Streaming Toward Reading Fluency
When students record themselves reading aloud using an app—and then listen back to reflect on their own pacing and expression—their fluency improves over time.
Your content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.At Clinton Valley Elementary School in Michigan, fifth-grade teacher Samantha DiCicco is helping students build literacy skills by combining reflection, goal setting, and technology. Each Friday, her students record themselves reading aloud in a structured reading fluency routine using an app called Microsoft Stream, and they’ve come to see it as both a celebration and an opportunity for growth.
Before they begin, DiCicco brings the class together to revisit the purpose behind the activity. “We go over why we’re streaming and what the purpose is,” she explains. This ensures that students approach the work with intention. Then, students set a personal goal, identifying a specific area they want to focus on, such as pacing, expression, or accuracy.
With their goal in mind, students spread out to comfortable spots around the classroom and record themselves reading using the app on their learning platform. Each student reads for about 10 minutes.
Once finished, they listen back to their recordings and reflect on their performance. This step is key: Students begin to see themselves as their own evaluators. Rather than relying solely on teacher feedback, they take greater ownership of their growth—listening for patterns, assessing their progress, and identifying what still needs work.
Students then share their recordings with DiCicco, who tailors her feedback based on each student’s self-identified goal. Many also choose to share their work with other staff members, like the principal or the reading specialist, expanding their audience—and their feedback loop. “It really allows them to view themselves as a reader from somebody else’s point of view,” DiCicco says. That perspective not only builds self-awareness, but also boosts their confidence.
By integrating technology with literacy, this routine turns reading fluency practice into an active, student-centered process—one that sharpens both skill and independence over time.
For more resources on technology and reading instruction, check out Paige Tutt’s article for Edutopia, “6 Ways Technology Can Help You Teach Reading More Effectively.”