For silent reading and upper level students, I suggest passages of 200 or more words. Rate can be documented in familiar or unfamiliar material. The teacher assigns a comprehension unit and establishes the student with a purpose and prediction for reading with good comprehension. The WPM are determined by counting the total number of words read divided by the number of minutes allowed. Level 3 Fluent reading with longer phrases and good expression and intonation.
Repetitions are to correct errors in phrasing or expression.
Students are encouraged to recognize that meaning is embedded in multiple-word chunks of text or phrases. People talk and think in chunks of language that represents thoughts. Teachers can model this phrasing and or actually mark phrase boundaries using a pencil slash or lines to specify boundaries. Once students can locate their own chunks or phrase boundaries in text, their oral and silent reading efficiency improves. Repeated Reading Students practice reading one passage several times until they achieve a predetermined degree of fluency.