Which strategy is most effective in increasing students' automaticity and fluency?

Which strategy is most effective in increasing students' automaticity and fluency?

• A. Group reading
• B. Repeated reading
• C. Listening to audiobooks
• D. Silent reading

Answer: (B)

The strategy that best enhances students' automaticity and fluency is repeated reading. This approach involves students reading the same text multiple times, which allows them to focus on improving their speed, accuracy, and expression. By encountering the same material repeatedly, students become more familiar with the words and phrases, which helps them to recognize them quickly and read more smoothly. This practice enables them to transition from decoding each word to reading more fluidly, ultimately fostering greater reading confidence and comprehension. In contrast, while group reading, listening to audiobooks, and silent reading can all contribute to a student’s overall reading development, they do not specifically target automaticity and fluency in the same direct way as repeated reading. Group reading may provide collaborative learning opportunities, but it lacks the individual practice that repeated reading offers. Listening to audiobooks can help with comprehension and model fluent reading, yet it does not provide the active practice needed for developing automaticity. Silent reading encourages independent reading habits but may not emphasize the repetition necessary for building fluency as effectively as repeated reading does.

The strategy that best enhances students' automaticity and fluency is repeated reading. This approach involves students reading the same text multiple times, which allows them to focus on improving their speed, accuracy, and expression. By encountering the same material repeatedly, students become more familiar with the words and phrases, which helps them to recognize them quickly and read more smoothly. This practice enables them to transition from decoding each word to reading more fluidly, ultimately fostering greater reading confidence and comprehension.

In contrast, while group reading, listening to audiobooks, and silent reading can all contribute to a student’s overall reading development, they do not specifically target automaticity and fluency in the same direct way as repeated reading. Group reading may provide collaborative learning opportunities, but it lacks the individual practice that repeated reading offers. Listening to audiobooks can help with comprehension and model fluent reading, yet it does not provide the active practice needed for developing automaticity. Silent reading encourages independent reading habits but may not emphasize the repetition necessary for building fluency as effectively as repeated reading does.