Recorded Session1. Welcome & Introduction (5 minutes)
Overview of session objectives and relevance to educators.
Icebreaker: Ask participants to share what they believe are the underlying skills for fluent reading (chat, poll, or show of hands).
2. True or False: Fluency Misconceptions (10 minutes)
Present 5–6 common misconceptions about fluency.
Participants respond via polling or show of hands.
Sparks curiosity and activates prior knowledge.
3. Introduction to Stop the Robotic Reading Fluency Framework (5 minutes)
Overview of the four-part framework with visual graphic.
4. Component 1 – Internal Wiring (10 minutes)
Underlying skills needed for fluency (phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary).
Quick paired discussion: “Which skills do your students struggle with most?”
Participants identify which skills they already support.
5. Component 2 – Fluency Control Panel (5 minutes)
What is fluency? Accuracy, pace, prosody.
Interactive mini-demonstration—robotic vs. expressive reading.
Participants try reading a short passage aloud in pairs, focusing on expression.
6. Component 3 – Fluency Programming Steps (5 minutes)
How fluency is built using evidence-based strategies. Introduce five strategies.
Modeling each strategy with example passages.
Small group discussion on the strategies presented.
7. Component 4 – Upgrade Kit (5 minutes)
Characteristics of quality fluency activities (purposeful, engaging, scaffolded, connected to comprehension).
Participants evaluate sample activities and identify strengths/weaknesses.
8. Practice a Fluency Routine (10 minutes)
Facilitator guides participants through a full fluency routine using a sample passage.
Participants follow along, practicing the steps and applying strategies learned.
9. Closing & Q&A (5 minutes)
Summarize key takeaways and provide artifact/resource (Fluency Strategy Toolkit).
Open floor for questions and participant reflections on strategies they plan to implement.
After this session, participants will be able to:
Identify and respond to common misconceptions that hinder students’ fluency and keep them reading robotically.
Describe the four essential stages of the Stop Robotic Reading Fluency Framework.
Apply five evidence-based strategies to build students’ accuracy, pace, and expression in reading.
The foundation of this presentation draws on The Megabook of Fluency, 2nd Edition by Timothy V. Rasinski and Melissa Cheeseman-Smith, which emphasizes practical, evidence-based strategies to engage students and build fluency through accuracy, automaticity, and prosody. This work highlights the importance of intentional instructional practices over rote repetition. Additionally, the research article Is Fluent, Expressive Reading Important for High School Readers? (Page, Rasinski, & Magpuri-Lavell, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 2012) underscores the critical role of prosody in reading fluency and its strong correlation to comprehension, even among older students. Together, these sources affirm that fluency instruction is not just about speed, but about developing expressive, meaningful reading that directly supports comprehension and overall literacy growth.
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