The Importance of Independent Reading:What the research says!Samuels and Farstrup Ch. 6

Powerpoint by Kathryn L. DuselEDU 740

Literacy Educators have TWO Goals:

To teach our students to read

To teach our students to want to read

Kasten and Wilfong (2005)

Q: What is Independent Reading?

A: Time spent silently reading self-selected texts

TWO GOALS of Independent Reading:1. To promote positive attitudes toward reading

(Heathington, 1979; Manning, Lewis, & Lewis, 2010; Midgley, 1993; Mizelle, 1997)

2. To provide students with the reading practice they need to become proficient (Allington, 1977, 2009; Gambrell, 2009)

The Relationship Between Time Spent Reading and Reading AchievementAnderson, Wilson, and Fielding (1988)

Time spent reading predicts gains in achievement between second and fifth grade Students who scored in the 90th

percentile: Spent nearly 5 times as many minutes per

day reading than those scoring in the 50th percentile

Over 200 times more than students who scored in the tenth percentile

Time spent reading predicts achievement in comprehension, vocabulary, and reading speed

Teachers can influence the amount of time students spend reading outside of school!

How?

1. Reading aloud2. Providing independent reading time

during school hours

Research Support for Independent Reading

Moore, Jones, & Miller, 1980Sadoski, 1980Wiesendanger & Birlem, 1984Yoon, 2002

Overall, Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) has a consistent and positive effect on reading attitudes!

Early studies showed that SSR is neither more nor less effective than other approaches to reading

Also… when compared to other approaches, the findings for benefits to higher-level reading skills for SSR were inconclusive

Later reviews support earlier claims that providing SSR time for students to read self-selected texts facilitated development of positive attitudes toward reading

One Decade, Two Major Reports

Teaching Children to Read (NRP)To Read or Not to Read (NEA,

2007)

Teaching Children to Read Reported a lack of research support for

independent reading Challenged the practice of providing classroom

time for SSR NRP concluded that there were insufficient

numbers of scientifically based research studies In spite of this, NRP acknowledged that good

readers read the most and poor readers read the least

The more children read, the better their fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

To Read or Not to Read (NEA)

Conducted studies to determine American reading habits

Unsettling findings:1. Americans are spending

less time reading2. Reading comprehension

skills are declining

CONCLUSIONS: Pleasure reading correlates

strongly with academic achievement

Individuals who engage in reading for pleasure are better readers and writers than nonreaders

Children and teenagers who read regularly scored better on reading tests

Startling Statistics: Nearly half of Americans ages 18-24

reported reading no books for pleasure From 1984-2004, the percentage of 13-

year-olds who reported that they “read for fun” declined from 35%-30% For 17-year-olds the decline was from

31% to 22% As individuals read less, they read less

well resulting in lower academic achievement

Recent StudiesManning, Lewis, & Lewis (2010)Reutzel, Fawson, and Smith (2008)Kuhn and Schwanenflugel (2009)Allington (2009)

Effects of ScSR with GROR

Scaffolded Silent Reading And Guided Repeated Oral Reading

Silent reading Wide reading Independent-level texts Varied genres Teacher monitors and

interacts with individual students

Book response assignments

Both practices tended toward tedium and decreased enjoyment of reading

Effects of Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction (FORI) and Wide Reading

Oral reading rather than silent reading Has implications for independent reading Students read and re-read a single text each

week in the FORI group Wide-reading group read and re-read three

different texts Wide-reading group demonstrated greater

fluency than FORI group and had more positive self concept as readers

Increased reading practice matters more than which technique is used to foster expanded reading activity

The Use of Software Programsto Manage Reading

Accelerated Reader and Reading Counts Both programs assess students’ level and allow

students to choose and read books at that level After reading, students complete a computerized

comprehension quiz

FINDINGS:Schools that use reading management programs have

more books in their libraries and allow more time for sustained silent reading

Caution: More empirical evidence is needed to support the

effects of reading management programs

Research-Informed Visions of Independent Reading in the ClassroomAllington (2009)Hiebert & Reutzel, (2010) Kelly & Clausen-Grace (2006)Reutzel et al., (2008)Samuels & Wu (2003)

Teacher Scaffolding for Successful Reading Practice

The stamina of readers can be supported by effective independent, silent reading practice

Students should be taught to select appropriate texts

Teachers should hold book conferences

Three phases: Read and Relax Reflect and Respond Rap

Effective Practice and Engaged Reading

Engaged reading is when students actively use cognitive processes and strategies while reading

Not all children are engaged in real reading during independent reading time, especially struggling readers

Teachers should: Help students choose

appropriate books Allow time for social

interaction about books

Time Devoted to Independent Reading in School The time spent reading in school has

been low over the last 30 years Some research has suggested that

students should spend 90 minutes engaged in independent reading during the school day

Time spent reading and writing should be greater than time devoted to instruction

Appropriate Levels of Text

Not all students are capable of selecting appropriate textReading easy texts promotes reading engagement and achievement to a greater extent than does reading more difficult textsStruggling readers may need a steady diet of “high-success” reading experiences with books they can read with at least 99% accuracy Teacher guiding may be necessary to ensure struggling readers are choosing the right level text

Social Interactions Around Books During Independent Reading

Social interaction promotes achievement, higher-level cognition, and desire to read Students who have opportunities to interact socially with peers during literacy activities are more motivated to readStudents who engage in frequent discussions about reading with friends and family are more motivated read and have higher reading achievement

To Sum Up:IF: Students to read appropriate texts Students have more time to read in school Students have meaningful interaction

when it comes to readingTHEN:o Students will achieve higher reading

scoreso Students will LOVE reading!

The End!This concludes Kathryn Dusel’s portion of the jigsaw wiki for Module Two of EDU 740