Sustained Silent Reading Practice Makes Perfect When Mrs

Sustained Silent Reading Practice Makes Perfect

� When Mrs. Pascoe enters her classroom around eight in the morning, the room is quiet – the students have not yet arrived, but at ten minutes after eight a bell rings and students begin filing into the classroom. Some of the students chatter with each other while they enter; some go directly to their seats and take out a book of their choice and begin reading. As more students enter, the noise level increases; students compete to be heard over their peers. At eight-fifteen another bell rings. The voices quickly die out as all the students take out their books and begin to read. Mrs. Pascoe takes out a book of her own choosing and enjoys fifteen to twenty minutes of quiet time to read. After about fifteen to twenty minutes of silent reading – the exact time depending on her lesson plan for the day or simply how much reading she wants to do – Mrs. Pascoe begins her lesson in front of a quiet, attentive class.

Sustained Silent Reading � She is able to achieve this through SSR. � SSR is a form of school-based recreational reading which provides students time to read silently from reading material, chosen from outside of the assigned texts, during a designated time period, every day, in school.

Simple and effective � According to Mrs. Pascoe, an English teacher of twenty-two years, SSR not only improves the academic abilities of her students, but it also acts as built in classroom management. � In her twenty-two years of teaching she has seen numerous positive effects.

What is SSR? � SSR has been implemented in schools under a variety of catchy names, such as Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), Unified Sustained Silent Reading (USSR) or Free Uninterrupted Reading (FUR). � These are all models of SSR sometimes with a slight change to better fit a particular school.

� Regardless of whatever flashy name or catchphrase is assigned successful models of SSR allow students to select their own books and require neither testing for comprehension nor book reports. � This model can include a set time for the whole school or just for a class, to sit and read. � SSR is a time for the students to simply read whatever they want.

SSR includes eight main factors. � Access � Appeal � Conducive environment � Encouragement � Distributed time to read � Non-accountability � Follow-up activities � Staff training

Access � Students must have access to a wide range of books � Teachers should stock their libraries with books that represent a variety of reading levels and genres. � A variety of books will help to build up lower readers and provide something of interest for each student.

Appeal � Allow the students to read whatever they wish such as, comic books, magazines, or novels. � This allows SSR to become something the students look forward to.

Conducive environment � Provide the students with a quiet productive place to read. � A major component is simply having a comfortable classroom with art work and other decorations around the room. � Keeping the class on task to ensure it is quiet for everyone also maintains a conducive environment.

Encouragement � Just read something (model). � Describe the benefits of silent reading. � Discuss new books or your favorites.

Distributed time to read � Simply of supply students with a set time to do nothing except read.

Non-accountability � In order for this model to work effectively neither credit nor consequences can be attached. � For optimal performance and improvement this should be a time that the student is stress-free. � Grading and other assessments of their reading may result in less achievement.

Follow-up activities � The students may keep a journal or share what they have learned with their peers. � Just remember, these activities must remain stress free not over-graded.

Staff training � Simple!

Benefits of SSR � Classroom Management � Greater Desire to Read � Improved Academic Performance � Higher Test Scores

Classroom Management

Benefits � The class begins quietly � The students have an opportunity to settle into a mood conducive to learning. � If the procedure is consistent then the teacher is left with very little responsibility and freed to focus on other things. � It provides an opportunity for the teacher to settle into a mood conducive for teaching.

Greater Desire to Read

Benefits � One of the best things about SSR is that it fuels its own success. � Students who are exposed to SSR frequently describe a new found desire to read. � In fact, Many students exposed to SSR make claims of preferring books to television!

Improved Academic Performance

Benefits � Students exposed to SSR show improved ability to read and comprehend. � There is evidence that SSR improves higher level thinking. � Mrs. Pascoe’s students constantly show readin level improvement.

Higher Test Scores

Benefits � Higher test scores leads to more opportunities � It allows the teacher more options � The school � The student

Why Isn't it Used More? � Time � Tests � Is it worth it?

Time � It actually saves time!

Tests � It improves scores � There are ways to assess it.

Is it worth it? � Yes! � It works every time!

Responsibility � Teachers have the opportunity and the responsibility to make or break human beings. � Teachers need to know what effect they’re having on their students. � Unfortunately, it is not only the teacher that seeks to assess student learning, but also parents, administration, state and government officials.

� Through SSR students improve to such a high degree that their lives are enriched and they test higher on scores eliminating the need to choose between intrinsic or extrinsic gain.