How can using echo reading benefit students during fluency practice?

Using echo reading as a fluency practice strategy is particularly beneficial because it focuses on developing students' phrasing, expression, and prosody, which are essential components of fluent reading. During echo reading, a teacher or a proficient reader reads a sentence or passage aloud, and then students mimic or "echo" the reading. This process allows students to hear the rhythm, intonation, and expression that comes with fluent reading.

By listening to the fluent model, students learn how to group words into meaningful phrases, which aids in comprehension. The immediate feedback of echoing enables them to practice appropriate expression and intonation, enhancing their overall reading fluency. This method does not merely focus on the words themselves but also on how those words are conveyed, which is critical for effective communication and understanding in reading.

While echo reading can build students' confidence and potentially contribute to vocabulary expansion in the context of exposure, its primary strength lies in improving the nuances of reading fluency such as phrasing and prosody. It does not replace independent reading but rather complements it by reinforcing skills that are necessary for successfully navigating texts independently.