Which activity would most effectively improve fluency for third-grade students reading grade-level passages?

• A. Rereading a text after repeated readings to build fluency.
• B. Using flash cards to increase students' recognition of words.
• C. Reading passages that are just above students' independent reading levels.
• D. Discussing the readings in small groups to better understand the content.

Answer: (A)

Fluency develops when students practice reading the same text aloud multiple times, building speed, accuracy, and expression as they become more familiar with the words and phrasing. Rereading a text after repeated readings gives students repeated, guided practice with the exact wording, punctuation, and intonation, so their reading becomes smoother and more natural over time. The other activities focus on related skills but don’t target fluent, automatic oral reading in the same with the same text: flash cards help with recognizing words in isolation, not fluency in connected text; passages just above independent level can be too challenging and may hinder smooth reading; and group discussions mainly support comprehension rather than improving how smoothly a student reads aloud.