Fluent reading is not just about speed; it’s about rhythm, accuracy, and comprehension. Teaching students how to control their reading pace and pause appropriately at punctuation marks is essential for developing fluency. Research shows that students who read too quickly often sacrifice accuracy and understanding, while those who read too slowly struggle with automaticity. This article explores why pacing and pausing matter and provides actionable strategies for teachers to implement in their classrooms.
Fluent readers adjust their speed based on the text, slowing down for complex sentences and emphasising key ideas through well-placed pauses . In a study of primary school students, Schwanenflugel et al. (2004) found that those who practiced controlled pacing with proper pauses showed higher comprehension scores than those who read at a fixed speed. Pausing at punctuation also allows students to group words into meaningful phrases, improving overall text coherence and expression.
Ignoring punctuation can lead to robotic, monotonous reading, reducing comprehension and engagement. Teaching students to pause at commas, full stops, and other punctuation marks fosters expressive, meaningful reading. Here are 4 things to remember:
1.) Model Pacing and Pausing Through Read-Alouds
Teachers should frequently read aloud, exaggerating pauses at punctuation marks and adjusting their speed based on sentence complexity. For example, when reading The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, emphasize the comma in:
"A mouse took a stroll through the deep, dark wood."
Ask students: “What difference does the pause make? How would it sound if I rushed through it?”
2.) Use ‘Choral Reading’ to Reinforce Rhythm
Choral reading, where the teacher and students read in unison, helps reinforce natural pacing. Select texts with varied sentence lengths, such as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, to encourage natural pauses. Research by Kuhn & Stahl (2003) suggests that repeated choral reading improves fluency and expression.
3.) Teach the ‘Swoop’ Strategy for Phrasing
Introduce visual cues to help students recognise natural pauses. Draw ‘swoops’ under phrases to show where to pause. For example, in the sentence:
"The little boy, tired from his long journey, sat down to rest."
A swoop under "The little boy" and another under "tired from his long journey" helps students group words correctly. This idea of chunking phrases together, suggested by Clay (2000), helps struggling readers recognise meaningful part of the text. However, overemphasis on this strategy can lead to mechanical reading, disrupting the natural flow of reading, so it needs to be a starting point with scaffolds removed eventually, rather than an end point.
4.) Practice ‘Timed Phrasing’ with Sentence Strips
Write sentences on strips of paper and have students read them aloud, focusing on adjusting their pace. Give them a sentence like:
"She ran to the door, but it was too late."
First, have them read it too fast, then too slow, then just right. Discuss which version sounds most natural.
Pause for Punctuation Games
Play a game where students read a passage but must pause dramatically at punctuation marks. You could also easily add more advanced punctuation to this list for older year groups. Assign symbols:
Full stop (.) – Stop and take a deep breath.
Comma (,) – Brief pause.
Question mark (?) – Raise voice slightly.
Exclamation mark (!) – Add expression.
This simple interactive approach encourages engagement and deeper understanding of punctuation’s role in fluency. Tim Rasinski (2018) uses a page of numbers 1-20 but with a variety of punctuation marks between. This allows the children to consider if it is a list of numbers, a sudden exclamation or if the number should spoken with inflection due to a question mark.
By embedding these strategies into daily instruction, teachers can help students develop a natural reading rhythm. Teaching proper pacing and pausing enhances fluency, comprehension, and overall reading enjoyment - key factors for lifelong literacy success.
If you'd like to find our more about reading fluently, download our free samples at the top of the site or read our Programme of Study here.
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