Which of the following reading activities is most effective for helping early first-grade students develop fluency?

While listening to a teacher's read-aloud can expose students to fluent reading and model pronunciation, it does not actively engage them in the reading process. Fluency requires practice in reading aloud, which listening alone cannot provide.

Readers' theater is a beneficial activity that encourages expression and fluency through performance. However, it typically occurs after initial practice, meaning that it may not be the most immediate or effective way to develop fluency compared to direct practice in reading aloud during the activity itself.

Identifying rhyming words is a phonemic awareness skill that can support early literacy development, but it does not directly contribute to reading fluency. Fluency focuses on the ability to read text smoothly and with expression, which requires actual reading practice rather than word recognition tasks.