Which teaching strategy most directly supports students' development of reading fluency?

• A. Teacher-modeled reading
• B. Silent, independent reading
• C. Extensive phonics decoding
• D. Copying text

Answer: (A)

Reading fluency grows when students hear how fluent reading sounds and see how expression, pace, and phrasing convey meaning. When a teacher reads aloud with smooth, expressive voice, appropriate pauses, and natural pacing, students get an immediate, concrete example of what fluent reading sounds like. This listening model helps students connect decoding with prosody—the rhythm and intonation that make text meaningful—so they can imitate that flow during their own practice. The listener benefits from hearing where to pause at punctuation, where to emphasize certain words, and how to chunk text into meaningful phrases, which is essential for reading smoothly across a passage and for overall comprehension.

Silent, independent reading provides practice, but it doesn’t furnish an audible model for students to imitate in real time. Extensive phonics decoding builds decoding skills and accuracy but focuses on sounding out words rather than delivering fluent, expressive reading across connected text. Copying text emphasizes repetition or handwriting rather than developing the ability to read with natural pace and expression.