Independent
Reading
Elaine Gale, Hunter College & Susan Easterbrooks, Georgia State University
News Flash
Independent Reading
=
Higher Reading Scores
Why Read?
The more you read, the better you get at it;
the better you get at it, the more you like it;
and the more you like it, the more you do it.
And the more you read, the more you know;
and the more you know, the smarter you grow.
What is
Independent Reading?
DEAR
DIRT
FVR
SSR
Uninterrupted
Daily
Drop
Sustained
Free
Interrupted
Everything
Voluntary
Sustained
Silent
Reading
Reading
And
Reading
Silent
Read
Time
Reading
USSR
Why Independent Reading?
93%
of SSR students did as well or better on tests of reading
than students having no SSR time.
IR Research:
General
Education
Who Has the Highest
Reading Skill Scores?
International Association for the
Evaluation of Educational
Achievement report:
children who were read to by their teachers
children who read the most pages for pleasure daily
Duration of Treatment and
Outcomes of SSR Studies
Duration
Positive
No
Negative
Difference
Less than
7 months
7
13
3
7 months 1 year
9
11
0
Greater
than 1
year
8
2
0
Reading and Learning
Middle School Children
How many words can
one read a year?
1 million words
How many words can one learn a
year without direct vocabulary
instruction?
1 thousand words
IR Research:
DHH
Education
Model
Silent Sustained Reading
•
•
•
•
•
•
Time to read books of their own choice
Discard books
Time to find other books
Broad reading goals
Self reading record
Observe, comment and enjoy reading stories
8 Important Factors
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Access
Appeal
Conducive environment
Encouragement
Staff Training
Non-Accountability
Follow-up Activities
Distributed Time to Read
What Does Daily
Reading Mean for
DHH Students?
Learn to write and spell better
Gain English language skills
Independent Reading
Program, How to Set Up?
The How To Do List
• Assessing Needs
• Choosing Appropriate, Leveled Materials
• Finding Time and Space
• Encouraging Self-monitoring
• Assessing Outcomes
Assessing Needs
• Independent Reading
Level
• Informal Reading
Inventory (IRI)
– Graded word list
– Graded passages
– Summaries and
analyses
Independent Reading Level
The author sat in his chair and stared at the clock. The
pendulum swung back and forth as the time passed by.
He was desperate to think of new ideas for his story, but
his mind was a blank. This had never happened to him
before, as stories had always flowed easily from his
mind, usually so fast that he did not have the time to
write them down before they disappeared from
consciousness and new ideas took their place. But now
he was stuck for inspiration, and his book deadline was
approaching with a speed that truly frightened him.
1 unknown word in 100
Graded Word Lists
List C 5414
(Grade 4)
Sight
Analysis
1.
2.
3.
4.
.
.
.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Thunder
Friendship
Crickets
Yesterday
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
Medicine
Ashamed
Saddle
Anxious
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
Number Correct
Total
_______ _______
_______
Scoring Guide for Graded Word Lists
Independent Instructional Frustration
20 19
18 17 16 15 14 13 or less
Graded Passages
Flight
Older airplanes were moved
through the air by the use of
propellers. Now, most planes are
driven by large jet engines. Some
fly faster than sound. The first thing
you may notice about a plane is the
wings that stick out on either side of
its long body. Today jet planes land
and take off from major airports
every few seconds. People can
travel around the word in only a few
hours. It often takes travelers
longer to retrieve their luggage than
to fly to their destination. Planes
have been much improved since the
Wright brothers first flew in 1903.
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is this passage about?
(airplanes; the development of
planes through the years)
What kind of engines do most
airplanes have today? (jet
engines)
How were older planes moved
through the air? (propellers)
In what year did the Wright
Brothers fly? (1903)
How do you think the Wright
Brothers felt after the first flight?
Why? (any logical response)
Do you think jet airplanes have
changed our lives for the better?
