Fluency First Steps

Overview

In this opening lesson of the Reading Fluency Program, students learn what reading fluency means, why it helps understanding, and how to set achievable reading goals. They practise short, supportive reading routines using decoding they already know and learning to monitor meaning when something does not make sense.

Learning intentions

• Students will learn what reading fluency is (reading accurately, smoothly, and with expression).
• Students will practise reading short decodable text with attention to word accuracy and phrasing.
• Students will set a personal reading goal for “more words read in one minute” and “better accuracy”.
• Students will use simple comprehension checks (look at the picture/context and try again if it does not make sense).

Success criteria

• I can read a short decodable text accurately for 1 minute.
• I can read in phrases (not word-by-word) and notice where I pause.
• I can check meaning by using pictures, familiar words, and my grammar clues.
• I can try to self-correct or ask for help when I am stuck.

Curriculum links

• AC9E1LY04: read decodable and authentic texts using developing phonic knowledge, phrasing and fluency, and monitoring meaning using context and grammatical knowledge.
• AC9E1LY05: use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning.
• AC9E1LY02: use interaction skills including turn-taking, speaking clearly, active listening, and responding to others’ contributions.
• AC9E1LY10 and AC9E1LY12: strengthen phonological awareness and understanding that letters can represent more than one sound, supporting decoding needed for fluency.

Lesson structure (15 minutes)

1. 0–2 min · Sound flash cards. Teacher shows sound flash cards for the target sounds of the week.

2. 2–5 min · Real and nonsense word flash cards. Teacher presents flash cards with real and nonsense words containing the target sounds for students to read aloud.

3. 5–10 min · Choral reading passage. Teacher and students read a short passage together focusing on fluency with the target sounds.

4. 10–15 min · Individual Sunshine Phonics fluency sentence strips. Students practice reading individual sentence strips silently and aloud to build fluency.

Resources

• the introduction slides (whole-lesson deck: hook, modelling, routine, goal setting, plenary prompts)
• the fluency goal and reading practise worksheet (decodable sentence(s), 1-minute recording/tally area, goal box)
• Timer (visible)
• Student reading partner roles chart or simple “A/B” cards
• Teacher clipboard for quick observation notes

Assessment

• Teacher observation during paired 1-minute reading: accuracy tally and need for self-correction assistance.
• Student comprehension monitoring: can they identify when something “doesn’t make sense” and name a check strategy.
• Quick goal validity check: students can state a measurable goal (accuracy + more words next time).

Differentiation

• Support for struggling decoders: provide teacher-modelling first, then allow partner support where Student B can whisper the first sound/whole word on request (no taking over).
• Sentence starters on the worksheet for goal setting and self-correction prompts.
• Use smaller chunks: if needed, students reread the same sentence until they can read it smoothly as a phrase.
• Extension: for students who quickly meet accuracy, challenge them to add expression (read like a question/answer) while maintaining accuracy.
• EAL considerations: emphasise picture/context checks and repetition of the same short text across the routine.