Fluency word lists
Real words in columns, graded by difficulty: short vowels, blends and long vowels, two-syllable words and longer words, from the phonics and syllable word lists.
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Teaching guide: building reading fluency
Fluent readers read accurately, at a good pace and with expression, and fluency is the bridge between decoding and understanding. This free reading fluency worksheet generator makes A4 word lists and timed reading passages, all original, with a running word count on every line, a words per minute log and a progress graph so pupils can see themselves improve. Pair them with reading comprehension worksheets and, for beginning readers, phonics worksheets.
Student worksheet 
Answer key Timed reading passages
Sixteen original passages, stories and information texts, for Grades 1 to 4: from about 50 words in short sentences to more than 150.
Running word counts
Every line and every row ends with the number of words read so far, counted on the sheet as it prints, so you know at a glance how many words were read in a minute.
Log and progress graph
A table for the date, words read, errors and words per minute of each reading, and a progress graph to plot them on.
Teacher copy
The same reading with its word counts, how to mark errors, accuracy and a four-point prosody scale to rate expression.
Four levels
One level per grade, Grades 1 to 4, for both word lists and passages.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Reading Fluency Worksheets
What is reading fluency?
Reading fluency is reading a text accurately, at a suitable pace and with expression that shows its meaning (prosody). Fluent readers do not have to spend all their attention on decoding, so they can focus on understanding what they read.
How do you work out words per minute?
If the pupil reads for one minute: words read − errors. If they read the whole passage and you time it: (words in the passage − errors) × 60 ÷ seconds. For example, an 86-word passage read in 80 seconds with 2 errors gives (86 − 2) × 60 ÷ 80 = 63 words correct per minute.
What counts as an error?
A word misread or replaced by another word, a skipped word, or a word the pupil stops on for more than 3 seconds (say it for them and let them carry on). Self-corrections, repetitions and added words are not counted as errors.
How many words per minute should a child read?
It depends on the grade, the child and the text. Rather than comparing with a chart, what helps is watching progress: read the same passage several times over a week and plot the words per minute on the graph. If you are worried, talk to your school’s special educational needs team.
What is the teacher copy for?
While the pupil reads from their sheet, you follow on your copy, mark the errors and, when the minute is up, the last word read. It has a table to work out words correct per minute and accuracy, and a prosody scale. To assess reading aloud against more criteria, use the assessment rubrics.
How do I print the teacher copy?
Click Print and choose “Answer key” for the teacher copy, or “Worksheet and answer key” for both. Select the reading on the sheet and click “New” for new words or passages at the same level.
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