Sustained Silent Reading
Sustained silent reading programs go by many names – DEAR (Drop Everything and Read), POWER (Providing Opportunities With Everyday Reading), and DIRT (Daily Independent Reading Time), to name a few (Gardiner 15) – and are instituted in various formats. In their paper on the benefits of sustained silent reading, Elaine M. Garan and Glenn DeVoogd comment on the range of instructional techniques:
At one end of the continuum is pure SSR as a time devoted to free reading during which students read books of their own choice, without assessment, skills work, monitoring, or instruction from the teacher… Other teachers implement SSR by monitoring the type and the number of books students read; they may also administer assessments, keep reading checklists, and ask questions or encourage student discussion about books. (337)
Regardless of these factors, SSR programs involve students reading for a set amount of time, a material (book, newspaper, magazine) of their choice – with potential limitations on content or form.
At one end of the continuum is pure SSR as a time devoted to free reading during which students read books of their own choice, without assessment, skills work, monitoring, or instruction from the teacher… Other teachers implement SSR by monitoring the type and the number of books students read; they may also administer assessments, keep reading checklists, and ask questions or encourage student discussion about books. (337)
Regardless of these factors, SSR programs involve students reading for a set amount of time, a material (book, newspaper, magazine) of their choice – with potential limitations on content or form.