Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers Read Like Us: Building Fluency Through Repeated Reading & Challenging Texts with Jake Downs & Chase Young
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Feb 6, 2026 Chase Young, an education researcher focused on classroom fluency, and Jake Downs, a designer of repeated-reading protocols, discuss Read Like Us. They explain the five-step routine, why challenging texts boost fluency, how to adapt it for groups, and why fourth graders showed strong gains. They also cover text selection, combining repeated and wide reading, and quick ways teachers can start the routine tomorrow.
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Add Performance For Engagement
- Alternate independent whisper reads with high-engagement performances like reader's theater for authenticity.
- Use performances sparingly (e.g., once or twice weekly) to boost motivation and prosody.
Maximize Time Spent Reading
- Aim for students to be reading the text about 90% of the intervention time to increase exposure and learning.
- High-volume, scaffolded connected text supports incidental vocabulary and automatic word recognition.
Automaticity Comes Before Speed
- Prioritize scaffolding and text volume over coaching speed when targeting automaticity.
- Rate is a proxy; automaticity from repeated, scaffolded exposure produces faster reading naturally.
