm how much your child improved from the first reading to the final reading. Acknowledge their hard work and progress to build confidence and motivation. Additional Tips Keep Sessions Short : Aim for 10- to 15-minute sessions at first, to maintain focus and prevent frustration. Consider Using a Timer : If your child is open to the idea, set a timer each time they read the passage. Note their improvement in time, and celebrate their fluency growth. Make the timing element a fun challenge, but emphasize that this exercise isn't about speed reading--it's about building fluency. Repeated reading is a powerful strategy that can significantly enhance your child's reading ability. If you're looking for an easy-to-use program that incorporates this research-proven strategy, check out One Minute Reader . This program uses repeated reading and gamified learning to help kids at various reading levels build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence. * Dowhower, S. L. (1987). Effects of repeated reading on second-grade transitional readers’ fluency and comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly , 22(4), 389–405. Kuhn, M. R., & Stahl, S. A. (2003). Fluency: A review of developmental and remedial practices. Journal of Educational Psychology , 95(1), 3–21. LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. J. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology , 6(2), 292–323.
Back-to-School Reading Routines That Stick
By Anne Hauth September 23, 2025
Simple back-to-school reading routines that help kids build strong literacy skills, improve homework success, and develop lifelong reading habits. Get practical tips for creating a daily reading schedule, cozy reading spaces, and fun ways to make reading stick at home.
A young girl is sitting at a desk holding a sign that says help.
By Anne Hauth June 5, 2025
Is your child struggling with reading? Learn 15 key signs to watch for, from avoiding reading to spelling mistakes. Early detection is crucial for providing the right support.
Show More

Ready to see an improvement in your child's reading?

Sign up today and get seven days for FREE.

Sign up now!

One Minute Reader is just $8 per month after your free trial.