Courtney Smith EDU 624 Jennifer Wojcik How Teachers Can Encourage Independent Reading

Research is accumulating that suggests that a growing number of children do not read for pleasure (Department for Education, 2012). Academic performance is closely related to reading performance as quoted in Cullinan (1999, para. 23). Click Below to watch a YouTube video! Use Closed Captions if needed!

1. Students may lack comprehension. 2. Students don’t choose a book that “fits” 3. Students lack engagement. There is a growing body of evidence which illustrates the importance of reading for pleasure for both educational purposes as well as personal development (Department for Education, 2012) Students’ reading ability and desire to read are affected by the structure of the texts they read (Cullinan, 1999). Elementary teachers support independent reading, yet struggle to implement it effectively.

Inner city Waterbury elementary teachers that service inner city elementary students in grades K-5. Majority of the students will be eligible for free or reduced lunch and about 20-30% population of English as a Second Language (ESL) and Special Education (SPED) students in each classroom. Teachers’ experience with independent reading will vary, but majority do not implement it consistently. FACT: Half the children from Connecticut’s poorest districts do not have the skills they need to enter kindergarten (Read to Grow, 2014).

Other benefits to reading for pleasure include: text comprehension and grammar, positive reading attitudes, pleasure in reading in later life, increased general knowledge (Department for Education, 2012). Children vary in the experiences they bring to learning to read, including different cultures, background knowledge, oral and written languages, experiences with print, 18 and access to print ( Commission on Reading of the National Council of Teachers of English, 2004). We all can benefit from reading!

The goal of this Independent Reading e-Learning module is for elementary teachers to learn why independent reading is helpful and how to incorporate it into a classroom with diverse readers. Everyone should enjoy reading!

Benefits Teachers will need to know why independent reading is beneficial for young readers. Type of Readers Teachers will have to distinguish between different types of readers. Reader/Book Leveling Teachers will need to know what books are appropriate for independent readers by learning about book leveling. Encouragement Teachers will learn various strategies to encourage various reader types to read independently.

Have had unsatisfying results from independent reading strategies: D.E.A.R. & S.S.R. Early researchers Watkins and Edwards (1992) have found that “teachers’ attitudes toward reading significantly affect the amount of extracurricular reading students do as quoted in Cullinan (1999, para. 23). Students may choose books that are too hard or too easy which deter them from reading altogether. Struggling and low- performing need the most practice with authentic reading experiences (Routman, 2002, p. 84). TeachersStudents

Objective #1 identify the benefits of independent reading for students. Objective #2 prepare a classroom library by interest level and/or reading level. Objective #3 demonstrate to students how to find books based on their reading levels and/or interest. Objective #4 analyze student reading habits. Objective #5 promote positive reinforcement and implement reading engagement strategies. By the time a learner finishes this eLearning lesson, he or she should be able to

The e-Learning will take place on a Weebly website. This was chosen due to its possibilities of multimedia: videos, links, surveys, articles, etc. The pages on a Weebly site makes learning organized. Information can be viewed on a computer, iPad, or smartphone. The site can promote teacher collaboration across the grades. Development is customizable to make learning easy for diverse learners and different exposure levels. Possible challenge: Too much information can presented on a page can be too overwhelming.

Commission on Reading of the National Council of Teachers of English On reading, learning to read, and effective reading instruction: An overview of what we know and how we know it. NCTE. Retrieved from Cullinan, B. (1998). Independent reading and school achievement. American Association of School Librarians. Retrieved from Department for Education. (2012). Research evidence on reading for pleasure. Retrieved from for_pleasure.pdf Read to Grow. (2014). Effects of low literacy. Retrieved from Routman, R. (2002). Plan for and monitor independent reading. Reading Essentials: The Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well. Retrieved from