Fluency Strips for English Learners
Many teachers have English learners in their classrooms. I have a particular group of second-grade English learners who are struggling with reading fluency. They can read the words but are just not quite there with their accuracy and reading rate.
I created a set of Fluency Strips of Odd Words and Phrases to help them isolate and practice the words that give them trouble when speaking and reading.
The other day, I noticed that a few of them were having difficulty reading contractions and past tense verbs. The students could read the contractions, but either stopped to figure them out or self-corrected.
As for past tense verbs, one student asked me what “hid” meant. He knew the meaning of hide but not the irregular past tense. Another student was reading and when she got to words with -ed endings, she read them incorrectly.
These are just some examples of what I encounter in the elementary classroom with students who are second language learners. Remembering all the nuances of English is hard and it’s even more difficult when English is not your first language.
Some Words are Difficult for English Learners to Remember
All of these little phrases and words English speakers use proficiently because they have heard it so often, but English learners struggle to remember how to pronounce the words.
These fluency strips are intended for students who need a little extra practice reading certain types of words. They are not a first introduction to the concept but meant as extra practice to solidify the brain’s muscle memory when reading the sounds.
The Fluency Strips come in color and black and white. All of the color strips have the same color background for the part of speech.
Students can choose (or be assigned) a set of strips that they need to practice and review them for a couple of minutes each day to build fluency with that type of words.
How to Purchase the Fluency Strips for English Learners
The Fluency Strips Package includes fluency strips for:
- Contractions: will, is, not, are, did, have
- Regular past tense verbs sorted by ending sound: /id/, /d/, & /t/
- Irregular past tense verbs with their present tense counterpart
You can purchase the fluency strips on my website.
Jessica BOschen
Jessica is a teacher, homeschool parent, and entrepreneur. She shares her passion for teaching and education on What I Have Learned. Jessica has 16 years of experience teaching elementary school and currently homeschools her two middle and high school boys. She enjoys scaffolding learning for students, focusing on helping our most challenging learners achieve success in all academic areas.