The focus for our teachers this week is on oral reading skills also known as ‘reading out loud’ in the classroom. I know as a parent myself, that I think as my child gets older that they no longer need to read out loud to me. But, is this really the case?

I was surprised to find, it is not, and that committing to having my child read out loud to an adult in our house once a day for even 5 minutes can have a big impact. The research behind this is as follows:

‘Repeated oral reading is a strategy to develop effective comprehension through the development of fluent reading. Reading fluency develops in increments over time, alongside other elements of reading, and can be improved with the use of repeated reading strategies. The importance of fluent reading is that it frees the working memory from decoding, allowing the reader to focus on interpretation and comprehension of what is being read (Castles et al., 2018; Lane et al., 2008).

The National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD) (2000) found that repeated reading positively impacts reading fluency. Their analysis of two strategies: guided repeated oral reading practices and sustained silent reading found that oral reading practices were effective for developing reading fluency but found limited evidence for encouraging [silent] reading (NICHD, 2000).

Teaching practices that use repeated oral reading of a text to support and scaffold students' fluency development and that use feedback focussed on improving speed, accuracy, expression, and comprehension were found to be beneficial (NICHD, 2000). Repeated oral reading practices involving multiple readings and supported guidance or feedback from peers, parents and carers or teachers improved reading fluency for students with average and below average reading abilities (NICHD 2000; Stevens et al., 2016).’ Repeated oral reading practices do not require specific resources beyond those already found in the home or at school, making them easy to implement.’

Are there incidental opportunities for your child to read out loud to you to support their reading fluency and comprehension?

This was adapted from:

Mrs Kathleen Garvie
Assistant Principal -Learning
Kennedy and Ferré Houses