This page was created to assist the Bagdad Reading Vertical Team in sharing information on fluency and Readers' Theatre.

Reading fluency is the ability to read with appropriate rate (speed), accuracy, expression, and comprehension.

Rate (speed) refers to rate of reading, usually determined in words per minute (WPM) or words correct per minute (WCPM).

Accuracy means that the student recognizes most words automatically with little effort or attention. It should be expected that students will make some miscues (for example, mispronouncing, omitting, or inserting words) during reading. If the student misses more than 10% of the words in a passage (one word in ten), the text or material is probably too difficult to use for instruction (Johns, 2001).

Appropriate expression means that the student uses phrasing, tone, and pitch so that oral reading sounds conversational. Prosody is the term commonly used for these elements.

Comprehension refers to understanding. Without comprehension, reading is merely word calling or barking at print. Comprehension is usually evaluated through retellings, answering questions, discussions, drawing/art, dramatic interpretation, or some combination of these methods. Fluency is related to reading comprehension, so helping students read quickly, accurately, and smoothly helps improve comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000; Pinnell, Pikulski, Wixson, Campbell, Gough, and Beatty, 1995).

Students who are fluent readers are better able to devote their attention to comprehending the text. A student has only so much attention to focus on comprehension. As more and more of that attention is devoted to recognizing words, the result is likely to be limited reading fluency and comprehension. Fluency, then, generally results in increased comprehension.

In reader's theater, students stand in front of an audience, usually made up of their classmates, and read from scripts they hold in their hands or set on music stands. No costumes, props, or scenery are required unless the teacher and students wish to include them. Very little, if any, movement is involved. In a sense, reader's theater is a minimalist form of play performing.

Without movement, costumes, props, or scenery, the performers have only one attribute to make their performance meaningful and satisfying: their voices. And, in order to use their voices well, performers must practice the text beforehand.