Why? (any logical response)
Summaries and Analyses
Grade
Word Recognition
Isolation
(word Lists)
PP
P
1
2
Sight
Analysis
Total
Level
Comprehension
Context
(Passages)
Oral Reading
(Form A)
Miscues
Questions
Missed
Level
Level
Choosing Appropriate,
Leveled Materials
• Accelerated Readers
• Leveled Readers
• Developmental
Reader systems from
different publishing
companies
Accelerated Readers
• 1) Student reads book
• 2) Student takes a quiz
• 3) You get information
http://www.renlearn.com/ar/
Leveled Readers
http://www.pinnellandfountasleveledbooks.com
Reader Systems
http://www.wrightgroup.com
http://www.sundancepub.com/
http://www.cup.cam.ac.uk/elt/readers/
http://www.onestopenglish.com/readers/index.htm
Click video
Selectbook video
The following URL links to a full quality version video clip: selectbook
Not all students in the same
grade read at the same level
Click Video
Reading level video
The following URL links to a full quality version video clip: reading level
Finding Time & Space
• 10-20 minutes a
day
• Quiet informal
setting can go a
long way
Building Classroom Library
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Borrow from the school library
Involve parent/teacher association
Deaf Community
Local Service Organizations
Book Fair
Used Bookstores
Exchange Books
Budget Priorities
Encouraging
Self-Monitoring
• Self-Evaluation
Questions
• Self-Evaluation of
Reading Form
• Self-Monitoring
Checklist
Self-Evaluation Questions
• How do you feel you are doing in
reading/writing
• What are your strengths in
reading/writing?
• What do you enjoy the most about
reading/writing
• What do you feel you need to do to
improve your reading/writing?
Self-Evaluation Form
Name ___________________
Date________
Book Read _________________________________
Mark the scale below:
I feel that I
thoroughly
understood this
book
I feel that I
don’t
understood
this book
Why I marked this scale as I did _________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Self-Monitoring Checklist
THINKING ABOUT MY READING
BEFORE READING, DID I
* preview the text
* predict
DURING READING, DID I
* stop and think
* change predictions
AFTER READING, DID I
* think back about my predictions?
* summarize in my head?
To improve my reading, I need to: _______________________
__________________________________________________
Assessing Outcomes
• Retelling conference
with teacher
• Read section to friend
• Book talk
• Writing
• Art project
• Drama
• Your idea
• Nothing…just enjoy!
Student Book
Response Choices
Click Video
Booktalk video
How Many Times Do You
Need To Meet a Word
Before You
Comprehend It?
12
IR Materials
•
•
•
•
Preschool
Elementary
Middle and High School
Older Struggling Reader
Preschool Materials
Wordless
Predictable
Pop-up
More Preschool Materials
Shared Reading Project
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Literacy/srp/setup.html
ASL/English Books
LEA
Language Experience Activity
Elementary Materials
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Elementary: News
Elementary: Other
Email
Music
Maps
Poetry
Middle and
High School Materials
Older Struggling
Readers Materials
Magazines
Postcards
Newspapers
Wide range
of
opportunities
to read
Bumper Stickers
Posters
Advertisements
Older Struggling Readers:
Intervention
Cooperative Learning Groups
Read Aloud
Based on Need
Strategic Reading
Discussion and Collaborative Talk
Close Captioning As
Reading Material?
What do you think?
Click Video
Trelease video
Accessible Books
Books on Video
Books on Disk
Big Books
Pre-Service
Teacher Assignment
• You will choose a literacy skill that you have
identified your student needs to practice.
• Develop a independent reading assessment
rubric related to this objective and fill it out on the
student.
• Identify books for student to read independently
that will enhance this skill.
• Provide independent reading times over the
period of one month with materials that focus on
the student’s identified need.
• At the end of the month, fill out the assessment
rubric to identify if progress has been made on
the objective.
Electronic Resources
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Literacy/programs/IR.html
http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/er/index.html
http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/rah_chpt5_p1.html
Paper Resources
Krashen, S. D. (2004). The Power of Reading:
Insights from the research. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Pilgreen, J. L. (2000). The SSR Handbook: How
to organize and manage a sustained silent
reading program. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Schleper, D. R. SSR? DEAR? USSR? Or DIRT?
No Matter What You Call It, Independent Reading Is for
Everyone. Odyssey, (Fall 2002), 26-28.
Extra!
Independent Reading
=
Higher Reading Scores