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Choral Reading: Does It Actually Improve Fluency?
Choral reading is one of those practices that almost every primary teacher has used at some point. The teacher and class read a text aloud together, everyone joins in, and for a few moments everyone sounds like a fluent reader. It feels purposeful. It feels supportive. It actually sounds pretty good! But what does the research actually say about choral reading? The answer is not quite what many people expect. The evidence for choral reading itself is surprisingly thin. That
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Matthew Dix
Mar 124 min read


🚫 What Reading Fluency Isn't
Many schools think they are teaching fluency, but several common classroom routines are actually slowing it down. Cold extracts, unprepared vocabulary, round-robin reading, lack of modelling, and silent reading used as fluency practice are widespread misconceptions. Real fluency teaching is simple: prepare the text, model it, rehearse it, and repeat it. Small tweaks in daily routines lead to smoother reading, better comprehension, and more confident learners (Rasinski, 2010;
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Matthew Dix
Nov 17, 20253 min read


Sold a Scheme: When Packaging Replaces Pedagogy
How flashy schemes and catchy acronyms can make us spend less time following the science. In education, it’s easy to be dazzled by...
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Matthew Dix
Sep 9, 20254 min read


What Are Ofsted Saying About Reading Fluency?
📖 We've analysed hundreds of Ofsted reports from the last few months. 🕵️♂️ Ofsted are finally picking up on the importance of reading...
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Matthew Dix
Jul 1, 20253 min read


🎙PlanIt Pod - New Teaching Podcast
We're always looking for ways we can spread the science of reading further afield, so we were delighted when founder of Manic Street...
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Matthew Dix
May 4, 20251 min read


Teaching Reading Through SATs Content Domains
The dominance of SATs, and with it the SATs Reading Paper content domains, has created an illusion of progress while leaving children...
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Matthew Dix
Mar 10, 20254 min read


Pace & Pausing: The Importance of Punctuation!
Fluent reading is not just about speed; it’s about rhythm, accuracy, and comprehension. Teaching students how to control their reading...
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Matthew Dix
Feb 13, 20253 min read


The Role of Eye Tracking in Reading Fluency
Reading fluency - the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and expression -relies on more than just phonics and vocabulary knowledge....
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Matthew Dix
Jan 26, 20254 min read


Mastering Multisyllabic Words
For many children, reading fluency falters when they encounter multisyllabic words. These longer words can break the natural flow of...
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Matthew Dix
Jan 14, 20253 min read
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