Smiles and Eyeballs: A Simple Way to Teach Fluency

You listen to your students read and notice a few behaviors that make you concerned:

doesn't stop at punctuation
doesn't acknowledge punctuation
reads one word at a time (robotic)
reads to the end of the line as if it's the end of the sentence
reads in poorly formed phrases that affect text meaning and flow

These are poor reading behaviors that will affect comprehension. It is possible that a student can display a number of these behaviors and still be reading accurately. But accurate reading is not enough if students aren't showing understanding. Many students need direct instruction in fluency, more specifically...prosody.

Check out these simple steps on how to start using Smiles and Eyeballs to support your students in fluency.

By following these simple steps, you can set your students up for success. Modeling and ample opportunities to practice can not be overstated! This process is so simple and flexible that you can fit it into any part of your literacy instruction.

Decodable sentences are a simple and easy way to provide opportunities for Smiles and Eyeballs. Check out my CVC Decodable Sentences resource in my TPT store Simply Primary!

There are also fluency phrases in my High Frequency Word resources for Kindergarten and First Grade.

Thank You!

Kristin

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