Independent Reading Time-
Do you remember in school when you had SSR, or Sustained Silent Reading? It was a required 15-30 minutes of the school day. Basically you read any book, whether it was a simple chapter book or a really challenging novel that confused you a bit. That didn't matter, though- you were reading, and that's what mattered. The difficult part, though, is that you may have never been shown to locate a "just right" book. You may have also never been encouraged to read a variety of genres that extended beyond your schema and books you had read before. What is Independent Reading Time, and why is it an essential component of the school day?
Mandy Yates defines Independent Reading Time well- "Independent reading isn't just about letting kids read silently for a given amount of time. It's about providing students with the necessary tools to becoming independent and life long readers." Furthermore, Reggie Routman writes there are four key elements of independent reading that will help students become successful- choice, strategies, time and goals.
You should offer a sensational selection in your classroom library. At least twenty books should be in the library per student you have. That means in my classroom, I should offer at least 500 books for my students. Having more, though, definitely encourages your students to explore a variety of genres. Out of my 1,500 classroom books, I include historical fiction, adventures, realistic fiction, fantasy and informational books. Within that collection, my books are seperated into these categories. Remember, as Angela Bunyi told people who followed her grades 3-5 teacher advisor position on Scholastic- Don't teach in a "literary desert". Your students need to know that books can enrich their knowledge. Your students need to know that you value books.
Your students also need to aquire strategies to choose and respond to literature. Read some of my recommended mini-lessons here. Students need to learn how to choose just-right books, preview books, not abandon their choices often, use sticky notes, ask themselves questions as they read, and respond to literature. Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop, Still Learning to Read- Teaching Students in Grades 3-6, and Guiding Readers and Writers are a few of the best books that offer advice about strategies you can teach your students.
Ample time should be given for your students to immerse themselves in literature- about 30 minutes a day is best. That means between five days of school a week, 150 minutes are dedicated to reading. Imagine how many minutes students will read by the end of the school year and the variety of literature they can delve into.
Most importantly, your students should set goals for how many days it takes them to complete a book as well as goals for the types of books they will read. The time you allot students permits you to hold individual conferences, pair conferences, and small reading groups.
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