October 19, 2007
This is my favorite gadget for helping students master reading fluency: my class set of “fluency phones.” Fluency phones are PVC pipes with corners glued on, made by a parent volunteer for a minimal cost. Students use them to read aloud to themselves. It’s great because they can hear themselves clearly, but the room is relatively quiet.
This year my sixth graders are spending 5-10 minutes a day reading with the fluency phones. They work on specific goals. For example, for two weeks I had them taking deep, gasping breaths at each period, and smaller breaths at commas. We continue to work on building vocabulary and word attack skills, but the biggest improvement in student reading has been from the students being able to hear themselves read aloud.