Good readers don't just read accurately, but they read with expression and they read to get meaning from the text. As they read, they make predictions about what might happen as the story progresses. They visualize or make a mental picture of what they are reading in order to understand and recall the events in the stroy. Comprehension is the goal of all reading.
Fluency is an important part of the reading process. Fluency Rate is a term used to report the number of words that are read correctly per minute. This fluency rate is only part of what fluent reading is all about. Fluency is not just reading fast. It does involve recognizing words rapidly and accurately, but just as important is using expression, phrasing and punctuation in a way that makes what is read sound like spoken language. This is very important because it helps the reader better understand what they are reading. Difficulty with fluency is many times related to a lack of comprehension.
Accuracy is another important component of reading. As readers improve the percentage of words that they read correctly, they begin to spend less effort on figuring out a lot of words, and more of the reading effort centers on comprehension.
Accuracy involves being able to decode words correctly. As children read they recognize some words that they already know and then try to decode words that are new to them using a variety of cues and information. For example, if the reader knows the word "cake", then they can use that to figure out other words (lake, make, rake).
Some words don't follow any kind of pattern, for example the words: of, the, you, they, one, what, said. These words are called sight words and are usually memorized after repeated exposure and practice.
