Independent Reading in the Primary Classroom

Dear Educator,

The anticipation is high around here, as we are getting set to release our 2008 catalog. Watch for it in your school mailbox in mid-February. To make room in the warehouse for our 235 new products, we've scheduled our largest-ever Clearance Sale, February 6-8. Be sure to check out our website next week to take advantage of our best deals of the year-available online only.

Meanwhile: If, like me, you've found all the debate and heated rhetoric over the value of silent reading programs to be confusing (not to mention all the different acronyms), you'll want to check out the article and links this month, as we look at the history of the conflict, what the research says, and what might work best in real classrooms.

Best wishes,

Rosalind Iiams, Editor
editor@primaryconcepts.com

That question has prompted heated debate over the past 7 years. It started in 2001, when the National Reading Panel, in a widely quoted and sometimes misinterpreted finding, stated that, "The research suggests that there are more beneficial ways to spend reading instructional time than to have students read independently in the classroom without reading instruction" [emphasis ours]. IRA President Timothy Shanahan cast further doubt on the effectiveness of SSR in his article in Reading Today (June/July 2006), referring to the lack of published research in refereed journals showing benefits from the program. The proponents of SSR, in particular Stephen Krashen, argue that many studies were not included or misinterpreted in the National Reading Panel's evaluation, and that the panel did not go far enough: for example, they did not study SSR for a long enough period of time to evaluate its effectiveness.

Does Reading Time Help, Anyway? As Heidi Trudel states in her article, "Making Data-Driven Decisions: Silent Reading," in the December 2007 edition of The Reading Teacher, "Studies have shown that the amount of time a student spends reading natural, meaningful, and connected text (not necessarily self-selected) results in increased vocabulary knowledge (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998; Nagy, Herman and Anderson, 1985), fluency and word recognition (Yopp & Yopp, 2003), and overall reading and listening comprehension (Elley & Mangubhai, 1983; Taylor, Frye, & Maruyama, 1990). Taylor et al. (1990) found that time spent reading during school contributed significantly to gains in students' reading achievement."

The latest IRA President's Message, by Linda Gambrell and published in Reading Today (June 2007), also points to several recent experimental studies on the value of independent classroom reading. Kuhn et al. (2006) found that second-grade children improved in both word reading and comprehension when they increased the time they spend reading appropriately challenging texts with scaffolds. Samuels and Wu (2003) found that additional reading practice was beneficial to third and fifth grade classrooms, but that adjustments needed to be made for a student's reading ability and attention span.

Some Suggestions for Making the Most of Independent Reading Time. Is independent reading the most effective use of a teacher's limited instructional time? How much structure is necessary? Each teacher (or sometimes, each school) will answer that question for herself. However, many authors and researchers have put forward practical suggestions for adding structure and guidance to independent reading time, and have found that this increases the program's effectiveness. Some of the basics of SSR are providing access to books, allowing students to choose books that are interesting and appropriate, providing a conducive environment, encouraging students to read, and not testing students on their SSR reading. A structured program adds teacher guidance in selecting books, having students record their reading, and using the time to conference with students on their reading.

Heidi Trudel, who implemented and studied such a program in her primary classroom, says, "[I found] four things that students were more likely to do during IR than SSR: stay on task, make appropriate text choices, engage in quality teacher-student discussions, and create response documents. As Worthy and Broaddus (2001/2002) noted, there may not be enough guidance occurring during SSR. Teachers don't have the opportunity to assess students' skills and provide appropriate instruction. IR has the potential to equip teachers with more assessment data than traditional SSR so that they can better determine appropriate instruction for their class as a whole and for individual students."

Download these recording sheets from My Reading Journal and give your students a place to record and describe the books they read during their independent reading time. Designed especially for primary students, with just enough lines for writing, and a large space to draw a picture about the story. Students can even rate each book using the five-star rating scale.

• What The Research Says (Or Doesn't Say) About Sustained Silent Reading (Northwest Education)

• Self-Selected Reading (SSR) (Ms. Powell's Management Ideas for Teachers)--Structured Independent Reading strategies in practice, with helpful links.

• The Death of Sustained Silent Reading (The Elementary Educator Blog)

Leveled Reading Library New for 2008--Here are the books and organization you need for a Structured Independent Reading or Guided Reading program, already leveled for you. We have selected over 120 books with Guided Reading levels from A through M, so every child in your class can find a book at the right level. Each level contains from 7 to 11 books. A variety of publishers, genres, and topics allows you to help each student select an interesting, appropriate text. Includes a book list with levels, and stickers to label each book. Available with or without sturdy book baskets. Also available: 4 sets of books, with or without baskets, for use in a Guided Reading program.

February specials, online only!
	Leveled Reading Library: Books plus 12 Baskets Regularly $585.00; Special $550.00 Leveled Reading Library: Books Only Regularly $525.00; Special $495.00

What is your approach to Independent Reading? How have you adapted this strategy in your classroom? Let us know, and we'll share your experience with our readers.

This topic just keeps getting hotter. We'll share the latest news with you: who's implementing RTI, and how are they doing it? Plus, we'll feature our brand-new Intervention Tutor—a complete, organized, portable RTI tutoring kit for Tiers II and III.

All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and that afterwards it all belongs to you; the good and the bad, the ecstacy, the remorse, and sorrow, the people and places and how the weather was.

— Ernest Hemingway