After introducing a new phonics skill, what should Mr. Jones do next to promote long-term fluency goals?

Having students consistently demonstrate accuracy when decoding and encoding is crucial for promoting long-term fluency goals. By ensuring that students can accurately apply the new phonics skill, Mr. Jones lays a solid foundation for their reading abilities. This focus on accuracy helps in building their confidence and reinforces their understanding of how sounds and letters interact in words. When students decode correctly, they are better equipped to read fluently because they are able to recognize words more easily and understand the text they are reading.

Consistency in demonstrating accuracy allows students to practice the phonics skill repeatedly, which is essential for retention and transfer to other contexts. Accuracy before speed ensures that students are not merely rushing through words but are building a reliable decoding strategy that will benefit them in more complex literacy tasks later on. This approach fosters a deeper understanding of language, which contributes significantly to their overall reading comprehension and fluency over time.