“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.”
“‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”
The words of classic holiday stories resonate in our minds from reading and rereading the tales with our families each year. Setting up a tradition of reading holiday stories over and over again with our children is a great way to celebrate the season and to develop reading fluency at the same time.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of rereading.
Read and Read Again
Many of us have heard about the importance of daily reading time for our children. For some, curling up with a favorite book is one of the greatest joys in life. For others, reading feels like a battle with their mind — and with anyone who asks them to read. But once any kid has made it through the first reading, we can support her by encouraging her to read it again.
Benefits of Rereading
For an enthusiastic reader, rereading provides an opportunity to dive into the meaning of the text. In a second or third time through the text, she can pay more attention to details and see how the author shapes the story through language. Repeated reading also allows the reader to connect with the story and better understand the characters.
Rereading is an essential piece of reading fluency for a growing reader. Now that she has sounded out the trickiest words in the passage, she can work past choppy reading and into more expressive reading. After a reader decodes a word, she needs repeated exposure to establish automatic word recognition.
In a review of 51 studies on oral reading fluency instruction, the National Reading Panel found three essential features of improving fluency: reading aloud, rereading, and receiving one-on-one feedback. Rereading to build fluency is most effective when someone provides encouragement and feedback, which is a great reason for us to spend time reading aloud to children as well as listening to children read.
Finding Something to Read Again
We can motivate children to read texts multiple times by helping them find interesting reading material. One of the best ways to discover a fun book is by exploring the local library! Scholastic also provides a variety of book lists covering different topics. Or check out Newsela for news articles adapted for different grade levels. Somewhere out there is an engaging reading passage to inspire each student to keep reading.